Acrochordon is the medical term for the benign growths more commonly known as skin tags. They are benign and usually form in areas where the skin creases, such as the neck and armpits. They are small in size, about the size of a grain of rice, and are not painful.
They often appear to be a soft lump connected to the body by a small area of tissue; skin tags are the same color as the rest of the skin and are not easily noticed. They may cause irritation if they are in a location where they are rubbing against clothing, but they are not dangerous. The advice from doctors is mainly to leave acrochordon alone, and they are only removed when they are causing problems. Removing a skin tag will not cause more to grow in its place and they are not in any way contagious.
Approximately half the population will have skin tags at any given time. They are equally common in men as in women, and more develop as people age. Although skin tags need not be removed from a medical point of view, many people who have multiple skin tags find them embarrassing and feel self-conscious about them. There are several different options available for removing skin tags and the decision about which one to use is a purely personal matter.
If approaching a doctor about removing acrochordon, they have a few methods they can use. The simplest method is simply snipping the skin tag off with a sterile pair of scissors or cutting it off with a scalpel. It is quick and easy, and there are very few side effects. Another common method is to tie off the base of the skin tag with a small piece of thread or cotton, and after a while the skin tag will fall off by itself. This method is more appropriate for areas where the skin tag is not too obvious and on a part of the body where it will not be obvious as the skin tag is being treated. The third option is freezing the skin tags off using liquid nitrogen. It is also a quick method of removing the tags acrochordon but needs a specialist to be able to apply the nitrogen correctly. Removing skin tags using any of these methods should not be painful and all of the procedures can be carried out quickly and without using anesthetic.
Although the surgical methods of removing skin tags are effective and quick, they all involve paying a medical professional to carry out the treatment. Before going down their route of treatment it is worth checking out some of the more natural remedies which can be tried cheaply and easily at home. One of the easiest things to try at home is using baking soda and castor oil. Simply mix up a paste of the castor oil and baking soda, and apply it onto the skin tag a few times a day. Cover the tag with a small piece of bandage or band aid to ensure that the paste stays in contact with the tag. Repeating this over several weeks will eventually lead the skin tag to drying up and eventually falling off. This method is cheap and easy to carry out at home, but does not have the instant results of the surgical methods. Advantages and disadvantages of all of the different methods should be carefully considered to work out which one is best to use. In general, it is usually best to try the natural methods before going down the surgical route.
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