If youâve noticed fleshy little growths on your skin that are tempting to pick at, you likely have skin tags.
These raised bumps and flaps are known as âacrochordonsâ or âcutaneous tagsâ by dermatologists. Fortunately, theyâre completely harmlessâbut they can be annoying if you donât like the way they look.
âThey often occur in areas of friction like around the neck, under arms and by the groin and are thought to be caused by irritation from skin rubbing on skin or on clothing,â says Bruce Katz, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City.
You can probably blame them on your parentsâskin tags are usually genetic. Obese people have a higher instance of them since there is more flesh likely to rub against itself to provoke more tags. You may have just one or a couple skin tags, or they can sprout up as a small, isolated group of bumps.
And if you have skin tags, youâre definitely not alone. About one in four people will grow skin tags at some point, and itâs especially common after the age of 50 to start seeing more of them. While harmless, skin tags can become irritated and inflamed and even bleed if you scratch at them or catch the skin on something like a zipper.
While there are a plethora of DIY methods on the Internet that claim to remove skin tags at homeâlike tying the base of the tag with threadâDr. Katz warns that this is something you absolutely shouldnât do yourself. âYouâre opening yourself up to risk of scarring and infection,â he says.
The good news is that skin tags are easily removed if youâd rather do without them. At the dermatologistâs office, a local anesthetic and quick snip of a doctorâs scissors will nix it, says Dr. Katz. (Find out the scariest things dermatologists have seen on the job.) Super freezing as well as heating (known as cauterizing) skin tags are other common options.
Discomfort is minimal with any method, and you can immediately return to your normal activities. There should be no mark left behind after skin tags are removed. The same one shouldnât grow back, but thereâs always a chance that new skin tags may form in other areas.
If your skin tags donât bother you, itâs totally fine to forget about them. But as with any skin growths, if thereâs a noticeable change in the appearance, you should have it looked at by your dermatologist. (Here are 6 other reasons to see a dermatologist.)