Anal skin tag removal

The worst part about this procedure were reading these horror stories online. I promised myself I would leave my experience to help others because I was stressing hard. I had two external small/medium sized tags they went a little inside as well removed via electrocautery and general sedation and dissolvable stiches on the larger of the two. I never even took the pain meds that were prescribed to me, tylenol was enough to help with the discomfort. ice packs helped with the post op swelling which I see some people getting scared about the lumps from where the tags were removed, but they shrink down. I took colace stool softners twice a day which are also key to keeping bowel movements less painful and baths to keep the area clean. Moving around was challenging for the first 5 days for me but not painful more like a pressure/ stretching feeling , your body saying don't do that. Its day 6 and I feel almost back to normal. To prep for this procedure I recommend buying a big pack of 3x3 gauze to rest and replace in that area for soaking up any moisture or blood , cetaphil gentle cleanser, soft ice packs to rotate, soft healthy foods to eat, lots of water some fiber supplements to prevent future hemroids and take care of all the things around the house prior like clean sheets and towels, clean the bath so you'll have them ready while recovering. I also have a tushy bidet which was great during recovery and will be for preventative future care. I am very happy with the results and don't have to live with the skin tags down there anymore. The pain was very manageable and totally worth it. It looks so much better and way more hygenic. Good Luck and try not to stress.

I just wanted to add my experience on to this thread - I think I know the content of this discussion almost off by heart because of my worries before and after my procedure!

After 3 pregnancies - all natural births - I had been left with 3 large anal skin tags.

I was referred through the NHS twice and both times they said it was cosmetic and the would not treat them.

After a lot of research I decided to go to a private clinic in London to have them removed under local anesthetic.

The procedure itself took 25 mins from start to finish. Only slightly uncomfortable parts were one of the injections been put in and the laser After they had been removed. Dr put 5 stitches put I to help it heal more aesthetically pleasing.

I had quite a lot of bleeding for 5 days and this as slowly gone down to none after 2 weeks.

The bumps and swelling that came up during healing were worse than my actual tags in the first place, even after 3 weeks I didn't think I would get the result I was hoping for. But now I have just passed week 4 and I am becoming extremely pleased - almost all the swelling has gone, there are still two small hard lumps that I'm sure will heal in time.

A sitz bath was an excellent thing to help with washing after going to the toilet, I only used suppositories for 2 days and am still taking 5ml of lactose once a day.

I was advised to use frozen peas in cling film and tissue for 20mins a day to reduce swelling, vasaline on the area for 10days and then to switch to something like bio oil to aid healing (I have been using cocoa butter instead).

I really hope this helps and reassures someone else and I honestly wish I hadn't suffered for the last 8 years and had done so much sooner.

Hi guys, I have been reading this forum religiously ahead of my AST surgery and wanted to share my experience so far. This site has been invaluable so hoping I can give back! I am on day 5 post-op of having one large tag removed and having a very positive recovery.

Pre-op: 3 days before surgery I started on a low-residue diet. Super bland, not much fiber, and soft foods. I wanted to have as little in me as possible! The day before surgery, I stopped eating solid foods at 2pm. Surgery was scheduled for 8:30am, so the night before I did an enema, as the surgery center wasn’t going to give me one. Again, I wanted to be a cleared out as possible! Also, a month or so prior to the surgery, I started taking a stool softener and fiber supplements to get my system regular (had been pretty constipated before then).

Op: surgery scheduled for 8:30am and I was in the recovery room by 11:30am. Putting in the IV was probably the most painful part! This was my first time under anesthesia and I’m prone to nausea, so I asked them to add an anti-nausea line with the anesthesia. Doctor looked at my chart and must’ve seen that I take anti-depressant/anxiety meds, so he added some anti-anxiety meds as well! I spoke with the surgeon ahead of time and told her no matter what else she saw up there, ONLY remove the tag LOL. Waking up from anesthesia was probably the hardest part, as it triggered my asthma and I had trouble taking deep breaths. I was also super groggy and tired. Had some gauze stuffed in my bum and when I got off the bed, I saw blood on the sheets. Freaked me out! 25 min drive home was fine.

