What a skin tag is, and when it is not a skin tag

Skin tags are one of the most common things people want removed and one of the least serious things on the skin. They are also, unhelpfully, one of several small growths that look broadly similar to an untrained eye.

That is the whole reason this page exists. Removing a skin tag is quick and simple. Removing something that was never a skin tag, without anyone looking at it properly first, is not simple at all.

What a skin tag actually is

A skin tag, or acrochordon, is a small soft growth of normal skin that hangs off the surface on a narrow stalk. They are usually the colour of your skin or slightly darker, soft rather than firm, and they move when you touch them.

They turn up where skin rubs against skin or clothing. The neck, the eyelids, the armpits, under the breasts, the groin, and along the waistband.

They are harmless. They are not contagious, they are not a sign of anything sinister, and they do not turn into anything else. They become more common with age, and they are more common in people who are overweight, in pregnancy, and in people with diabetes or insulin resistance.

They are also more common if your parents had them, which is the answer to the question most people actually want to ask.

Why people have them removed

Almost always for one of three reasons.

They catch. On a necklace, a collar, a razor, a bra strap or a seatbelt. A tag that has been caught and bled is uncomfortable and tends to get caught again.

They are somewhere visible. Eyelids and the neck are the two most common requests.

Or there are simply more of them than there were, and it is bothering you. That is a good enough reason.

Things that look like skin tags and are not

This is the part worth reading slowly.

Seborrhoeic keratoses. Very common, entirely benign, waxy or crusted brown patches that look stuck on to the skin rather than growing out of it. Frequently mistaken for something to worry about, and occasionally the reverse.

Warts and viral lesions. These are caused by a virus, they can spread, and they respond to different treatment. A filiform wart on the face is easily mistaken for a tag.

Moles. Ordinary moles are common and harmless. A mole that is changing is a different matter entirely.

Dermatosis papulosa nigra. Small dark papules, most often on the cheeks and temples, most common in darker skin tones. Benign, but removal needs a technique and a setting chosen with skin tone in mind, because the wrong approach leaves pale marks.

Cysts and other small lumps under the skin. These sit under the surface rather than hanging off it, and they are not removed the same way.

And, rarely, skin cancers. Some early basal cell carcinomas are small, pearly, painless bumps. They do not look dramatic. That is exactly why they get ignored.

We are not writing that last line to alarm you. We are writing it because the single most common thing people do with a small lump is decide for themselves that it is nothing.

Signs that mean book an assessment rather than a removal

Any of these deserves a proper look before anyone treats it.

It has changed in size, shape or colour.

It has more than one colour in it, or an irregular edge.

It bleeds without being caught, or it has a crust that keeps coming back.

It itches or is sore.

It is firm, or attached, or does not move when you touch the skin around it.

It appeared recently and is growing.

None of these means something is wrong. All of them mean somebody should look properly. If there is any doubt about what a lesion is, we will not remove it, we will refer you to a dermatologist or to your GP. Getting a rapid yes is not the same as getting the right answer.

What removal involves here

An assessment first, which is free. We look at the lesion, ask how long it has been there and what has changed, and confirm what it is. That assessment is the point of the appointment, not a formality before the treatment.

Removal is by laser ablation. Local anaesthetic where it is needed, then the tag is removed and the base sealed, which is why there is generally no stitch and very little bleeding. Most single tags take a few minutes.

Afterwards there is a small scab that settles over one to two weeks. Keep it clean, keep it dry for a day, do not pick it, and use sunscreen on the area once it has healed so the new skin does not darken.

Prices start at £50 for a small lesion and £80 for a larger one, and multiple tags in one sitting are quoted at the assessment. Full details are on the skin tag removal page.

If what you have is a mole or another lesion rather than a tag, that is a different assessment and a different page: mole and skin lesion removal.

Please do not do it at home

Tying it off with cotton, freezing kits from a pharmacy, and creams bought online all have the same two problems. They can leave a mark that is more noticeable than the tag was, and they destroy the thing before anyone has confirmed what it was.

Eyelids especially. Not at home, not ever.

Where we are

Nova Beauty Clinic is at 260 East End Road, East Finchley, London N2 8AU. It is clinician-led, so the person who assesses the lesion is the one who removes it, and we see patients from East Finchley, Muswell Hill, Finchley Central and across London.

If you have something small you have been ignoring for a while, the assessment is free and takes a few minutes.

Book a free assessment

Read how removal works, and what it costs, on our skin tag removal in East Finchley page.

Call 020 3925 1232 or book online. Nova Beauty Clinic, East Finchley, London N2 8AU.