# Attack of the ice bees **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 24, 2000, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616 "2000-08-24T18:43:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/1 "2000-08-24T18:43:48Z")
I suffer from the minor malady of skin tags. Annoying and gross looking but otherwise harmless. I was finishing up my physical (all good BTW) so I asked my doc to remove them. She decided to freeze as it was, in her words, much less invasive. I was under the impression it was painless. I was somewhat mistaken. Holy flerking schnit! It wasn’t awful, but some of the freezes felt worse than a bee stings (though less painful than wasp or scorpion). Now my neck has a halo of swollen, blistery, itchy skin tags. I know it’s temporary but for the time being this is not an improvement. Now I get to wait for them to probably turn colors and fall off like the toes of a luckless Mt. Everest explorer. I’ll go back in a few weeks for a folloup but I think I’ll ask for snip-snip this time. Maybe I shold just save the deductable and autoclave a pair of wire cuttes to do them myself. No anesthetic at home apart from Jim Beam so I’ll just get a rawhide dog toy to bite on. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/2 "2000-08-24T18:52:15Z")
On mearly all of hubby’s skin tags i used rubberbands to tie them off. They turn black and then you can snip them off. If you do this carefully the pain is minimal. ---
**Author:** ![struuter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@struuter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/struuter)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/3 "2000-08-24T18:53:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Padeye \*Now I get to wait for them to probably turn colors and fall off like the toes of a luckless Mt. Everest explorer. \*\* Wow. That was beautiful. BTW, I’m sorry it hurt. Ouch. I’d tell you to put your head on my shoulder for comfort, but…I guess you can’t really do that. I’ll hold you hand, though. ---
**Author:** ![jazzmine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jazzmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jazzmine)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/4 "2000-08-24T19:25:45Z")
lee - my husband has a couple of tiny ones. How in the world did you get a rubberband around them? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/5 "2000-08-24T19:30:19Z")
What’s a skin tag? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/6 "2000-08-24T19:52:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by goboy \* > \*\*What’s a skin tag? > \*\* A little benign skin growth that sometimes forms a little flap or nodule. It’s skin, not something different like a mole, wart, tumor etc. and the same color as surrounding skin Mine were around my neck with a couple in my armpits. I havent’ been able to find anywhere that says there is a known cause but they do run in families and some say that a chromium suppliment will reduce the recurrence. Do a seach on webmd or [onhealth.com](http://onhealth.com) for more. ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/7 "2000-08-24T20:08:02Z")
Padeye - Could be worse. I’ve gotten them on my EYELIDS. Imagine trying to freeze THOSE off. _shudders_ Didn’t have to wear eyeshadow for a week, that’s for sure… ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/8 "2000-08-24T20:08:42Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Padeye \* \*\* > [@](#): > > some say that a chromium suppliment will reduce the recurrence\*\* “So how do you know she could suck the chrome off a fender?” “She never had any skin tags.” ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/9 "2000-08-24T20:57:54Z")
I had a similar experience once. I developed a wart on my right, middle finger. Not a cute little wart of minimal embarrassment, but the granddaddy of all warts. I could make a fist and give an obscene gesture at the same time. Over-the-counter cures just made the Beast angry. I thought any day it would begin to talk. There came a time when I had to either seek professional intervention or obtain a separate social security number for the Beast. I called my doctor’s ofice and scheduled an exorcism. The doctor had an emergency call on the day of my visit. The receptionist asked sweetly if I would mind seeing the staff Physician’s Assistant - a kind of psuedo-doctor who does not have access to the good drugs. Somewhat put off at the realization that there would be no Vicodin this time, I said “OK” and was hustled off to the exam room. The PA came in asked “What seems to be the problem?”. I replied “I have a large wart on my finger”. She said “Let me look at it.” She looked. She said “That’s a nasty wart you’ve got on that finger.” OK, we’ve reached a consensus, now what are we going to do about it? I asked if she intended to cut it off. She said she’d rather try freezing it, it was much faster and less messy. Off she went to get the freezing agent. Shortly, she came back in holding a smoking Dixie cup. I guess we’re using dry ice to do the deed. She sat the cup down and said “Oops, I forgot the forceps to pick up the dry ice, I’ll be right back.” By the time she made it back, the cup was no longer smoking. She said “I guess I took too long. I’ll go get some more ice.” We finally got me, the wart, the PA, the dry ice, and the forceps all in the same room together and commenced the procedure. She put a pad over the Beast so the ice wouldn’t stick (think tongue on a metal pole in the winter) and applied the ice. I don’t remember it being painful but by then the beast had probably developed an independant nervous system. I swear I heard it scream. Then I got a band-aid. The procedure itself took all of 10 minutes and I left happily, knowing the beast was dead. But it wasn’t dead. At least not yet. The Beast would not go quietly to the Reaper. In two days time I was the proud owner of a huge, black, necrotic, sloughing, wart. The Beast was dying, but making me look like a leper in the process. Had I a cup, a sign, and a street corner I could have been a wealthy man. The good news is that the Beast did eventually release his grio and fall off my finger. The PA was ecstatic that she got it “in one shot”. Next time I use a chain saw. