Skin Tags are Yucky but Usually Harmless, Unless You…
Snip those annoying little pedunculated pieces of flesh and gross just gets grosser
Tassels might look nifty on a graduation mortar board, but you’re not alone if you wear turtlenecks to hide those tiny dangling tufts on your neck. Skin tags were a common reason for visits to my dermatology office. Besides the unwanted look, the nubs often get snagged on clothing and jewelry, which may lead to inflammation and irritation.
Skin tags, also called acrochordons, are benign fleshy overgrowths of the skin. They are usually flesh-colored, and connected to the skin’s surface by a narrow stalk — what a dermatologist calls pedunculated. If you dissect a skin tag — and I don’t recommend it — you’ll find blood vessels and collagen proteins wrapped up in skin like a some creepy human spring roll.
Up to 46% of the US population has skin tags, according to the National Institutes of Health. They are frequently found in areas where skin rubs against skin or clothing, such as the neck, underarms, groin, beneath the breasts, and even eyelids.
Skin tags are almost always benign — more meddlesome than worrisome. But if your skin tags suddenly multiply, which is rare, it can signal an underlying medical condition like polycystic ovary disease…
