Skin Tag

A skin tag, medically called an acrochordon, is a small, benign, soft growth that forms most often where skin creases or rubs against itself, such as the neck, armpit, and groin. Most are about the size of a grain of rice, sometimes appearing on a thin fleshy stalk, and they contain a fibrous, blood-vessel-rich core covered by ordinary skin. They are generally harmless and produce no symptoms, though they can become irritated by shaving, clothing, jewelry, or skin inflammation nearby. Skin-to-skin friction in body creases appears to be the main mechanism behind their formation, and elevated blood sugar and insulin levels are linked to a higher rate of occurrence for reasons that are not fully understood; a genetic component is also suspected, though skin tags show no real link to colorectal polyps. They are extremely common, found in about forty-six percent of the general population, and occur about equally in men and women, though they occasionally cluster with conditions such as Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, acromegaly, or polycystic ovary syndrome.