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/10 "2000-08-24T21:05:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Olentzero \* > **"So how do you know she could suck the chrome off a fender?"** Geez, what kind of women do you date? The usual metaphor is trailer hitch. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/11 "2000-08-24T21:58:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jazzmine \* > \*\*lee - my husband has a couple of tiny ones. How in the world did you get a rubberband around them? \*\* If they are under 1 mm and have no visible vein i pinch them off with needle tipped tweezers. If larger or they have a visible vein, but not large enough to tie an elastic around directly, i take a section of a rubber band,poke a tiny hole in it and slip it over a staw just large enough to put over the mole. If the hole in the band rips through the side I tie it tightly around the straw instead. A hollow cotton swap with the ends cut off can work for very small ones. I slip the straw over the mole, sucking it into the straw if need be and then roll the elastic off the straw onto the base of the mole. I hope that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/12 "2000-08-24T22:06:08Z")
Padeye, have you HAD the snip done before??? I have. First there’s a shot THEN a snip. and, as I recall the little shots felt exactly like what you describe in painful detail. I’ve got them on my neck and underarms, sometimes back, and yes, on my eyelid, too. from the placements, etc. and the fact I’ve gotten them back more than once, a few things have occured to me. I think chronic skin irritation can semi get them to develop. I’ve decided that they are charming and should stay. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my fear of needles and pain. ---
**Author:** ![Hanofer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Hanofer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanofer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/13 "2000-08-24T22:09:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doctor Jackson \* > **There came a time when I had to either seek professional intervention or obtain a separate social security number for the Beast.** I believe 666-66-6666 is free. But I guess it’s moot now, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/14 "2000-08-24T22:12:33Z")
I had a skin tag about 5-7mm long on my inner thigh. I think they applied a local and then snipped and cauterized. It was not very painful and i did not have any bruise or reoccurence. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2000, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/15 "2000-08-24T23:16:01Z")
For home skintag removal methods, lee is definatly the winner. ---
**Author:** ![jazzmine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jazzmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jazzmine)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/16 "2000-08-25T02:06:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lee \* > \*\*A hollow cotton swap with the ends cut off can work for very small ones. I slip the straw over the mole, sucking it into the straw if need be and then roll the elastic off the straw onto the base of the mole. > > I hope that makes sense. \*\* Nope, but it was very inventive and creative! I especially appreciate the imagery of sucking a mole into a straw. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/17 "2000-08-25T03:15:02Z")
A friend of mine had a skin tag on his back about the size of a pencil erasor. I kept telling him I was going to rip it off and use it for bait (jokingly, of course). Guess what? When he had it removed, he _gave it to me to use for bait!_ I cought a sheephead. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/18 "2000-08-25T03:17:00Z")
Feel free to replace an “o” with an “a” at any place in my previous post that you feel is appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/19 "2000-08-25T03:43:49Z")
My mother suffers from these as well, mostly on her neck, she’s had them cauterized once but said it was to painful to be worth it. Her remedy is to wait until I come for a visit and make sure she has sutures on hand (she’s an RN). Then she has me tie knots tightly around each one. The shrivel up and die within 10 days or so, taking the suture with them. I imagine a very fine thread would do the same thing, just make sure that it’s a neutral color. The first time we did it, we used blue suture, which matched her eyes beautifully but called undue attention to her neck. BTW, my mother insists that it doesn’t hurt at all, but I’m not sure I believe her. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-of-the-ice-bees/30616/20 "2000-08-25T04:27:05Z")
I used rubber bands because i found the silk did not stay in place well and on some tags as they began to shrink, the silk did not shrink with the mole and dropped off leaving a partially necrotic skintag in place.