An in-depth guide from the team at Paradise Medical Center Dermatology Clinic in Miami, FL.
Call (786) 738-9515Skin tags, milia, cherry angiomas, sebaceous hyperplasia, small cysts — most adults accumulate dozens of these benign skin growths over a lifetime. While they're harmless, they can be itchy, snag on clothing, or simply be cosmetically bothersome.
Here's a guide to the most common minor skin procedures we perform — quick, in-office, and typically same-day.
Skin tags (acrochordons) are soft, flesh-colored or slightly darker growths that hang from the skin — most often in the neck, armpits, eyelids, groin, and under breasts. They're benign but can be irritating.
How we remove them:
• Snip excision: Small tags removed with sterile scissors after numbing with topical anesthetic. Bleeding controlled with gentle pressure.
• Cryotherapy: Liquid nitrogen freezes the tag, which falls off in 1–2 weeks.
• Electrocautery: Small electrical current cleanly removes tag and seals the area.
Multiple tags can be removed in one visit. Healing is quick with minimal scarring. Visit our skin tag service page for more.
Milia are tiny white bumps just under the skin surface, especially around the eyes and cheeks. They're trapped keratin — harmless but cosmetically bothersome.
Treatment: A sterile fine needle is used to make a tiny opening, and the milia content is gently expressed. Multiple lesions handled in one visit.
Cherry angiomas are small, bright red spots that appear on the trunk and arms with age. They're benign vascular growths.
Treatment: Quick electrocautery or vascular laser. Multiple lesions treated in one session.
Not all moles need removal — but moles that are changing, irritated by clothing, in difficult-to-monitor locations, or cosmetically concerning may warrant removal.
Important: All removed moles undergo pathologic examination. Read about our mole evaluation and skin cancer screening services. Any mole with ABCDE warning signs (Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variation, Diameter >6 mm, Evolving) should be evaluated promptly.
Small, soft, yellowish bumps with a central depression — most common on the forehead, cheeks, and nose. Caused by enlarged oil glands.
Treatment: Light electrocautery or laser. Multiple lesions can be addressed in one visit.
Small epidermal cysts (sebaceous cysts) can be drained or excised in-office under local anesthesia. Larger or recurrent cysts may need formal excision with stitches.
Inflamed cysts often respond well to a small intralesional cortisone injection that flattens them within 24–48 hours.
Common warts on hands, feet, or body respond to:
Cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen) — most common in-office treatment.
Cantharidin blistering agent — useful for kids and sensitive areas.
Electrocautery or curettage for resistant warts.
Most minor procedures take 5–20 minutes per lesion. Topical or injectable lidocaine controls discomfort. Aftercare is straightforward: keep the area clean, apply petroleum jelly daily, avoid picking scabs. Healing typically takes 1–2 weeks. Read the AAD skin care basics for general aftercare guidance.
Don't try to remove growths at home — improper removal causes scarring, infection, and may delay diagnosis of skin cancer. Any new, changing, bleeding, or non-healing skin lesion should be evaluated.
Ready to learn more? Visit our dedicated service page or call (786) 738-9515 to schedule a consultation.
When done properly, scarring is minimal — often invisible after healing.
Most are 5–20 minutes per lesion. Multiple lesions handled in one visit.
Topical or injectable numbing keeps procedures very comfortable.
Insurance typically covers removal of medically necessary or symptomatic lesions. Cosmetic removal is patient-pay.
Removed individual lesions don't return, but new ones may form over time as the underlying genetic tendency continues.
Speak with our medical team about a personalized plan.
Call (786) 738-9515