Skin tag (fibroma)

A skin tag, medi­cal­ly a soft fibroma, is a small, benign growth of con­nec­ti­ve tis­sue. It often sits on a thin stalk and is skin-colou­red or slight­ly brown. Alt­hough it is some­ti­mes mista­ken for one, it is not a wart and is not contagious.

Cau­ses

The exact cau­se is unclear. Skin tags tend to form whe­re the­re is fric­tion, such as on the neck, in the arm­pits, under the breasts or in the gro­in. Gene­tics, age, excess weight, pregnan­cy and insu­lin resis­tance make them more likely.

Sym­ptoms

Skin tags usual­ly cau­se no sym­ptoms. Howe­ver, they can catch on clot­hing or jewel­lery, beco­me infla­med or bleed. If the stalk twists, they turn dark and may beco­me painful.

Tre­at­ment

Rem­oval makes sen­se for cos­me­tic reasons or if they cau­se pro­blems. Small skin tags are snip­ped off with fine scis­sors, fro­zen or remo­ved with elec­tro­cau­tery or laser, usual­ly wit­hout a visi­ble scar. A medi­cal assess­ment helps distin­gu­ish them from a mole or a der­ma­t­ofi­broma. Remo­ving them yours­elf is not advi­sed becau­se of the risk of infec­tion and bleeding.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Trea­ting fibromas