Skin Tags: What They Are, What Causes Them and When to Have One Checked

What it involves

MedlinePlus describes a cutaneous skin tag as a common skin growth that is harmless most of the time. It sticks out of the skin and may have a short, narrow stalk. Some are as long as half an inch, and most are the same color as the skin or a little darker.

Who this is for

• Adults with a small growth on the neck, underarm, eyelid or inner thigh that rubs on clothing
• People who are overweight or have diabetes, in whom MedlinePlus says skin tags are more common
• Anyone with a growth that has changed in size, color or shape and wants it looked at
• Patients who want a skin tag removed for comfort or appearance and need to know their options

What to expect

• A look at the growth and the surrounding skin, since a provider can usually diagnose a skin tag by looking
• Questions about when you noticed it, whether it has changed and whether it is irritated or bleeding
• A skin biopsy only if something about the growth is unclear
• A conversation about related conditions, such as weight and diabetes, when they apply

Where they appear and who gets them

MedlinePlus says skin tags occur most often in older adults and are more common in people who are overweight or have diabetes. They are thought to occur from skin rubbing against skin, which is why they favor the neck, the underarms, the middle of the body or under folds of skin, the eyelids and the inner thighs. In most cases a skin tag is painless and does not grow or change, though it may become irritated from rubbing by clothing or other materials.

Skin tag or something else

Not every small bump is a skin tag. The skin lumps and cysts guide covers lumps under the skin, the warts guide covers rough viral growths, and the moles guide explains the changes that should prompt a skin check. MedlinePlus describes an epidermoid cyst as a small, non-painful lump under the skin, usually on the face, neck or trunk, often with a tiny pit in the center, and a keloid as a growth of extra scar tissue where the skin has healed after an injury.

Dark, velvety skin nearby

MedlinePlus describes acanthosis nigricans as darker, thick, velvety skin in body folds and creases such as the armpits, groin and neck, and says it can be related to the insulin resistance seen in diabetes and obesity. Skin tags favor some of the same folds. When the cause of that skin change is not clear, the encyclopedia lists blood sugar tests among the next steps. The metabolic syndrome guide and the prediabetes guide explain why those numbers matter.

How a skin tag is diagnosed

A provider can diagnose a skin tag by looking at your skin. Sometimes a skin biopsy is done, in which a small piece of tissue is examined. MedlinePlus says to contact your provider if the skin tag changes or if you want it removed. It also notes that some skin cancers look like cystic nodules, so any new lump should be examined. That is the reason to show a new or changing growth instead of assuming it is a tag.

Treatment is often not needed

MedlinePlus says treatment is often not needed. A provider may recommend it if the skin tag is irritating or you do not like how it looks, and the options it lists include surgery to remove it, freezing it, which is called cryotherapy, and burning it off, which is called cauterization. It cautions not to cut a skin tag yourself because it can bleed a lot. Which method suits a growth in an eyelid fold is a different question from one on the neck, so ask at the visit.

After removal

The encyclopedia says that in most cases a removed skin tag does not grow back, but new skin tags may form on other parts of the body. Because treatment is often not needed, removal is mostly a comfort and appearance decision. A tag that keeps catching on a collar, a necklace or a waistband, or bleeds when irritated, is a good reason to ask about it. A growth that looks different from the rest is a reason to ask sooner.

Sources

• MedlinePlus: Cutaneous skin tag (medical encyclopedia)
• MedlinePlus: Acanthosis nigricans (medical encyclopedia)
• MedlinePlus: Epidermoid cyst (medical encyclopedia)