Skin Tags
Skin tags (acrochordons) are common benign fibrous growths, described in the AAFP review of benign skin tumors.
Symptoms
Small, soft, skin-colored or slightly darker growths on a narrow stalk, typically in areas of friction -- the neck, armpits, groin, and under the breasts.
Causes and risk
Skin friction and, per AAFP guidance, associations with obesity and diabetes; they affect roughly half of adults at some point.
How it is evaluated
Diagnosis is clinical; biopsy is reserved for atypical, changing, or rapidly appearing lesions.
Treatment
Snip excision, cryotherapy, or electrodesiccation all remove skin tags effectively; removal is elective and done for comfort or cosmetic reasons, with a note that pigment changes can occur after removal in darker skin tones.
When to seek care
A skin tag that changes rapidly, bleeds without trauma, or becomes suddenly painful and dark (a sign of torsion/infarction) should be evaluated; sudden eruption of many new skin tags at once also warrants a check-in.