Skin Tags: What Causes Them, Why They Appear on the Neck and Armpits, How to Tell Them from Warts and Moles, and How to Remove Them Safely Without Infection
Skin tags (acrochordons) are small, soft, flesh-colored to brown growths that hang from the skin on a thin stalk. They form when the upper layer of skin and the connective tissue beneath it grow outward in places where skin rubs together often, such as the neck, armpits, groin and eyelids. Skin tags are benign growths, not cancer. They are not caused by germs and are not contagious.
Skin tags affect about 25–46% of adults and become more common after age 40. Most measure 1–5 mm. The questions patients ask dermatologists most often are what causes skin tags, which ones are cancer, whether they fall off by themselves, whether a cream can remove them, and whether it is safe to cut them off at home. This article answers each one, organized by where the skin tag appears, because tags on the neck, eyelid and genitals need different care. It also compares each removal method for pain, recovery time and the chance of marks.
What causes skin tags?
Skin tags form when the epidermis and loose collagen tissue under the skin, along with tiny blood vessels, grow outward into a tag. The full mechanism is not known, but these are the factors with clear evidence behind them.
Friction is the main factor. That is why skin tags appear in skin folds that rub against themselves, or against clothing and necklaces, every day.
Overweight and obesity create more skin folds and more friction.
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. High insulin levels stimulate growth of skin cells and the tissue beneath the skin. People with many skin tags are more likely than others to have abnormal blood sugar.
Hormones. Skin tags often appear during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and in people with excess growth hormone (acromegaly).
Age and genetics. They become more common with age, and some families have many members with skin tags.
Rare genetic syndromes such as Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome, which causes many skin tags and small bumps on the face together with kidney growths or lung cysts.
It is worth knowing that skin tags are not caused by poor hygiene or food allergy, and they do not spread through touch or by sharing towels. In this they differ from warts, which are caused by a virus.
What do skin tags look like?
An ordinary skin tag has features that are easy to recognize.
Soft, compressible and movable, because most have a thin stalk attaching them to the skin.
Skin-colored or light brown, with a smooth or slightly wrinkled surface.
Size ranges from a pinhead-sized dot of 1 mm up to 5 mm. Some grow larger than 1 cm.
Painless and not itchy, unless caught by clothing or a necklace, or twisted until the blood supply is cut off.
Usually several in the same area, increasing slowly over years.
A bump that is hard, rough, multicolored, ulcerated, or growing quickly over a few weeks does not look like an ordinary skin tag. Have a dermatologist examine it before thinking about removal.
Who is at risk of skin tags, and what do many skin tags say about your health?
Groups that often have skin tags include people over 40, people who are overweight, pregnant women, people with diabetes or prediabetes, and people with a close relative who has many skin tags.
Many skin tags can be one of the skin signs of insulin resistance, especially when combined with dark, thickened, velvety skin on the neck or armpits (acanthosis nigricans). Several studies have found that the more skin tags a person has, the more likely high blood sugar and abnormal blood fats become.
If you have dozens of skin tags, or new ones appearing unusually fast, doctors usually suggest the following blood tests.
Fasting plasma glucose: normal is below 100 mg/dL, prediabetes is 100–125 mg/dL, and diabetes is 126 mg/dL or higher.
HbA1c: normal is below 5.7%, prediabetes is 5.7–6.4%, and diabetes is 6.5% or higher.
Blood lipids, plus waist circumference and blood pressure as appropriate.
Removing skin tags does not treat insulin resistance, but finding many of them is a good chance to get checked before diabetes actually develops. Abnormal results should be discussed with an internal medicine doctor.
Skin tags on the neck
What they look like: small tags of 1–3 mm, skin-colored or brown, in clusters around the sides and back of the neck. Some people have dozens, most noticeable in wide-necked tops.
Cause: friction from collars and necklaces, plus neck skin folds in people who are overweight. The neck is one of the most common places for skin tags.
