A black skin tag: what the colour can mean

A true skin tag is usually soft, smooth and attached by a narrow stalk. It often develops where skin or clothing rubs, such as the neck, armpit or groin. Colour alone cannot establish that a growth is a skin tag.

A tag may be naturally brown or deeply pigmented. Friction can make it swollen or crusted, while twisting can cause sudden darkening as tissue loses circulation. A clinician may use close visual examination to distinguish a tag from a mole, wart or another pigmented lesion.

Do not assume every small black projection is harmless. Shape, texture, speed of change, bleeding and the pattern of colour across the growth provide useful diagnostic clues.

Leave the growth alone and reduce rubbing with loose clothing or a simple dressing if needed. Take a clear photograph with a size reference so you can track change, but do not delay assessment when warning signs are present.

Avoid cutting, tying, burning or treating it with wart chemicals at home. These methods can cause bleeding, infection, burns and lasting light or dark marks. A clinician can confirm the diagnosis and discuss snipping, freezing or cautery when removal is appropriate.

Book an assessment if the growth is new and very dark, changes quickly, has several colours, develops an irregular edge, repeatedly bleeds, forms an open sore or remains painful. Prompt care is also sensible for spreading redness, pus, increasing warmth or fever.

If a previously soft, stalked tag suddenly shrivels and darkens, it may detach after its blood supply is interrupted. Keep the site clean and seek advice if you are unsure what the lesion was.

Ask how the diagnosis was made, whether examination of the removed tissue is advisable, which removal method suits the location, and how to limit irritation and pigment change during healing.