Acrochordons, commonly known as skin tags, are small, flesh-colored skin outgrowths that can appear on anyone, at any time and on just about any area.
While most are painless and harmless, many consider them a big cosmetic problem. Composed of collagen fibers and blood vessels, skin tags are mostly born out of friction (the rubbing of skin against skin).
However, other factors that contribute to the growth of skin tags are:
- Heredity
- Presence of certain forms of human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Hormonal changes during pregnancy
- Diabetes
The common areas that develop skin tags are the neck, underarms, breasts, eyelids, groin and stomach.
While procedures like cauterization, ligation, cryosurgery and excision do exist for the purpose of skin tag removal, the high cost generally holds back many from pursuing these options.