How serious or urgent: not dangerous and no need to hurry. Remove them when they are bothersome, catch on a necklace, or you want a tidier look. If the neck skin is also dark and thickened, have your blood sugar checked.
When to see a doctor: when you want them removed, when a tag becomes inflamed or bleeds after being caught, or when many new tags appear within a few months. For more on this location, read Skin Tags on the Neck: Causes and Safe Removal
Skin tags on the armpits and under the breasts
What they look like: small to medium soft tags, usually with a clear stalk, in the armpit creases and under the breasts. The surrounding skin may be darker from friction.
Cause: moisture and skin-on-skin friction, and friction from bra straps, together with body weight.
How serious or urgent: not dangerous, but tags in skin folds are often caught while shaving or undressing, causing occasional bleeding or inflammation.
When to see a doctor: a tag that bleeds repeatedly from shaving, a tag that is swollen, red and painful, or unusually dark, thickened armpit skin, which can be a sign of insulin resistance. Read more at Dark Armpits: Causes and When They Signal Diabetes
Skin tags in the groin and genital area
What they look like: soft, skin-colored or darker tags in the groin, inner thighs and external genital area. Some have a long stalk and hang down.
Cause: friction from the thighs and underwear, moisture, and hormones, especially during pregnancy.
How serious or urgent: an ordinary skin tag is not dangerous, but several conditions in this area look similar, especially genital warts (anogenital warts), which are sexually transmitted, have a rough cauliflower-like surface, and usually appear in clusters. Treatment and care of partners are very different.
When to see a doctor: have a doctor examine any growth in the genital area every time. Do not decide on your own that it is an ordinary skin tag, and do not use caustic products or cut it off. Read more about telling them apart at Genital Warts: Causes and How to Tell Them from Skin Tags and Pearly Penile Papules
Skin tags around the anus
What they look like: soft, flesh-colored skin tags at the edge of the anus, usually one or two. They are painless but make cleaning after a bowel movement difficult.
Cause: unlike skin tags in body folds, most anal skin tags are leftover skin after an external hemorrhoid has shrunk, or occur together with an anal fissure. Some are linked to chronic inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease.
How serious or urgent: the tag itself is not dangerous, but it must be told apart from hemorrhoids, genital warts and other abnormal lumps.
When to see a doctor: rectal bleeding, pain during bowel movements, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, or a tag that keeps growing. See a surgeon or gastroenterologist to look for an underlying cause as well.
Skin tags on the eyelids and around the eyes
What they look like: very small tags of 1–2 mm on the edge of the upper or lower eyelid and the skin around the eye. Some people have several in a row.
Cause: eyelid skin is thin and constantly moving, together with age and metabolic factors.
How serious or urgent: not dangerous, but removal needs special care because it is close to the eyeball. Never use caustic products, freezing sprays or tie them off yourself, as this can injure the cornea or leave a scarred, pulled eyelid.
When to see a doctor: when you want them removed, or when a tag on the eyelid margin irritates the eye. A bump on the eyelid margin that causes eyelash loss or an open sore is not an ordinary skin tag and needs prompt examination.
Large, hanging skin tags
What they look like: soft tags from 1 cm to several centimeters, with a long stalk like a hanging pouch, found in the groin, thighs, back and under the breasts. The medical name is fibroepithelial polyp.
Cause: the same as other skin tags, but left for a long time until they grew large.
How serious or urgent: usually not dangerous, but large tags often twist on their stalk, becoming swollen, dark and painful, or develop sores from friction. They also have larger blood vessels than small tags, so they bleed more if pulled or cut at home.
When to see a doctor: a tag larger than 1 cm should be removed by a doctor in a procedure room under local anesthetic, and sending it for biopsy should be considered, because the chance of it being another type of growth is higher than for small tags.
