What is a skin tag?
Skin tags are harmless growths that hang off the skin. Usually developing on the neck, armpits, groin or chest area, although they can grow elsewhere. They aren’t usually painful or uncomfortable, which means most of the time, they don’t require any medical attention.
What do skin tags look like?
If you have a growth and it ticks the following boxes, it’s probably a skin tag:
- Small (usually a few millimetres wide, although they can be larger)
- Soft and smooth
- Skin-coloured
- Hangs off the skin
- Not painful or uncomfortable
- Not contagious
Skin tags have quite a distinctive appearance and feel, which means they generally won’t be mistaken for other types of growth. As an example, warts tend to be rough and irregular, and don’t hang off the skin.
What causes skin tags?
We don’t know exactly what causes skin tags, but we do know that they tend to develop in areas where the skin is rubbing against itself and may occur in larger numbers in older people.
Is it safe to remove skin tags at home?
It’s not recommended that you try removing skin tags without speaking to a professional first. At Laser and Skin Group we offer a free consultation to discuss in-depth the removal procedure.
