{{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 |pronounce = |field = Dermatology |symptoms = |complications = |onset = |duration = |types = |causes = |risks = |diagnosis = |differential = |prevention = |treatment = |medication = |prognosis = |frequency = |deaths = }} A '''skin tag''', or '''acrochordon''' ({{plural form}}: '''acrochorda'''), is a small benign tumor that forms primarily in areas where the 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. Microscopically, an acrochordon consists of a fibrovascular core, sometimes also with fat cells, covered by an unremarkable epidermis. However, tags may become irritated by shaving, clothing, jewelry, or dermatitis.
==Etiology== [[File:SkinTumors-P9250819.jpg|thumb|237px|Pedunculated acrochordon, H&E stained to show its structure as a fibrous mass covered with epithelium of varied thickness]] 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 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 causal 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.}} There is no link between acrochorda and gender.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pandey |first1=Amarendra |last2=Sonthalia |first2=Sidharth |title=StatPearls |date=31 July 2023 |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547724/ |access-date=22 November 2025 |chapter=Skin Tags}}</ref> They were once thought to be associated with colorectal polyps, 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 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 dermatologist, a general practitioner, or a similarly trained professional who may use cauterization, cryosurgery, excision, laser, or 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 == * Cutaneous horn * List of cutaneous neoplasms associated with systemic syndromes * ''Molluscum contagiosum''—A viral disease which is similar in appearance and grows in similar areas * Papilloma
== 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