Skin tags
Skin tags are very common and harmless; they can vary in colour and size. They are usually found around the neck, armpits, around the groin and buttocks or under the breast but they can also grow on the eyelids. They are made of loose collagen fibres and blood vessels surrounded by skin.
Skin tags tend to occur in older people and people who are obese or have type 2 diabetes, but they can occur at any age for no obvious reason. Pregnant women may also develop skin tags due to changes in their hormones.
Local commissioning policies are in place for this condition
Please be aware that there are local commissioning policies in place for this condition. This means that certain treatments may not be available to you on the NHS.
Please click here for more information.
Selfcare and more information
Managing skin tags
Skin tags are harmless and don’t usually cause pain or discomfort. If you are worried that your lesion is changing and could be a type of skin cancer e.g. it is growing, bleeding or it is painful, then contact your GP.
If your GP feels a lesion could be a type of skin cancer, they will refer you to the skin specialists urgently.
However, if your GP diagnoses a skin tag, then the lesion will be left alone. You may want to have your skin tag removed but treatment is not currently available on the NHS and you would need to pay for this to be done privately. This is because skin tag removal is considered to be cosmetic. Cosmetic surgery is not funded through the NHS. Skin tags can fall off on their own. This is due to the tissue twisting which cuts off its blood supply.
Waiting for a specialist opinion
If you have been referred for a specialist opinion your details will be reviewed, and it may be recommended that you are seen by a hospital clinician. Information to support you in choosing your preferred hospital, including waiting times can be found below.
How long will I wait?
If a hospital assessment and/or treatment is clinically recommended you will be referred for to a specialist. Click below to find out more about waiting times for routine hospital assessment and/or treatment.