Skin tags in pregnancy and in children
During pregnancy: skin tags often appear on the neck, armpits and under the breasts in the second and third trimesters because of hormones and weight gain. Some shrink on their own several months after delivery, so most can wait until after birth, except tags that bleed repeatedly or twist and become painful, which a doctor can remove under local anesthetic. Lidocaine in the small amounts used for skin procedures is considered acceptable in pregnancy.
In children: adult-type skin tags are uncommon in children. If a child has several skin tags together with a dark neck, check for overweight and insulin resistance. Tags in front of the ear that are present from birth (accessory tragus or preauricular tag) are a different condition from skin tags, often have cartilage inside, must not be tied off or cut at home, and a pediatrician should also check hearing.
How do skin tags differ from seborrheic keratosis, warts and moles?
Many people call every raised bump on the skin a skin tag, but there are at least six conditions that look similar, and each is removed differently.
Skin tag: soft, stalked, skin-colored, movable, not contagious, found in skin folds.
Seborrheic keratosis: a flat to raised brown to black bump with a waxy surface that looks stuck on to the skin, with no stalk, found on the face, temples and trunk in older adults. Read more at Seborrheic Keratosis: Causes, and How to Tell It from Moles, Freckles and Skin Cancer
Wart: hard, with a rough surface and tiny black dots, caused by the HPV virus, and contagious and able to spread. Read more at Warts: Causes, Whether They Go Away on Their Own, and Which Freezing or Burning Method Is Best
Raised mole (intradermal nevus): a smooth, round raised bump, flesh-colored to brown, sometimes with a hair in the center, usually on the face, without a clear stalk. Read more at Moles: Causes and Which Ones Should Be Removed
Neurofibroma: a soft flesh-colored or pink lump that sinks into the skin when pressed, like pushing a button. Several lumps together with café-au-lait birthmarks may be neurofibromatosis. Read more at Neurofibromatosis: Causes and Which Lumps Can Be Removed
Molluscum contagiosum: round, pearly, translucent bumps with a dimple in the center. Contagious, and common in children.
A dermatologist can tell these apart in a few minutes by looking and by using a dermatoscope. Getting the diagnosis right the first time matters, because burning a wart the way a skin tag is burned can make it spread, and cutting off an abnormal mole like a skin tag loses the chance to examine it under the microscope.
Which skin tags are dangerous, and which are cancer?
An ordinary skin tag does not turn into cancer. In reports of thousands of biopsied skin tags, cancer was found in fewer than half a percent, and almost all of those were cancers that looked like a skin tag from the start, not skin tags that had changed.
Signs that a bump may not be an ordinary skin tag and that you should see a doctor to consider a biopsy are as follows.
Growing unusually fast over a few weeks to a few months
Hard, with a broad base, no stalk, or attached to the tissue beneath
Uneven color, several colors, jet black, or poorly defined edges
An ulcer, scab or bleeding on its own without being caught
A shiny, pearly surface with tiny visible blood vessels, which is a feature of basal cell skin cancer
Appearing somewhere other than a skin fold, such as the middle of the back, the scalp, or the palms and soles
Appearing on the genitals or around the anus
If any one of these signs is present, see a dermatologist before removal. Read all the warning signs of skin cancer at Skin Cancer: Main Warning Signs (ABCDE) and Treatment
Can skin tags fall off by themselves?
Most skin tags do not fall off by themselves and can stay for years. Some do fall off, when the stalk twists until the blood supply is cut off (torsion) or the blood vessel inside the tag clots.
Early stage: the tag becomes swollen, dark red and painful within 24–48 hours.
Later stage: the tag turns dark purple to black, dries out and becomes firmer.
Falling off: most fall off on their own within a few days to about 1–2 weeks, leaving a small wound that heals in 5–7 days.
While waiting, wash with saline or clean water, pat dry and apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly. Do not pull or cut it off, even when the tag has turned black. See a doctor if there is severe pain, swelling or redness spreading around it, pus, fever, or bleeding that does not stop after pressing for 10–15 minutes.
