View source for Skin tag

{{Short description|Small benign skin tumor}}
{{For|similar structures in mucous membranes such as the colon|Polyp (medicine)}}
{{Use dmy dates|cs1-dates=ll|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox medical condition (new)
 |name            = Skin tag
 |synonyms        = Acrochordon, acrochorda, skin polyp, fibroepithelial polyp,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edwards |first1=Libby |last2=Lynch |first2=Peter J. |date=2010 |title=Genital  Atlas |publisher=[[Lippincott Williams & Wilkins]] |page=209 |isbn=978-1-60831-079-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RHzYQvluymwC&pg=PA209 |via=Google Books}}</ref> fibrovascular papilloma, soft fibroma, fibroma molle
 |image           = NeckAcrochordons.jpg
 |caption         = Several acrochorda in the skin of the lower neck, with soft consistency, the bottom acrochordon taking a pedunculated shape
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 |field           = [[Dermatology]]
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A '''skin tag''', or '''acrochordon''' ({{plural form}}: '''acrochorda'''), is a small [[benign tumor]] that forms primarily in areas where the [[Human skin|skin]] forms creases (or rubs together), such as the neck, [[armpit]] and [[groin]]. They may also occur on the face, usually on the eyelids. Though tags up to {{convert|1/2|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=in}} long have been seen,<ref name="MedlinePlus">{{cite web |title=Cutaneous skin tag |work=Medline Plus |access-date=20 August 2012 |url= https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000848.htm}}</ref> they are typically the size of a grain of rice. 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 called a [[peduncle (anatomy)|peduncle]]. Microscopically, an acrochordon consists of a [[Circulatory system|fibrovascular]] core, sometimes also with [[fat cell]]s, covered by an unremarkable [[Epidermis (skin)|epidermis]]. However, tags may become irritated by shaving, clothing, jewelry, or [[dermatitis]].

==Etiology==
[[File:SkinTumors-P9250819.jpg|thumb|237px|[[Peduncle (anatomy)|Pedunculated]] acrochordon, [[H&E stain]]ed to show its structure as a fibrous mass covered with epithelium of varied thickness]]
[[File:Molluscum pendulum- acrochordon - zoom.jpg|thumb|237px|Close up of acrochordon]]
Skin tags are thought to occur from skin rubbing against skin, since they are often found in skin creases and folds.<ref name="MedlinePlus" /> Studies have shown existence of low-risk [[Human papillomavirus infection|human papillomaviruses]] 6 and 11 in skin tags, hinting at a possible role in their [[pathogenesis]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gupta |first1=S. |last2=Aggarwal |first2=R. |last3=Gupta |first3=S. |last4=Arora |first4=S. K. |title=Human papillomavirus and skin tags: Is there any association? |journal=Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=222–5 |date=2008 |doi=10.4103/0378-6323.39585 |pmid=18583787 |doi-access=free |hdl=1807/48117 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> although a 2012 study found no association between skin tags and either low- or high-risk HPV.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pezeshkpoor |first1=F. |last2=Jafarian |first2=A. H. |last3=Ghazvini |first3=K. |last4=Yazdanpanah |first4=M. J. |last5=Sadeghian |first5=A. |last6=Esmaili |first6=H. |last7=Karrabi |first7=M. |last8=Rohani |first8=F. |last9=Joushan |first9=B. |date=May 2012 |title=An association of human papillomaviruses low risk and high risk subtypes with skin tag |journal=Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=840–4 |pmid=23493098 |pmc=3586892}}</ref> Acrochorda have been reported to have a [[prevalence]] of 46% in the general population.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Robert A. |title=Acrochordon |work=Medscape Reference |access-date=20 August 2012 |url= http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic606.htm |via=eMedicine.com}}</ref> A [[Causality|causal]] [[Heredity|genetic component]] is thought to exist.<ref>{{cite web |title=Acrochordons - Symptoms & Treatment |work=Womens-Health-Beauty.com |url= http://www.womens-health-beauty.com/skin-problems/acrochordons.htm |archive-date=29 November 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111129115345/http://www.womens-health-beauty.com/skin-problems/acrochordons.htm |access-date=28 November 2011}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2025|reason=This is not a [[WP:MEDRS]]-compliant source, but a junk clickbait "wellness" website, and certainly not reliable for genetico-medical claims.}} They are also more common in women than in men.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}} Acrochorda were once thought to be associated with [[colorectal polyp]]s, but studies have shown no such connection exists.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brendler |first1=Sarah J. |last2=Watson |first2=Randy D. |last3=Katon |first3=Ronald M. |last4=Parsons |first4=Mark E. |last5=Howatt |first5=Janis L. |date=June 1989 |title=Skin tags are not a risk factor for colorectal polyps |journal=Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=299–302 |doi=10.1097/00004836-198906000-00011 |pmid=2754216 |s2cid=39346487}}</ref> Rarely, they can be associated with [[Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome]], [[acromegaly]], or [[polycystic ovary syndrome]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Acrochordon (Skin Tag, Fibroepithelial Polyp) |publisher=TheDoctorsDoctor.com |date=1 December 2008 |url= http://www.thedoctorsdoctor.com/diseases/acrochordon.htm |access-date=28 November 2011}}</ref>

Elevated [[Blood sugar level|blood sugar]] and [[insulin]] are linked to an increased incidence of skin tags through an unknown mechanism.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tamega |first1=A. |last2=Aranha |first2=A. M. |last3=Guiotoku |first3=M. M. |last4=Miot |first4=L. D. |last5=Miot |first5=H. A. |date=1 January 2010 |title=Associação entre acrocórdons e resistência à insulina |language=pt-BR |trans-title=Association between acrochorda and insulin resistance |journal=Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia |volume=85 |issue=1 |pages=25–31 |pmid=20464083 |doi=10.1590/S0365-05962010000100003 |doi-access=free |hdl=11449/11731 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

==Treatment==
Removal, if desired or warranted, can be done by a [[dermatology|dermatologist]], a [[general practitioner]], or a similarly trained professional who may use [[cauterization]], [[cryosurgery]], [[Surgery|excision]], laser, or [[Ligature (medicine)|surgical ligation]] to remove the acrochorda.<ref name="MedlinePlus" /><ref name="Harvard">{{cite web |title=Skin tag removal: Optional but effective |work=Health.Harvard.edu |publisher=[[Harvard Medical School]] |date=23 March 2020 |url= https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/skin-tag-removal-optional-but-effective-2020032319079 |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> Varied home remedies are unsupported by medical evidence.<ref name="Harvard" />

== See also ==
*[[Molluscum contagiosum]] (a viral disease which is similar in appearance and grows in similar areas)
*[[List of cutaneous neoplasms associated with systemic syndromes]]
*[[Papilloma]]
*[[Cutaneous horn]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Medical resources
 |DiseasesDB     = 33273 
 |ICD10          = {{ICD10|L|91|8|l|80}}<br />(congenital {{ICD10|Q|82|8|q|80}}) 
 |ICD9           = {{ICD9|701.9}} 
 |ICDO           = 
 |OMIM           = 109400 
 |MedlinePlus    = 000848 
 |eMedicineTopic = 606 
 |MeshID         =
}}
{{Diseases of the skin and appendages by morphology}}
{{Soft tissue tumors and sarcomas}}

[[Category:Benign neoplasms]]
[[Category:Dermal and subcutaneous growths]]