What are skin tags and who gets them? Find answers to these questions in a Q&A session with Physician Assistant Mackenzie Winslow.
What are Acrochordons?
Acrochordons, also known as skin tags, are benign growths of skin. In the office, you may hear us refer to them as “pedunculated”, meaning that they appear to have a “stem” or a “stalk” that they grow from. They form most commonly in areas of friction, which include the armpits, neck, and under the breasts, though they can be found anywhere on the body.
Who Gets Them?
Anyone can get skin tags, though your chances of getting them increase with age. Since they appear in areas of friction, those who are overweight or pregnant tend to experience them more frequently. Those who become pregnant may experience an increase in skin tags throughout pregnancy, though they may resolve on their own postpartum. You may also be genetically predisposed to having them, as they can run in families.
How are they diagnosed?
Skin tags can easily be identified during your yearly full body skin exams by your provider, either by the naked eye, or with the use of a dermatoscope.
How are they treated?
Skin tags are benign and do not require any form of treatment. Although if they become irritated or cause discomfort due to their location, they can be removed through different modalities. Removal can be through:
- Liquid Nitrogen (Cryotherapy). Liquid nitrogen, − 196 °C [− 320 °F], can be used to “freeze off” small skin tags.
- Surgical scissors. Larger acrochordons can be numbed using a small needle to inject lidocaine, and then surgical scissors can be used to “snip” them off.
- Cauterization. Electrocautery is a method for removal that uses heat from an electric current to “burn” tissue, therefore burning them away.
These treatment modalities tend to be quite successful. However, it is common for skin tags to recur, especially in areas of friction.