Anal skin tag surgery. Frightened. Any experience?

[Minime85]

I'm due to have a large skin tag removed in October. It has been making me miserable for about a year. When it's swollen it feels like I'm sitting on a golf ball! It's large enough to pull the inside out sorry TMI. It's more worse than it isn't if that makes sense. But the surgeon told me how bad the recovery is and I'm really worried about it being so painful afterwards and maybe creating other problems. I already suffer with IBS so last thing I need is to make things worse. Has anyone had this op done? Thank you

So I’m officially 9 days post op and have probably the most painless easiest experience which I’ve genuinely dreamt of. I made myself sick with sorry going into this surgery for months. I had 2 skin tags removed under GA. After the operation I couldn’t really feel much down there and felt great after the anaesthetic. The next day I was expecting to wake up in agony as the painkillers would be wearing off but still felt great. I think my first bowl movement was on day 2 - no pain whatsoever just like a normal one. Everything felt very open and strange but no pain at all. I then kind of just waited for pain to happen but 9 days on absolutely nothing. I can’t believe I’ve spent months and months worrying myself sick over nothing. Obviously it’s quite impossible when you read traumatic stories online and the doctor tries to encourage you not to take the surgery. The only annoying part of this is that since the surgery I’ve incorporated a lot more vegetables and fruit into my diet and drank ALOT more water, like so much more even tho I actually drink a lot anyway and I’ve found myself constipated twice (I didn’t go to the toilet for 4 days at one point) unable to pass a very large hard stool. It’s so annoying because in doing everything I should yet my body is just like nope?? I can’t imagine what it would of been like if I had pain. I ate a few dates a couple of days after the op and it softened my stool a lot but it’s not doing anything now, even laxatives aren’t really working for me. I think I took them for the first 3/4 days but then stopped. I only took painkillers for about 3 days and I’ve stopped taking them now because there’s no pain, just a slight bit of uncomfortableness but that’s it. I’m glad I’m not in pain because I’d be in absolute agony trying to pass these stools.

I also looked at the hole the day after the surgery and it just looked how I expected, a normal hole with cut outs of where the tags were. I told myself I wasn’t going to look for another week as it is quite scary. I looked yesterday and it looks like I have 2 holes so I’m looking forward to it healing as it looks quite strange. But absolutely no skin tags and it looks pretty normal there, I can’t believe it!

if there’s anything I could suggest from my experience is to try and remain calm and not worry yourself sick. It’s almost impossible to do because you read other people’s experiences online and it’s so scary. But there ARE positive outcomes from this. When I read people’s reviews I was focusing on the bad ones to see how bad it really gets cos I drilled it into my head that I was going to have a traumatic experience. When I looked at this page again I focused on the good experiences and there’s actually a lot. But you don’t really take any notice of them because you feel like it’s too good to be true. Whether it’s painful or not there’s literally no feeling than seeing it being normal down there. Honestly hang in there because it’s so worth it. I’m not fully healed yet at all but it already seems so much better.

good luck with it and think positive!

I forgot to add to this.. there is a very unpleasant smell which comes from it as there is discharge which is starting to slowly fade, quite unpleasant but it doesn’t last forever.

I am on day 16, officially over to weeks. I had pain just like an hour of one day the first week, but it wasn’t painful enough even to take an over the counter pain killer. So it was really easy for me too. Not painful even after a BM… I did have a little of bleeding the entire first week that I manage using Gauze and changing it constantly during the day to keep the wound dry. The second week I didn’t have bleeding but still some discharge and I can confirm the smell was awful, but it stop several days ago, thankfully.
I took a look down there finally, and it looks okish, the skin tag is gone, but I see inflammation in the area with little bubbles around the anus, that look like several mini skin tags. I’m not super worried about that though, my doctor said that it could look like that for some weeks while the inflammation stops, and even if I stay like that is already way less visible and less uncomfortable than the skin tag I had. So I would consider my experience successful… 😉
I wonder… Has someone here had the little bubbles? Did they disappeared over time?

@LunaNight im all super bumpy and bubbly and at the moment it looks worse than it did before 🫣 Am 15 days post op. Have had nothing about a follow up either, think they said 6 weeks?!

Currently 4 weeks post op, it’s absolutely flew by. Everything’s went okay ish until about 2 weeks in I’ve been quite constipated since the operation. Not heavily conspitated but I just can’t go to the toilet as easy as I could before. I takes me about 30 seconds to pass a stool and it seems so much bigger and it makes me very sore. Then so on so when I go to the toilet it just makes it more sore. I bought psyllium husk and tried it yesterday and it’s made it sooo much better. Everything looked amazing down there when I first had surgery until 2 weeks in not sure if it’s because of my bowel movements but now it’s all lumpy and inflamed :( I was doing so well it looked amazing. I’m hoping these go down asap cos it’s making me constantly want to look and I feel so disappointed every time cos they’re still there. I guess it’s just a rollercoaster of a recovery. Anyone else who was fine and then had lumps and bumps? I really want them to go away I’m scared incase I’ve done some damage with the constipation.

also forgot to mention I originally thought I was conspitated because I’d been resting and not exercising for a week (I literally didn’t leave the house as I just wanted to rest). Then I started walking on the treadmill at the gym for 1 hour everyday and I’m still the same. It’s so frustrating I’m eating so well I don’t understand. It also wasn’t bleeding from after a few days after my surgery and now there’s lots of blood every time. So stressful feel like I’m going backwards now.

