The site of a skin tag indicates most of what needs to be known about it. A skin tag on the neck or in the armpit forms where skin rubs on skin or clothing and is almost always harmless. Eyelid tags are removed with a finer technique because the lid skin is thin and the lash line sits close by. Growths on the face described as skin tags are the ones most often found to be something else. Tags in the groin and around the anus are assessed differently. This page takes each site in turn, with the method I use there and what I check before removing anything.
What a skin tag is and why skin tags grow is covered on my skin tag removal page. Prices, methods and what happens on the day are set out on the skin tag removal price page.
Where skin tags grow, and why the place matters
Skin tags grow where skin rubs on skin or on clothing. Repeated friction is thought to stimulate the outer skin and the loose tissue beneath it to grow out as a stalk, which is why the neck, the armpits, the eyelids, the groin and the skin under the breasts carry most of them. A soft growth on a narrow stalk in one of those folds is treated as a skin tag unless the examination shows otherwise.
The site also indicates which growths need closer examination. A growth on the face described as a skin tag is often a mole or another lesion. A growth around the anus described as a skin tag is usually not a skin tag at all. A tag on a child is examined and sent to the laboratory rather than snipped, because skin tags are uncommon in childhood and a rare inherited condition can present with growths that resemble them.
Skin tag on the neck
The neck is the commonest site for skin tags. Collars, necklaces and the folds of the neck rub throughout the day, so neck tags tend to appear in crops rather than singly.
A neck tag that twists on its stalk can turn black overnight because the twist cuts off its blood supply and the tag dies. The change looks alarming and is harmless, and the dead tag is snipped off at the next visit.
A crop of new neck tags alongside a darkening, velvety band of skin on the neck, called acanthosis nigricans, is the pattern linked to raised insulin. Insulin at high levels stimulates growth in skin cells, and both signs arise from the same cause. I recommend a fasting glucose test when I see this pattern.
Neck tags are snipped at the base under local anaesthetic, several in one sitting, and the small marks fade into the natural creases of the neck. Unlimited neck tags are removed in one visit for one fee, set out on the skin tag removal price page.
Skin tag in the armpit
Armpit tags form where the skin folds rub and stay moist. They are more common in people who carry extra weight, and in children the armpit is the site where tags usually appear first. They are removed by snip or cautery. Because the skin here is thin, moves with the arm and stays damp, the site is kept dry for a few days so that the small wound can seal.
An armpit lump that sits deep under the skin, is tender or is fixed to the tissue beneath is not a skin tag, and may be a swollen lymph node or a cyst. It is examined rather than removed.
Skin tag on the eyelid
Eyelid tags sit along the lash line and in the fold of the upper lid, where they are visible at conversational distance. They are removed after anaesthetic eye drops and a small local anaesthetic injection, by fine cautery or a snip, with the lash line protected so that no lashes are lost. Freezing is avoided on the lid because liquid nitrogen damages pigment cells at temperatures other skin cells survive and can leave a pale mark on thin lid skin.
Small yellowish bumps on the lid are more often milia, which are tiny keratin cysts, or xanthelasma, which are cholesterol deposits, than skin tags. A pearly bump with fine vessels running over it is checked under the dermatoscope before anything is done, because that appearance can indicate a basal cell carcinoma.
Skin tag on the face
A facial growth described as a skin tag is the one most often found to be something else. Soft skin-coloured moles, the waxy brown growths of middle age called seborrhoeic keratoses and, occasionally, an early skin cancer are all given the label. Every facial growth is examined under the dermatoscope first, because a true tag is featureless under magnification whereas a mole or a skin cancer shows a pattern.
A true tag is snipped flush with the skin, or removed with the CO2 laser for a flat mark, and the mark fades within weeks. A mole is removed as a mole, by the methods described on my mole removal page. Unlimited facial tags are removed in one visit for one fee.