Day 1: home from surgery and feeling fine. No pain, but aware that I’m probably still numb. My surgeon said it would only last about 6 hours. I took a stool softener and laid on the couch for a few hours. Took a Meloxicam (prescription ibuprofen I think) and napped for 5-6 hours. Still no pain, but made sure I stayed on top of my meds. Meloxicam is once daily so I took Tylenol every 6 hours as well. Skipped the laxative because I didn’t want to have a BM for another day. Made sure to use my handheld bidet/peri bottle every time I peed just to keep the area clean. I think I had some pasta with a bit of butter and cheese for dinner, but kept it to soft foods. Surprisingly hungry! Was able to take my dog around the block very slowly. Iced on and off to keep the swelling down. Took another stool softener before bed along with a low dose of Gabapentin.

Day 2: woke up and still no pain, just more of an awareness of the surgical site. I made sure to set an alarm while I slept so I could take the next dose of Tylenol. Slept with a giant overnight pad in case of leakage but didn’t notice any. Pretty gassy but no BM yet, which I started to get nervous about even though I wanted to give it a day or so. Drank some prune juice, had a stool softener, and made oatmeal for breakfast. Didn’t nap today but laid around on the couch and took a couple short, slow walks. Still just taking Meloxicam. More pasta for dinner with a fiber supplement. Shocked I’m still not in pain! There’s a tiny, tiny bit of discomfort but just enough to remind me there was a procedure. Still icing on and off, even though I hear it can slow healing. No bath yet but showering. Aware that I still haven’t had a BM so might still be in the honeymoon phase!

Day 3: slept through my medicine alarm but didn’t need it. Was a little achey at the site but still no pain. Just took Tylenol today and skipped the Meloxicam as I heard it might be constipating and I didn’t need it. Definitely wanted to poop today so I had some prune juice and caffeine to get things moving. Finally!! I could tell I needed to go but my nerves kept “sucking” everything back in. I had to push a little just to relax my bottom but then something came out! No pain! Hopped in the shower to clean off and applied some Lidocaine just to keep things feeling good. Had a couple more bigger BMs over the next few hours but no pain. Continued to rest and take slow walks. Had a 4th BM at night and was starting to get annoyed. Fortunately all were very soft (looser than the first 2 actually) and not much pain. A small bit of stinging that quickly went away. Skipped the stool softener and laxative as I didn’t want to have a ton of BMs the next day.

Day 4: woke up a little achey and had a tiny bit of discharge. Haven’t seen any blood since post-op, really. No weird smells either! Had a large BM right away that made me feel a little sick, but I think it was because I had a lot to let go of. Have stopped icing, but shower after BMs and put on Lidocaine. I also use a hair dryer to dry the area after getting it wet. Had some Tylenol and breakfast. Since yesterday was pretty active in the bowels, I wanted to keep things light on fiber to stop me up a bit (without getting constipated). At this point, I have a big appetite and I’ve just kind of eaten when I want without getting too crazy. Nothing heavy or super greasy. Still resting and walking! Feeling itchy today so I took some Benadryl. I’ve had a couple baths today to keep things clean even though I didn’t need them for pain. Took a 20 min walk and felt itchy/irritated at the site, but not painful. My mom has been in town to take care of me and she wanted to go out to dinner on her last night. I had a lot of bread, chicken Caesar salad, and half a cheesecake. I was really nervous for how my BM was gonna be after eating a bit indulgently! Got home and felt weirdly dizzy and bloated, but no idea why. I’m starting my period any day now so it could’ve been that. I think it was also a lot of anxiety about what the next BM would bring! Had some prune juice before bed to prepare for tomorrow. Finally fell asleep and prayed all would be well in the AM.

Day 5: woke up to no ache at all. A tiny bit of discharge but feeling good. Popped a stool softener but skipped any pain meds. No BM for a few hours and no urgency. Dropped my mom off at the airport and came home to have my daily cocktail of Emergen-C and pre-workout (for caffeine). Had a large but loose BM shortly after and was pain-free! Used my squirt bottle and some hem wipes to clean things up and letting it air dry. Laying around on the couch but feeling great today.