Currently four days post op and the doc said I’d feel uncomfortable for the first 48 hours… that was an understatement. I couldn’t even sleep properly on my first two nights.

I had a large AST and associated hem removed plus botox injection for the fissure. Had my first BM the following morning and even though I was terrified, it actually wasn’t that painful and have since successfully had a BM every morning with little pain.

Like some of the other comments, I have developed this angry, bruised and inflamed mushroom (after four days, I squatted over the mirror as I needed to know what was going on down there) which is so tender and swollen that I can barely walk and definitely can’t sit down. Even lying down has been a challenge, although I’ve found laying on my stomach has been most comfortable. However, no oozing or smells and haven’t had any sitz baths, just been showering and dabbing around the area after with a wet cotton pad to ensure it stays as clean as possible.

I didn’t have any stitches, just cauterisation so had an open wound. After day two, I was only really bleeding after a BM and the amount of bleeding is lessening each day, probably cause the stool is soft. Was prescribed antibiotics for a week to prevent infection and Lactulose to keep the stool soft but this causes so much bloating and wind that I think it works against keeping the muscle relaxed, so I’ve ordered Fybogel. Also upped my water, fruit and veg intake immensely.

All I want is a normal bum hole after years of dealing with a skin tag and relative pain. I hope the pain im currently in now will be worth it and I see some light at the end of the tunnel in a few weeks otherwise I might just breakdown!

If anyone is still around on this thread...hoping for a hand hold as I am 5 days post surgery for one smallish AST. I did it under local, no stitching just told the wound will heal itself. The pain is manageable but the area (from the small glimpse I've been brave enough to take) is so inflamed red and swollen, significantly worse than the tag was itself. Feeling so defeated and hoping for some positive stories. I also have pain with and for some time after a BM, along with some bleeding each time.

@OK92 hi there hope you’re doing ok! I had mine done quiet awhile ago now and I had them lasered off so not the same, but I was swollen for a week or two then went back to normal. I used a sitz bath with warm/hot water and Epsom salts 4-5 times a days and really helped the healing and soothed any irritation etc

The early days aren't much fun. Hope it settles soon Ok.

Thank you for your replies, it feels a little better so hopefully it is slowly healing. Haven't looked again - I'm going to give it the full 2 weeks before looking / scaring myself!!

Hey there. Did you get it done? What was your experience?

How was it?

Hey, did you have it done? How was it?

Yes! I'm 32 now, I go it done when I was 27. I actually chickened out the first time (when they were putting me under for something else), and I got it done while awake as I regretted not having it done! I wouldn't change it for the world - super happy with the results. The person who did mine did use dissolvable stitches.

Hey Gabby. Did you get your anal skin tag removed in the end? How was your experience? Hope it went smoothly!

Hi @Sophia987 Did you end up getting them removed? How was your experience?

So i have read so many of your posts and i must say im a little nervous but i am here and waiting to go down so i will update you all with my journey. Fingers crossed all goes well.

Was that on the NHS?

Good luck! Yes, please keep us updated :)

Just a quick update i had my surgery at 3 back on ward for 4 everything went well all 3 removed. I have had no pain just slightly uncomfortable upto now glad i had it done. Doesn't look the best yet lol but i suppose that's to be expected. Just took second lot of laxido no bm yet and only paracetamol.

Hey @Ljo202 Been a few days now since your surgery. Hope you’re okay and hope the pain has stayed low/manageable for you.

Honestly so glad i had this surgery done still not really had any pain but when i have a bm now that's another story 🤣 its quite sore to pass and i have been taking laxido. Apart from bm i have pretty much sailed through it thank god. X

Hey. Hope you had a nice Christmas. How’s your recovery going?

Hi guys! I have just received the new posts on my e-mail and I thought it would be useful to share mt experience 5 years post operated. Honestly, completely honestly, my skin tag looks almost exact the same as before. After surgery it was nice, than I pooped the first time and it got REALLY SWOLLEN, it got better in a few we ela but never looked the way it did before I got the skin tag. But, thankfully, I do not worry about it as much as before. My partners never noticed it. Even for me, is hard to tell. I do not regret the surgery though. If it concerns you, than do it. I think I’ll give it another try in a few years after I get pregnant. I’m 24 now. My advice for you is if you do the surgery TAKE CARE OF WHAT YOU EAT, so you don’t have to force it and it won’t get swollen.