A tag that turns black without earlier swelling and pain, or stays black for several weeks without falling off, should not be assumed to be a twisted skin tag, because a pigmented growth could be an abnormal mole.
How does a doctor examine a skin tag?
Examining a skin tag takes little time, and in most cases no blood test or special test is needed.
History: how long the tag has been there, whether it is growing fast, whether it has bled or hurt, and whether you have medical conditions, are pregnant, or have relatives with many skin tags.
Looking with the eye and a dermatoscope: checking the stalk, color, blood vessels and skin pattern to tell it from seborrheic keratosis, warts, moles and skin cancer.
Checking for related signs: such as dark, thickened skin of the neck and armpits, which points to insulin resistance.
Considering a biopsy: only for tags that are large, look unusual, or are in a place with many similar conditions, such as the genitals.
Planning removal: choosing a method by size, number, location and skin tone.
Preparing for the visit: tell the doctor about your regular medicines, especially blood thinners and antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, warfarin and clopidogrel. Do not stop them on your own before talking to the doctor who prescribed them. Mention any history of allergy to local anesthetic. If you have tags on the neck, wear a wide-necked top and no necklace on the day.
How do you get rid of skin tags? An overview of removal by a doctor
Not every skin tag needs treatment. If it does not bother you and has no warning signs, it can be left alone. Removal is done when a tag catches on clothing, bleeds repeatedly, becomes inflamed, or affects your confidence. There is no pill or cream with evidence that it makes skin tags fall off. The method that works is removal by a doctor, and there are four main ones.
Snipping with scissors or a scalpel: very little pain once local anesthetic is injected. The wound heals in 5–7 days. Suits stalked tags of any size, and the tissue can be sent for examination.
Electrocautery: suits many small tags of 1–3 mm. The scab falls off in 7–10 days. There is a risk of temporary dark marks in Asian skin.
Freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy): no anesthetic needed for small tags. The tag falls off in 7–14 days. There is a risk of pale patches in darker skin. Not suitable for the eyelids.
Carbon dioxide laser: suits many tiny tags on thin skin. The scab falls off in 5–7 days, but the skin may stay red for 2–6 weeks.
In practice, doctors often combine methods in one visit, for example snipping a large stalked tag and cauterizing the tiny ones around it. Dozens of small tags in the same area can be treated in a single appointment. The choice depends on location, skin tone and the patient's tolerance, and is a judgment made by the examining doctor.
Snipping skin tags with scissors or a scalpel
Cutting with sterile sharp-tipped scissors or a scalpel (snip excision or shave excision) is the most commonly used basic method.
Anesthetic: a small amount of 1% lidocaine is injected at the base of the tag. It hurts only for the few seconds of the needle. Tiny tags with a stalk under 1–2 mm can sometimes be snipped without an injection, or a lidocaine/prilocaine 2.5%/2.5% numbing cream is applied 45–60 minutes beforehand.
Stopping bleeding: pressure with gauze, aluminium chloride styptic, or gentle cautery at the base. A large tag with a base wider than 5 mm may need 1–2 stitches, which are removed in 7–10 days.
Healing: the small wound forms a scab and heals in 5–7 days.
Advantages: the tag is removed completely in one go, and the tissue can be sent for examination if it looks unusual.
Limitations: it takes a long time if there are many tiny tags, so it is often combined with cautery.
Electrocautery of skin tags
Electrocautery (electrodesiccation or electrocautery) uses heat from a high-frequency electric current to dry the tag so it falls off, sealing the blood vessel at the same time.
Suitable for: small tags of 1–3 mm, dozens of them on the neck and armpits.
Anesthetic: numbing cream beforehand, or a local injection for larger tags.
Healing: small brown scabs that fall off in 7–10 days. Larger tags may take 10–14 days.
Common side effects: post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in Asian skin, which usually fades by itself in 1–3 months and in some people takes up to 6 months. If the cautery goes too deep, it can leave a dent or scar.
