What is a Skin Tag?

There are several skin lesions that are very common and benign (non‐cancerous). These conditions include moles, freckles, skin tags, benign lentigines, and seborrheic keratoses. A skin tag is a small flap of tissue that hangs off the skin by a connecting stalk. Skin tags are not dangerous. They are usually found on the neck, chest, back, armpits, under the breasts, or in the groin area. Skin tags appear most often in women, especially with weight gain, and in elderly people. Skin tags usually don't cause any pain. However, they can become irritated if anything, such as clothing or jewelry, rubs on them..

Signs and Symptoms

• Typically painless, tags may become irritated by shaving, clothing or jewelry.
• They do not grow over time.
• A skin tag is typically the size of a grain of rice.
• They can itch, bleed easily, or become red and irritated when clothing rubs them.
• The surface of an acrochordon may be smooth or irregular in appearance and is often raised from the surface of the skin on a fleshy stalk.

Causes

• Skin tags occur from skin rubbing up against skin, since they are so often found in skin creases and folds.
• They are more common in people who are overweight, have diabetes and in pregnant women.

Treatment

CyroPen: This is the state‐of‐the‐art treatment modality that freezes the lesion to ‐130F. The are housed in a pen which is in the Helium cooled devise come in various sizes to suit various lesion sizes. The Cryopen rod is applied to the lesion 10 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness and toughness of the lesion. The freezing will cause a blister which may last for 3 to 5 days before it scabs. The scab will fall off within 2 weeks. This skin area will remain light colored for a few months and would completely disappear, leaving no scars or discoloration.