# Skin Tags! (TMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 7, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004 "2003-04-07T04:44:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/1 "2003-04-07T04:44:01Z")
One of the side effects of pregnancy is that things grow. (Except the bladder and patience, which shrink.) I did not mind so much when my hair, breasts and belly grew, but I draw the line at skin tags. Skin tags, a.k.a. skin flaps, properly called Acrochordons look like little polyps on the skin. Sometimes they are darker than surrounding skin. They are benign and don’t warrant removal unless they annoy you. They annoy the hell out of me. So I find them and remove them, or have someone remove them for me. (Definitely a sign of true love if you ask me.) I was searching the web trying to find out why pregnancy causes these things to pop up like dandelions, and I found _URL=deleted - see below - UB_ Explanation [here.](http://www.john-libbey-eurotext.fr/articles/ejd/8/8/587-8/) Now my acrochordons are nearly all under 2mm. My mind boggles at the size and location of that thing. I knew immediately, that I must share my discovery. Anyone else have experience with these things? ---
**Author:** ![Seamonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Seamonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seamonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/2 "2003-04-07T04:49:35Z")
WHOA!! That’s a hell of a tag she’s got going on there!! I’ve never had one but have seen babies born with them. Are you sure you should be picking yours off, no matter what size they are? What if they grow back bigger??? Congrats on the babe. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/3 "2003-04-07T04:53:02Z")
Yeah, I had one growing out of my back once. At first I thought it was an extra nipple, but upon closer inspection realized that it was just some mushroom shaped pinch of flesh sticking out my back. I asked a Doctor about it during a physical, and he said it was just a skin tag and they were harmless. However I began to hate this little aberration. It had to go. The damn thing was only attached by the thinnest of threads of skin anyway. How bad could it be? I wanted to choke it off by tying a string around it or something, but it was attached with such a fine stalk of flesh I couldn’t cut off the circulation. So, I went into the medicine cabinet and opened up a disposable scalpel. Didn’t hurt much but I was bleeding like crazy. I got blood all over my underwear and the bathroom floor. After cleaning myself up and dressing the wound, I looked at the pea-sized lump of flesh with an almost reminiscent feeling. This was a part of ME, I couldn’t discard it! So I placed it in a plastic bag, put it in my desk and forgot about it. One day, I had some friends over at my house and we had gotten a bit drunk. I had remembered the skin tag (which by this point was a putrid blackish-purple) and as a sick joke, convinced my drunk friend that it was a raisin. Sure enough, he ate it! :eek: And that is my experience with skin tags 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/4 "2003-04-07T04:55:19Z")
Uhh, just so you know, that first link leads to a picture of a vagina. Open at your discretion. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/5 "2003-04-07T05:01:40Z")
I’ve been removing mine for years, they don’t come back the same places, and since I don’t scar much, all is well. I have had a doctor remove one that was big enough that I did not care to have it removed at home. She said that the reason she used cautery was to stop the bleeding, that if it were smaller then it would not be needed. If it were smaller, I’d have ripped that sucker right off. I do not recommend removing them yourself, it is unnecessary and could lead to infection and even excessive blood loss. They are harmless. The only reason to remove them is when they are someplace awkward and they get in the way, or they are unsightly. Doctors can remove those. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/6 "2003-04-07T05:03:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BluMoon \* > \*\*Uhh, just so you know, that first link leads to a picture of a vagina. Open at your discretion. \*\* That’s a picture of a vulva. You can’t see the actual vagina. ---
**Author:** ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/7 "2003-04-07T05:08:09Z")
It’s still part of the genitals and people should know that before opening the picture. Some people view the SD from work. ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/8 "2003-04-07T05:23:24Z")
I think everyone around here knows better than to open TMI threads from Unsafe Places like work. ---
**Author:** ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/9 "2003-04-07T05:37:22Z")
It wasn’t “just” a skin tag, it was a skin tag attached to the genitals. No warning for the picture. I am not attacking lee, I just think it would have been better judgement to explain the picture first. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/10 "2003-04-07T05:47:24Z")
wow that was quite a :eek: of a picture! I wonder what she did when she was out and about. Did she just ‘tuck it inside’ of herself when she was out and about? It looks like that thing would shift around quite a bit when just walking (explains why it interfered with bicycling) If she was wearing a swimsuit, wouldn’t it create an embarrassing bulge? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/11 "2003-04-07T06:04:51Z")
Skin tag? That was no skin tag. That was the nutsack of the last fellow she had sex with. She swallowed the poor bastard whole. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/12 "2003-04-07T06:09:59Z")
Skin tag? That was no skin tag. That was the nutsack of the last fellow she had sex with. She swallowed the poor bastard whole. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/13 "2003-04-07T06:15:20Z")
Skin tag? That was no skin tag. That was the nutsack of the last fellow she had sex with. She swallowed the poor bastard whole. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/14 "2003-04-07T06:44:08Z")
I had a few skin tags on my neck. My sister the medical student told me, shortly after her dermatology rotation, to simply sterilize a pair of sharp scissors, wipe the area clean with alcohol, and trim them off myself (if they were small, as mine are). She said that it was a waste of time and money to go to the dermatologist for such things. So I tried it, and have had excellent results. The scars are so tiny that they’re not really visible without a magnifying mirror. Pain and bleeding were minimal. Of course, my largest skin tag was maybe 2mm and hanging by a thread. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/15 "2003-04-07T07:02:58Z")
Muffin: That was so funny I laughed **3 times**!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![soulburnz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@soulburnz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulburnz)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/16 "2003-04-07T07:41:26Z")
Skin tags can closely resemble HPV - Human Papilloma Virus or genital warts. If you have them in the genital area it would probably be a good idea to see a medical professional about them. As opposed to trying to take care of them yourself. Better safe than sorry. If they are HPV and not “just” skin tags you could spread them by snipping them off. On a side note… in a diabetes group I belong to many of the members have skin tags. It seems to go with the territory for whatever reason. A common remedy (not necessarily recommending it BTW) is to tie them off with dental floss or thread until they fall off. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/17 "2003-04-07T14:59:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KellyM \* > \*\*I think everyone around here knows better than to open TMI threads from Unsafe Places like work. \*\* Nothing wrong with reading TMI threads at work, which is where I happen to be at the moment. Links to pictures of someone’s genital area should include a warning. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/18 "2003-04-07T15:01:24Z")
Gyagh. Time to clean the cache. Yes, a warning as to the location of the skin tag would have been nice. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/19 "2003-04-07T15:28:29Z")
OMG! I have some skin tags but nothing like that! And I’m sorry, wouldn’t you have gone to the doctor WAY before it got that big?? I have a couple of small tags on my left eyelid that I will have to have something done about someday. I also have one under my arm that I tend to shave off if I’m not careful and, boy, does it bleed. My Dermatologist told me not to worry about them until they started to worry me. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004/20 "2003-04-07T15:39:12Z")
\*\*Moderator’s Notes:\*\*I’ve deleted the URL to the photo. If you really wanna see that godawful thing, there’s a link at the remaining URL in the OP that’ll take ya to it. **DO NOT** post pictures of genitalia, pornographic, _or medical_, on this board. Many of our members visit this site from their place of business; simply adding TMI warnings do not make such links acceptable—to the SDMB, or to employers. And I gotta think, if a picture was necessary, one could have been found from a more . . . ummm, _public_ . . . region of the body. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-tags-tmi/167004.md?page=2)