Fluid-filled skin tag

A typical skin tag is a soft, flesh-coloured growth that often hangs from a narrow base. Clear fluid, a tense surface, sudden enlargement, or dark blood inside is not enough to confirm that it is a skin tag. Friction from clothing or jewellery can irritate a tag and create a blister-like surface, while infection or another growth can resemble it. Looking at the lesion in person helps determine whether removal is appropriate.

Do not cut, tie off, puncture, or burn it at home. These actions can cause bleeding, infection, scarring, and confusion about the original lesion.

Keep the area clean and protect it from rubbing. If it opens, cover it with a clean dressing and avoid picking the surface. Arrange a dermatology assessment if the lesion is new, changing, repeatedly catching on clothing, or difficult to identify. If removal is suitable, options may include skin tag removal, cryotherapy, or electrosurgery, selected according to the lesion and its location.

Seek prompt care for persistent bleeding, increasing pain, pus, spreading redness, fever, rapid change, or a lesion that becomes very dark or irregular. Get urgent help if bleeding does not settle with firm gentle pressure or if swelling affects vision, breathing, or swallowing.

Ask what the lesion appears to be, whether it needs testing before removal, which method best fits its size and position, and how to care for the area afterward. Ask which changes should trigger an earlier review.