What are the treatment options for skin tags?

A skin tag, also called an acrochordon, is a soft piece of extra skin that often hangs from a narrow base. It commonly appears where skin rubs against skin or clothing, such as the neck, underarms, eyelids, or groin. A typical skin tag is harmless and does not require treatment unless it catches, becomes irritated, or you want it removed for appearance.

Cryotherapy freezes selected tissue so the tag dries and comes away during healing. Electrosurgery uses electrical energy to heat and remove the growth. A dedicated skin tag removal procedure may involve numbing the area and removing the tag with a sterile clinical technique. The method depends on its size, attachment, location, and your skin. Do not tie off, cut, or burn a tag at home, and do not use unverified wart products on eyelids or genital skin. A clinician should check anything that is not clearly a skin tag before treatment.

Book an assessment if a growth is firm, dark, rapidly changing, painful, crusted, or bleeding, or if several new growths appear unexpectedly. These features do not identify a diagnosis by themselves, but they make confirmation especially useful. After removal, seek prompt advice for bleeding that will not stop with gentle pressure, increasing redness, pus, fever, or worsening pain.

Ask whether the growth is a skin tag, which removal method suits its site, whether numbing is needed, and how to protect the area afterward. Ask about possible temporary crusting or colour change and what signs of infection should trigger a review.