I’m hoping since it’s been an upward trajectory so far that things continue to improve! It’s crazy how some AST surgeries are brutal and some are a short walk in the park. Right before surgery, I told my surgeon I was going to try to skip the narcotics and just use the ibuprofen and Tylenol, and she all but laughed! In fact, she said I would probably need the Vicodin and that I could even take 2 at a time. I was preparing for a tough time and even psyched my friends up about it for about a month ahead of time. They are all laughing now that I’ve been totally fine! I’m sure I’ve just gotten lucky and probably the AST was in a good spot (about the 12 o clock position and the “stem” of it right in the opening) but also glad I took a lot of precautions ahead of time. I have a pretty low pain tolerance so I don’t think that had anything to do with it. Also want to note that there is no bulge so far, but when I gently prod the area, I think I feel a bit of inflammation in my hole, though not the outside.

Hoping this very long account of my recovery is helpful to someone! It’s so hit or miss, so if you’re thinking about it, do it! I panicked for a few months and had a big cry at one point because I was terrified of the recovery, but I’m glad I did it. My tag removal was mostly for aesthetic and hygienic purposes and it really only hurt when I wiped. I knew I couldn’t live with it forever, especially since I’ve had it for 8 years and it kept getting bigger!

Wishing anyone else a speedy and easy recovery 🙏🏼 Going to be VERY careful from now on as to not need a more invasive surgery in the future!

hi guys i'm almost crying typing this i had the surgery 7 days ago and 2 days aftwr i had to poop and wasn't going throught any pain but after pooping i noticed i felt the place swollen and the noticed something like new skin tags i was telling myself at first that they werent skin tags just swollen, but now i dont know anymore. anyone felt like new skin tags and then they vanished??

hi, im hoping someone is still active in this thread as i need help! i had mine removed (1 smallish tag from 12 oclock position) on the 2nd december, under local anaestetic. was burnt off and then stitched. im 12 weeks and STILL have the pink lump!! im getting so depressed over it. its not that its a massive lump, its kind of small but its bright pink in comparison to the rest of my skin there so its v noticable. i just want reassurance that it does go away. is there anything i can use to help?

hello, i hope everyone doesnt mind me posting 4 years on, but i had 2 skin tags removed on Monday and i wanted some advice please. the pain is definitely better, it stings for a little while when i go to the toilet but this is lessening. however i am still getting discharge around the wound, it is faint yellow in colour and i just wanted to know if anyone else still had this 6 days on or whether i should be concerned as it may he infected.

thank you in advance !!

Hello. I'm a 50 year old guy from the United States who had a 1/4 to 1/2 inch anal skin tag removed days ago. I have fibromyalgia and a lot of complications, and I think some of the medications caused constipation, which caused a hemorrhoid, which caused the anal skin tag. I saw the doctor about this years ago, but it wasn't large enough to do something about, but it's been causing more and more discomfort after disposing of bodily waste and also even when sitting in certain positions.

I was awake for the procedure (not pleasant) and basically just bent over in the colon doctor/surgeon's office where her and a nurse burned off the anal skin tag. I felt like was in hell or close to it. They burned it off as I could feel the needle and then the heat. The doctor did not give me good post-operative instructions. I had been eating normally, which resulted in large amounts of gas. I had to go to the bathroom bad but was in too much pain to. Plus it said better not to the first 24 hours. When I finally went after 25 hours, I hadn't even taken a laxative. The pain was bearable, and it wasn't pain so much coming out, but when I tried to stop the bowel movement. On day 2, I had a harder bowel movement that had more pain with it. The pain overall has been bearable during the day, but I really hope healing happens in days 3-5 so I can get back to some level of normal activity.

As far as how it looks, I can't even bend and look back there right now. There's no bruising on my butt or the surrounding area, but I'm too sore to even look back there right now near my anus to see what anything looks like. Will keep you updated.