Skin Tags: Harmless Growths, Useful Signals

A skin tag is a tiny thing: a soft little flap of skin on your neck, in your armpit, under your breast. Easy to ignore. The interesting question isn't really how to remove it — it's why it appeared in the first place.

These small growths are called skin tags — in medical terms, acrochordons. They're very common, benign skin growths, and they're usually not dangerous.

Studies point to a possible connection between what we see on the skin's surface and metabolic processes going on inside the body — and that connection is worth a closer look.

How do we recognize a skin tag?

A skin tag is a small, soft, flexible growth, sometimes attached to the skin by a thin stalk.

It may be skin-colored, pinkish, or slightly darker, and it usually ranges from a few millimeters to several millimeters — though larger ones exist, too.

They most often appear on the neck, in the armpits, on the eyelids, under the breasts, in the groin, and in other skin folds.

Unlike common warts, which are caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), skin tags aren't caused by a virus, and they aren't contagious.

It's important to remember that not every growth that looks like a skin tag actually is one. Moles and other skin lesions can look similar.

Why do skin tags form?

Skin tags used to be attributed mainly to friction, age, and genetics. Those factors still matter — but studies also point to a possible connection to our metabolic health.

Friction: Areas where skin rubs against skin, clothing, or jewelry are common spots for skin tags to appear.

Genetics and age: Some people have a family tendency to develop them, and they become more common with age.

Hormonal changes: During pregnancy, for example, new skin tags may appear.

Excess weight: Skin folds and increased friction may contribute to them — but metabolic changes associated with excess weight may play a role, too.

Insulin resistance: This is one of the most interesting connections the studies have found, and it's worth understanding a little more deeply.

What is the connection between insulin and skin tags?

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. Among other things, it helps the body's cells absorb glucose from the blood.

When cells become less sensitive to insulin, the pancreas may compensate by producing more of it. That condition is called insulin resistance.

Insulin also affects pathways involved in cell growth and division. One of them is related to a growth factor called IGF-1.

Researchers hypothesize that increased activity in these growth pathways may contribute to skin tags in some people.

Studies have found skin tags more often in people with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

But precision matters: it hasn't been proven that high insulin directly causes every skin tag — and not everyone with skin tags has a metabolic problem.

Should many skin tags get our attention?

One or two skin tags are extremely common, and they usually mean nothing in particular.

But when many skin tags appear — especially alongside abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipids, or a family history of diabetes — it's worth paying attention to your metabolic health as well.

In appropriate cases, you can talk with your doctor about tests like fasting glucose and HbA1c, which reflects your average blood sugar over the past few months.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) — a condition sometimes accompanied by insulin resistance — may also develop skin tags.

The point isn't to panic over every change in your skin. It's to understand that sometimes a skin change is part of a broader health picture.

Can a dietary change prevent skin tags?

If insulin resistance is present, improving insulin sensitivity matters for your overall health — regardless of your skin.

Cutting back on added sugars, sweetened drinks, and refined carbohydrates, while eating vegetables, legumes, fiber-rich foods, protein, and quality fats, can help support metabolic balance.

Regular physical activity, building muscle, getting enough sleep, and maintaining a healthy weight may also improve insulin sensitivity.

Some people also use intermittent fasting — but it isn't necessary, and it isn't right for everyone.

I want to emphasize: there's currently no proof that dietary change alone removes existing skin tags, or guarantees new ones won't appear.

And yet, when we take care of the body's health from the inside, we may positively influence many processes — even if the change isn't always immediately visible on the skin's surface.

How are skin tags removed?

From a medical standpoint, most skin tags don't need to be removed at all.

When they're bothersome cosmetically, rub against clothing, or get irritated often, a dermatologist can remove them in several ways:

• Precise cutting with an appropriate medical instrument.
• Freezing with liquid nitrogen.
• Electrical cauterization of the tissue.

The choice of method depends on the size of the tag, where it is, and the characteristics of your skin.

Professional removal is usually quick and simple — though it, too, can leave pigmentation changes or a small scar.

And what about apple cider vinegar? My personal experience

I also want to share something from my own experience.

In the past, I removed skin tags myself using apple cider vinegar. In my case, the tags did disappear.

But there's an important distinction here: between personal experience and a method that's been tested and proven safe.

Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, which can damage skin tissue. That may be why certain skin tags dry up or fall off after exposure to vinegar.

But the acid doesn't distinguish between the skin tag and the healthy skin around it.

Using apple cider vinegar can cause irritation, chemical burns, wounds, pigmentation changes, and even scars. There are currently no quality clinical studies proving it's a safe and effective way to remove skin tags.

So despite my personal experience, I don't recommend using apple cider vinegar to remove skin tags yourself — and certainly not in delicate areas like the eyelids.

Tying a thread around a tag, cutting it with household scissors, or using caustic substances isn't recommended either.

Before you try to remove any lesion, make sure it really is a skin tag — not a mole or another lesion that needs a diagnosis.

Can iodine remove skin tags?

You'll also find recommendations online to apply povidone-iodine to skin tags until they dry up and fall off.

Povidone-iodine is an antiseptic — but it isn't a proven treatment for removing skin tags.

There's no solid clinical evidence that repeatedly applying it safely removes tags, and using it incorrectly can cause irritation or a skin reaction.

So I wouldn't rely on this method as a substitute for medical removal.

Do skin tags come back after removal?

When a skin tag is removed completely, it usually doesn't grow back in the same spot.

But people who are prone to them may find new ones appearing in other areas of the body.

So it's worth distinguishing between removing an existing tag and trying to reduce the factors that may contribute to new ones.

Can creams and serums make skin tags disappear?

Skincare products can improve moisture, support the skin's protective barrier, and help keep skin healthy and pleasant to the touch.

But a skin tag is actual skin tissue — not a stain or a buildup of dead cells that a cosmetic product can simply peel away.

There's no proof that regular creams, serums, or cosmetic acids can remove skin tags safely.

Trying to dissolve a tag with strong products can damage the skin around it.

When is it important to see a dermatologist?

If a new growth changes size or color quickly, bleeds for no reason, hurts, or looks different from your other lesions, get it checked.

A sudden appearance of many new lesions is also worth a medical evaluation.

In many cases, it will turn out to be completely benign — but an accurate diagnosis is always the first step before treatment.

Skin tags are usually benign and don't require treatment. But the connection studies have found between many skin tags and insulin resistance is a reminder that the skin isn't a system separate from the rest of the body.

I believe true skincare begins with getting to know your body — paying attention to changes, to the nutrition you choose, to movement, to sleep, and to your overall health.

Not every growth on the skin points to an internal problem, and not every change needs treatment.

But the better we understand the connection between what happens inside the body and what shows up on the skin's surface, the better the decisions we can make about our health.

Healthy skin is part of whole-body health — appearance is just where it shows.

Nurit Rozenblat

With love,
Nurit Rozenblat
OrOrgani

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