Skin tags, or acrochordon, are common, acquired, benign skin growths that look like a small piece of soft, hanging skin. Skin tags are harmless growths. Some small tags spontaneously rub or fall off painlessly and the person may not even know they had a skin tag. However, most tags do not fall off on their own and persist once formed.
Skin tags typically occur in characteristic locations including the base of the neck, underarms, eyelids, groin folds, and under the breasts. Although skin tags may vary somewhat in appearance, they are usually smooth or slightly wrinkled and irregular, flesh-colored or slightly more brown, and hang from the skin by a small stalk.
How are skin tags removed?
There are several effective medical ways to remove a skin tag, including removing with scissors, freezing (using liquid nitrogen), and burning (using medical electric cautery at the physician’s office). Usually small tags may be removed easily without anesthesia while larger growths may require some local anesthesia prior to removal. Application of a topical anesthesia cream prior to the procedure may be desirable in areas where there are a large number of tags.
