EDIT: I actually just did a bit of research and a lot of Youtubing... I'm pretty sure this thing is actually a hypertrophied anal papilla! From what I saw that is what looks most similar to my condition. The skin tags I had seen looked unfamiliar to me. There is also an apparent triad of chronic fissure which includes the presence of both skin tags and the papilla... Hmm. Interesting stuff! Any opinions on home removal for this papilla thing would be appreciated!
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Hi all,
I am fairly certain that I have a sentinel pile; less so about AF. Years ago, I did used to have BMs with blood in the stool, pain with constipation, a lot of straining, etc. Now, I almost never have blood in my stool and while I do have to strain occasionally and have constipation, it isn't all too often painful. However, over that same duration, a little piece of skin that looks almost like a finger has descended out of my anus and now stays hanging down.
I really want to avoid going to a surgeon. Not only am I horribly embarrassed by this thing but I don't even know if something like a skin tag removal would be covered. It doesn't hurt most of the time, only when it is inflamed and irritated by clothes or by hard BMs. It's mostly a matter of cleanliness and self-consciousness. I don't know if that would fall under cosmetic or not. Anyway, I read on this forum and also on other sites that a possible removal technique was to tie string or floss around the tag and let it drop on its own. I'm worried about doing this because I wouldn't know how to prevent infection or how to bandage it. Has anyone ever done this, what was the after care like, and would you recommend this method?