What should you know about an irritated skin tag?

Skin tags are soft growths that commonly sit where skin or clothing rubs, such as the neck, underarms, eyelids, or groin. A tag may become red, tender, swollen, or crusted after repeated rubbing, twisting, or being caught by jewellery. Irritation does not confirm that the growth is a skin tag; an unfamiliar lesion can resemble one. A clinician may inspect its surface and attachment before recommending treatment.

Keep the area clean and dry, and reduce rubbing with loose clothing or by removing jewellery that catches it. Do not cut, tie off, burn, or pull the growth yourself, because this can cause bleeding, infection, and scarring. If removal is appropriate, options may include clinician-led cryotherapy, electrosurgery, or skin tag removal, selected according to the site and size.

Arrange a dermatology review if the tag keeps bleeding, develops a persistent sore, changes in colour or shape, grows quickly, or becomes increasingly painful. Seek prompt care for spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever, or bleeding that does not settle with gentle pressure. An eyelid lesion or a growth near a sensitive area should be assessed before any removal.

Ask whether the growth has features of a skin tag, what may be causing the irritation, and which removal method fits its location. You can also ask how to protect the area afterward and which changes should prompt a review.