Skin Tag Q & A
What are Skin Tags?
A skin tag is a small growth of soft hanging skin that can appear on the:
- Neck
- Eyelids
- Armpits
- Groin area
- Upper chest
- Under the breasts
Skin tags are usually flesh-colored or slightly brownish, and the surface may be smooth or irregular in appearance.
The exact cause of skin tags isn’t clear, but they may be the result of clusters of collagen protein and blood vessels becoming trapped inside thicker pieces of skin.
What are the treatments for skin tags?
When necessary, the board-certified Dermatologist at Pure Dermatology remove the skin tags and usually recommend over-the-counter therapies, excision, or cryotherapy.
Removing skin tags can involve any of the following surgeries:
- Excision, in which the tag is cut out with a scalpel or scissors
- Ligation, in which the blood supply to the skin tag is interrupted
- Cauterization, in which the skin tag is burned off with electrolysis
- Cryosurgery, in which the skin tag is frozen off using liquid nitrogen
