A skin tag is basically a small outgrowth of skin. It may also be called an acrochordon or a fibroepithelial polyp. Skin tags are not harmful. They're neither cancerous nor precancerous, but because some skin conditions may indicate another disease, you might want to ask your health care provider to take a look at any new skin growths you find.
Types of Skin Tags
Skin tags have lots of features in common and few that differentiate them. They tend to be small---most are less than a half inch in diameter---and flesh colored or maybe slightly darker. Most hang from a thin stalk called a peduncle and can easily be wiggled back and forth. They are usually found near skin folds, such as the eyelids, armpits, neck or genital area.
Skin tags are sometimes found in the anus and may be mistaken for hemorrhoids. As with all other skin tags, they are harmless.
Warts are sometimes included in the category of skin tags, but these have a slightly different appearance than a common cutaneous skin tag, as they tend to be cauliflower-shaped. Warts, which result from a form of the HPV virus, are more commonly found on the hands, arms or legs. Like the cutaneous skin tag, they are benign, harmless and treatable.
DermNet NZ, the Website of the New Zealand Dermatological Society, includes a variety of skin tag images.
Who's At Risk?
As we age, we tend to have an increasing incidence of acrochordons, so they are more common in people over 60. Because it is thought that skin irritation may be a cause for developing skin tags, they tend to occur more commonly in people who are obese. Skin tags are also associated with an excess of the human growth factor hormone, so are found more often in those who have acromegaly and in pregnant women.
Treatment Options
Because skin tags of all sorts are harmless, no treatment is necessary. However, some people prefer to have them removed for cosmetic reasons, and this can be accomplished through cryotherapy, surgery, ligation or cautery.
While skin tags are almost always painless, if they are situated where they are likely to be rubbed, they may become irritated. Necklaces, for example, are a common source of irritation for skin tags on the neck. If irritation or bleeding occurs often, you may want to have the skin tag removed.
If a skin tag becomes twisted, it may fill with blood. This should be checked out by a physician, as should any skin growth that changes color.