Skin tag in the groin, under the breast and around the anus
The groin and the skin under the breasts are sites of friction and moisture, with the same link to weight and insulin as the neck. Tags here are removed by snip or cautery and kept clean and dry afterwards, because a warm, damp fold heals more slowly and is more prone to infection. A tag that continues to bleed after a snip is sealed at its base with the cautery tip.
Around the anus the assessment is different. Most growths described as skin tags there are the leftover stretched skin of an old haemorrhoid or a healed tear in the skin, and in a younger person with pain or bleeding they can be the first sign of Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition. A shallow tag at the skin edge can be removed in clinic. A tag that sits deeper, or is accompanied by bleeding, pain or a change in bowel habit, is examined and referred to a colorectal surgeon rather than removed for appearance.
| Site | Usual method | What I check first |
|---|---|---|
| Neck | Snip | Crops of new tags with darkened skin |
| Armpit | Snip or cautery | Deep, tender or fixed lumps |
| Eyelid | Fine cautery or snip, drops first | Pearly bumps, yellow plaques |
| Face | Snip, flat | Every growth under the dermatoscope |
| Groin, under breast | Snip or cautery | Bleeding tags |
| Around the anus | Shallow only | Depth, bleeding, pain, bowel change |
Which skin tags should be checked rather than removed
A growth that is firm, pigmented, enlarging, bleeding without having been caught, pearly, or present on a child is not treated as a skin tag. It is examined under the dermatoscope, removed by shave or excision and sent to the laboratory for histology, with the result back in 2 to 3 weeks. A growth that passes that examination is a skin tag and is removed in minutes.
Common questions about skin tags by site
Why do I keep getting skin tags on my neck?
Neck tags recur because collars and necklaces keep rubbing the same folds of skin, and age, family tendency and in some people raised insulin add to that. A crop of new tags appearing with weight gain warrants a fasting glucose test.
Can a skin tag on the eyelid be removed safely?
An eyelid skin tag can be removed safely in a few minutes. Anaesthetic eye drops are applied first, then the tag is removed by a fine snip or cautery that spares the lash line.
Is a skin tag on the face dangerous?
A true skin tag on the face is not dangerous. Facial growths are the ones most often mistaken for tags, so every one is examined under the dermatoscope before removal.
Are skin tags around the anus the same as skin tags elsewhere?
Skin tags around the anus are usually not the same. Most are leftover skin from a haemorrhoid or a healed tear, and some are linked to Crohn’s disease. Shallow ones can be removed in clinic, whereas deeper ones are examined and referred.
Do armpit skin tags come back?
A removed armpit tag does not come back. New tags can form nearby from the same rubbing, especially with weight gain.
Book a consultation with Dr Gerard Ee at The Clifford Clinic
Dr Gerard Ee consults and performs skin tag removal at The Clifford Clinic, 50 Raffles Place, Singapore. Consultations are by appointment. Message the clinic on WhatsApp, or call 6532 2048.
Selected References
Published studies cited on this page
- Shaheen MA, Abdel Fattah NSA, Sayed YAA, Saad AA. Assessment of serum leptin, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in patients with skin tags. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2012;26(12):1552-1557. PMID 22188415.
- Greene RK, Gangidi S, Zhao R, et al. The relationship between acrochordons, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in the pediatric population: a retrospective cohort study. Pediatr Dermatol. 2024;41(4):660-666. PMID 38684337.
- Chiritescu E, Maloney ME. Acrochordons as a presenting sign of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001;44(5):789-794. PMID 11312426.
- Shen-Wagner J, Amidon J, Carek S. Diagnosing common benign skin tumors. Am Fam Physician. 2024;110(4):353-361. PMID 39418568.
This page is written from published research and from clinical experience in Singapore since 2012. It is for general education, not medical advice. Whether a treatment suits you, what it may achieve and what it may risk can only be established at a consultation. Dr Gerard Ee is the Medical Director of The Clifford Clinic, a private clinic in Singapore, and treatments discussed on this site are provided commercially.
