Lots of skin tags: what to know

Skin tags are soft, flesh-coloured or slightly darker pieces of skin that may hang from a narrow stalk. They commonly occur where skin or clothing rubs, such as the neck, underarms, eyelids, or groin. Several can develop in the same area. They are not the same as warts, and an unfamiliar bump can resemble a skin tag without being one.

A clinician can identify a typical tag by examining its surface, colour, attachment, and surrounding skin. Do not rely on online photographs when a lesion is painful, firm, pigmented, or changing.

Reduce rubbing with comfortable clothing and avoid catching tags on jewellery or razors. Do not cut them off, tie them with thread, or use acids intended for warts. These methods can cause bleeding, infection, and scarring. If tags snag or bother you, a clinician can discuss Skin Tag Removal, Cryotherapy (Lesion Removal), or Electrosurgery according to their size and position.

Arrange an examination if a supposed tag becomes painful, hard, inflamed, persistently bleeding, ulcerated, or noticeably different from your other tags. Seek prompt care for ongoing bleeding or signs of infection such as spreading redness, warmth, swelling, or discharge. Multiple typical tags do not remove the need to assess one that behaves differently.

Ask whether each lesion is a skin tag, whether removal is medically needed or optional, and which method fits its location. Discuss wound care, possible temporary irritation, and whether any removed tissue needs further examination.