SKIN TAGS (ACROCHORDONS)

Skin tags are very common growths on the skin that tend to happen in areas of friction, often where skin rubs together.  This includes the neck, armpits, under the breasts, and in the groin area.  Skin tags tend to be small flesh colored or brown oval pieces of skin on a thin stalk.  They can become twisted on that stalk, which cuts off their blood supply and is very painful.

Skin tags are benign, meaning they are not cancerous and do not need to be removed for medical reasons unless they are painful.  Insurance companies do not generally cover skin tag removal unless the skin tags are symptomatic.

Very small skin tags can be removed using cryotherapy (freezing with liquid nitrogen), and larger skin tags can be removed with scissors or a scalpel or with electrocautery

After removal, some skin tags may grow back.  More commonly, the areas that have had skin tags tend to grow more skin tags over time if the friction continues.