What Are Skin Tags?

Skin tags are small, soft, flesh-colored growths that hang off the skin on a thin stalk. They are benign, meaning they are not cancer, and they are one of the most common skin findings in adults. Most people who have them have more than one, and they tend to show up in areas where skin rubs against skin.

What Are Skin Tags?

A skin tag is a harmless overgrowth of normal skin tissue. The medical term is acrochordon. Inside, a skin tag contains a core of collagen and blood vessels covered by a thin layer of epidermis, the outer layer of skin.

They are not moles. Moles contain pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Skin tags do not. That difference matters because moles can sometimes turn into melanoma, while skin tags do not become skin cancer.

Skin tags range in size from about 1 millimeter, roughly the size of a pinhead, up to about 1 centimeter. Some grow larger. They can be smooth or slightly wrinkled, and they are usually the same color as the surrounding skin or a shade darker.

They are extremely common. Estimates vary, but a large share of adults develop at least one at some point. They become more common with age and are seen in both men and women.

Where Do Skin Tags Usually Appear?

Skin tags form where skin folds rub together. The friction itself is not proven to cause them, but the pattern is hard to miss.

Common locations include:

• The neck, especially the sides and back
• The armpits
• The groin, upper thighs, and buttocks
• Under the breasts
• The eyelids, where they are sometimes called eyelid papillomas
• Around the anus

They can also appear on the chest, back, or elsewhere, though this is less common. A skin tag on the eyelid or in the groin can be annoying because clothing, jewelry, or movement catches it. Most are painless unless they get twisted, irritated, or rubbed raw.

What Causes Skin Tags?

The exact cause is not fully understood. Researchers have identified several factors that are strongly associated with them, but association is not the same as cause.

What the evidence supports:

• Friction and skin folding. Skin tags cluster in areas where skin rubs together. This is a consistent pattern, though no trial has proven friction directly creates them.
• Insulin resistance and metabolic factors. Multiple studies have found higher rates of skin tags in people with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance. One widely cited hypothesis is that elevated insulin and insulin-like growth factor may promote the growth of skin tissue.
• Genetics. Skin tags tend to run in families, which suggests a genetic component.
• Hormonal changes. They often appear or multiply during pregnancy, likely due to hormonal shifts and skin stretching.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV). Some research has found HPV DNA in skin tag tissue, but the role of the virus is debated and not established as a cause.

The link to metabolic health is the most clinically interesting. It does not mean every person with skin tags has diabetes or prediabetes. It does mean that if you suddenly develop many skin tags, particularly alongside other symptoms, it may be worth discussing metabolic screening with a clinician. That is a reasonable conversation, not a diagnosis.

Are Skin Tags a Sign of Diabetes?

Not on their own. Skin tags are common in people with normal blood sugar. But the association with insulin resistance is real and has been reported in many studies.

The relationship is a statistical one. It means skin tags are more frequent in people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes than in the general population. It does not mean a skin tag causes diabetes or that having one means you have it.

Some clinicians view a sudden crop of many skin tags, especially on the neck, as a soft marker worth checking. Others do not treat it as meaningful. The evidence does not support using skin tags alone as a screening tool for diabetes. Standard screening — fasting glucose, A1C, or an oral glucose tolerance test — is what actually diagnoses these conditions.

If you have other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, such as a family history, excess weight around the abdomen, or high blood pressure, that is a more reliable reason to get screened than skin tags by themselves.

Are Skin Tags Cancerous?

No. Skin tags are benign growths and do not turn into cancer. This is well established. There is no documented pathway by which an acrochordon becomes malignant.

That said, a growth on the skin should be checked if it does not look like a typical skin tag. Warning signs that warrant a medical evaluation include:

• Asymmetry, or one half not matching the other
• Irregular or jagged borders
• Multiple colors within the same growth
• A diameter larger than a pencil eraser, about 6 millimeters
• Change in size, shape, color, or texture over time
• Bleeding, crusting, or an open sore that does not heal

These are the classic ABCDE warning signs used for evaluating possible melanoma. A skin tag does not have these features. If a growth does, it should be seen by a clinician — not because it is a skin tag, but because it may not be one.

How Are Skin Tags Removed?

Removal is optional. Because skin tags are harmless, there is no medical need to remove them unless they are irritated, bleeding, or bothersome. Many people remove them for cosmetic reasons or because they catch on clothing.

Methods a clinician may use include:

• Snip excision. The tag is cut off at the base with surgical scissors, sometimes after numbing the area.
• Cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen freezes the tag, and it falls off over days.
• Cauterization. Heat is used to burn the tissue.
• Ligation. A suture or tie is placed at the base to cut off the blood supply, and the tag shrivels and drops off.
• Laser removal. A laser destroys the tissue. This is often used for tags in delicate areas like the eyelids.

These procedures are generally quick and done in a clinic. Some cause minor discomfort. Scarring is possible but usually minimal. Because the procedure is considered cosmetic in most cases, insurance often does not cover it — coverage varies by plan and by whether the tag is causing symptoms.

Over-the-counter removal kits exist, including freezing products and ligation bands. The evidence on their safety and effectiveness is limited, and using them on the eyelids or genitals is risky. For tags in sensitive areas, or if you have any doubt about what a growth is, see a clinician.

Can You Prevent Skin Tags?

There is no proven way to prevent skin tags. Because the cause is not fully understood, no intervention has been shown in trials to stop them from forming.

What may help reduce friction in fold areas:

• Maintaining a healthy weight, since skin tags are more common with obesity
• Keeping skin folds clean and dry
• Wearing loose clothing that does not rub

These steps are reasonable, but no study confirms they prevent skin tags. If you are prone to them, you may keep getting them regardless. That is normal and not a sign of anything wrong.

When Should You See a Doctor?

See a clinician if a growth changes in size, shape, or color, or if it bleeds, crusts, or does not heal. These are reasons to have it checked, even if you assume it is a skin tag.

Also seek care if a skin tag becomes painful, infected, or bleeds repeatedly from friction. And if you want a tag removed, a clinician can confirm what it is and remove it safely. Do not try to cut off a growth yourself, especially one you have not had evaluated.