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Skin tags may be harmless, but that does not mean they cannot bother you. A small growth that repeatedly catches on a necklace, rubs against clothing, becomes irritated during shaving, or simply makes you self-conscious can become disproportionately frustrating. If a skin tag is uncomfortable or unwanted, it is reasonable to have it removed.
Skin tags, medically called acrochordons, are common benign growths that often develop where skin experiences friction, including the neck, underarms, beneath the breasts, groin, and other skin folds. They typically appear as soft, flesh-colored or slightly darker growths and may hang from the skin by a narrow stalk. Some remain tiny, while others become larger or more noticeable over time.
Before removing a presumed skin tag, I first make sure the growth has the expected characteristics of a benign acrochordon. Not every small or raised growth is a skin tag. Warts, moles, seborrheic keratoses, and other skin lesions can sometimes look similar. A lesion that is unusual, changing, spontaneously bleeding, ulcerated, irregularly pigmented, or otherwise concerning may need additional evaluation rather than routine cosmetic removal.
When removal is appropriate, treatment can be selected according to the skin tag's size, location, attachment, and your individual skin characteristics. At Hagen Health & Absolute Aesthetics, appropriate lesions may be treated with electrocautery/electrodesiccation or another lesion-directed removal technique. The objective is precise removal while minimizing unnecessary injury to the surrounding healthy skin.
Skin tags are also sometimes associated with friction, body composition, insulin resistance, and other metabolic factors. Having a few skin tags does not mean that you have a metabolic disorder. However, if numerous skin tags occur alongside other symptoms or metabolic-health concerns, we can look at the broader clinical picture rather than treating the skin finding in isolation.
Removing a skin tag does not prevent new ones from developing, and treatment can cause temporary redness, tenderness, crusting, or pigment changes as the area heals. Scarring and other complications are possible, although uncommon with appropriate treatment.
At Hagen Health, the fact that a growth is benign does not mean your concern about it is insignificant. I will evaluate what is bothering you, make sure it is appropriate to treat, discuss your options, and help you decide whether removal makes sense for you.
