A skin tag is a common soft harmless lesion that appears to hang off the skin. It is also described as:
Skin tags develop in both men and women as they grow older. They are skin coloured or darker and range in size from 1mm to 5cm. They are most often found in the skin folds (neck, armpits, groin). They tend to be more numerous in obese persons and in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Skin tags are made up of loosely arranged collagen fibres and blood vessels surrounded by a thickened or thinned-out epidermis.
Seborrhoeic keratoses, viral warts or molluscum contagiosum may resemble skin tags.
It is not known what causes skin tags. However, the following factors may play a role:
Skin tags can be removed for cosmetic reasons by the following methods:
