Skin tags

Skin tags refer to soft and harmless lesions which hang off the skin. They affect both women and men. The time of development positively corelates with age: as  individual’s age increases, the chance of getting skin tags also increases. Skin tags appear as skin coloured or darker lesions; their size ranges from 1 mm to 5 cm. Usually, they are found in skin folds of neck, armpits, and groin areas. The development of numerous skin tags is more common among obese individuals and those who have type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Skin tags contain loosely arranged collagen fibres and blood vessels that are surrounded by a thickened layer or thinned layer of epidermis.

Seborrheic keratoses, molluscum contagiousum or viral warts can resemble skin tags.  

The exact cause of skin tags remains unknown. However, there are some factors that can contribute to the development of skin tags.  For instance, the high levels of growth factors (very common during pregnancy), insulin resistance, chaffing and irritation from skin rubbing together, and human papillomavirus play a role in the development of these skin lesions.

As previously mentioned, skin tags are usually harmless; however, they can be removed for cosmetic and esthetic reasons.  The following methods include electrosurgery, cryotherapy (freezing), and surgical excision.  The electrosurgery is the preferable method as it has the best cosmetic outcome and least risk of bleeding.

For information on surgical dermatology, especially, cryotherapy and electrosurgery, visit the following link:

Surgical Dermatology