Skin Tags (Acrochordon)

What Is It?

A skin tag is a soft, skin-colored growth that hangs from the surface of the skin on a thin piece of tissue called a stalk. Its medical name is acrochordon. Skin tags are not skin cancer and cannot turn into skin cancer.

Skin tags typically appear as people age. They are quite common in people 60 and older. They are more common in women, and a tendency to develop them may run in families. Skin tags also develop commonly following pregnancy.

They appear most often in skin folds of the neck, armpits, torso, beneath the breasts or in the genital region. They can become an irritation if they occur in an area where clothing or jewelry rubs against them, and they may be unsightly.

see Acrochordon in Encyclopedia.

Diseases and Conditions Center

All ArmMed Media material is provided for information only and is neither advice nor a substitute for proper medical care. Consult a qualified healthcare professional who understands your particular history for individual concerns.