What is a skin tag?

Skin tags, also called acrochordons or fibroepithelial polyps, are usually flesh-coloured or slightly darker and may hang from a narrow base. They often appear on the neck, underarms, eyelids, under the breasts, or around the groin, where skin rubs against skin or clothing. A typical tag is soft and may move when touched. Its presence does not by itself diagnose another illness.

A tag can become sore, swollen, or darker after repeated rubbing or twisting. Other growths can resemble a skin tag, so a new, firm, rapidly changing, irregular, or persistently bleeding lesion deserves an examination rather than self-treatment.

Leave an uncomplicated tag alone if it is not bothering you. Keep the surrounding fold clean and dry, and reduce friction from tight collars, jewellery, or seams. Do not cut, tie off, burn, or apply wart products at home; these methods can cause bleeding, infection, or a scar and may obscure a different diagnosis.

If it catches on clothing or affects your comfort, a clinician can confirm the diagnosis and discuss removal. Options may include Skin Tag Removal, Cryotherapy (Lesion Removal), or Electrosurgery, chosen according to the site, size, and appearance.

Arrange a medical assessment if the growth changes quickly, becomes very painful, repeatedly bleeds, develops a persistent ulcer, or looks unlike your other tags. Seek prompt care for bleeding that does not settle with firm pressure, spreading redness, pus, fever, or severe pain. These features call for assessment because irritation, infection, or another type of lesion may be involved.

Ask whether the lesion has the typical feel and appearance of a skin tag, whether removal is medically needed or mainly for comfort, which method suits its location, and how to protect the area while it heals.