Roughly half of all adults have one or more skin tags at some point during their lives. If you’re among them, you may be wondering what causes these typically benign but sometimes unsightly growths to form…and what can be done to get rid of them. Bottom Line Personal asked board-certified plastic surgeon Mark H. Schwartz, MD, for his advice.
Also known as acrochordons, skin tags are noncancerous nodules that typically appear on the neck or eyelids, under the arms, between the thighs, in the buttocks or groin, or under the breasts—the parts of the body where skin rubs against skin. Skin tags typically are no bigger than a grain of rice and often are attached to the body by a stalk of tissue called a peduncle.
While generally painless, skin tags that come in contact with clothing, jewelry and the like can become irritated or itchy. But unless a skin tag causes discomfort or embarrassment, there’s usually no need to have it removed.
The exact cause of skin tags is unknown. They affect children and adults alike. But they are more common in pregnant women and overweight people (including some people with diabetes), presumably because their skin folds experience more chafing than those of people of normal weight. Maintaining a healthy body weight can help reduce your risk for skin tags.
Unlike many birthmarks and moles, skin tags tend to be the same color as the surrounding skin. But some are pigmented, so it is not always easy to tell a skin tag from skin cancer or a potentially cancerous mole. And some growths that look like skin tags can be papillomas, wartlike growths caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Caution: Papillomas should be removed by a doctor.
Bottom line: If there’s any uncertainty about a skin lesion—especially if it is growing or bleeds or if you have a history of skin cancer—it’s always best to have it evaluated by a doctor.
Some people try home remedies, such as dabbing the tag with apple cider vinegar or knotting dental floss around the skin tag to cut off its blood supply so it falls off. But these techniques can cause infection and other problems, and there is little scientific evidence regarding their safety and effectiveness.
Some people opt for over-the-counter skin tag removal kits or creams, but the FDA warns against using these products because they don’t always work and can cause scarring.
Doctors have three safe and effective methods to remove skin tags…
All three methods can be done quickly and with minimal pain in a doctor’s office (a topical anesthetic can be applied to further control pain). Small skin tags generally are more amenable to cryotherapy or electrocautery, while surgery can be used for a skin tag of any size. Unlike cryotherapy and electrocautery, surgery preserves the tag so that it can be sent to pathology to check for skin cancer. No matter which method is used, scarring is unlikely and skin tags are not likely to recur.