What makes the result good or poor: cautery that is shallow and matched to the size of the tag, not picking the scab, and sun protection afterwards decide whether any mark is left.
A contraindication to tell the doctor about beforehand is a pacemaker or any implanted electrical device. The doctor will choose another method instead.
Freezing skin tags with liquid nitrogen
Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen at about −196 degrees Celsius, sprayed or touched onto the tag, or applied with forceps dipped in liquid nitrogen that hold the stalk for 5–10 seconds.
Suitable for: small tags with a thin stalk, on skin other than the eyelids.
What it feels like: a brief, sharp cold sting. Most people do not need an anesthetic injection.
Healing: within the first 24–48 hours a blister may form, then the tag dries and falls off in 7–14 days.
Side effects: pale patches (hypopigmentation) or dark marks in Asian and darker skin. Sometimes the tag does not come off completely the first time and needs to be frozen again.
Not suitable for: tags on the eyelids and large tags with a thick stalk.
Carbon dioxide laser for skin tags
The carbon dioxide (CO2) laser uses light energy to vaporize water in the tissue, so the tag is removed layer by layer with precision.
Suitable for: many tiny tags on thin skin, such as the outer area around the eyes and the neck, and bumps very close together.
Anesthetic: numbing cream applied 45–60 minutes beforehand.
Healing: scabs fall off in 5–7 days. The skin there stays pink for another 2–6 weeks.
Side effects: temporary dark marks, redness lasting longer than with other methods, and scarring if the laser goes too deep.
Limitations: no tissue is left to examine, so it is used only for tags the doctor is confident are ordinary skin tags.
Results of skin tag removal by any method vary from person to person. Assessment and the procedure must be done by a doctor.
Do creams, patches and freezing sprays for skin tags work?
A very common question is whether there is a cream or ointment that makes skin tags fall off. According to current medical evidence, there is no topical product proven to remove skin tags safely.
Salicylic acid wart removers: designed for warts on thick skin, not skin tags. Applied to thin skin on the neck or in skin folds, they often burn the surrounding skin and cause sores and dark marks.
Skin tag creams and serums sold online: many contain caustic ingredients such as strong acids or extracts that burn the skin. The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has issued consumer warnings that self-use mole and skin tag removal products are not approved, with reports of burns and scars.
Tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar and garlic: there is no good research to support them, and vinegar or garlic left covered on the skin can cause chemical burns.
Over-the-counter freezing sprays: they reach about −55 degrees Celsius, compared with about −196 degrees Celsius for the liquid nitrogen doctors use, so they are often not enough to make the tag fall off but enough to blister and mark the surrounding skin.
Skin tag patches or rubber bands: the principle is the same as tying with thread, with the same risks: pain, infection, and delayed diagnosis if used on a bump that is not a skin tag.
The most important problem with treating yourself is not only burns, but using a product on a bump that is not a skin tag, such as an abnormal mole or early skin cancer, which loses the chance of early diagnosis.
Tying with thread, cutting or pulling skin tags yourself: why not to do it
Using thread, hair or dental floss to tie the base of a tag to cut off its blood supply is a method many Thai people use. Sometimes a small tag does fall off, but the risks outweigh the benefits.
Pain and inflammation: a tag that has been tied becomes swollen, dark and painful for several days before it falls off.
Infection: thread and the surrounding skin are not clean, so the wound at the base can become infected with bacteria, and in some people it spreads into cellulitis.
Bleeding: a large tag has blood vessels in its stalk, and cutting or pulling it yourself can bleed for longer than expected, especially in people taking blood thinners.
Incomplete removal: the base is left as a hard bump, or a raised scar.
Wrong diagnosis: if the bump is a wart, cutting it yourself spreads the virus. If it is an abnormal mole or cancer, the tissue is lost without being examined.
People with diabetes, a weak immune system, or who take blood thinners should not tie, cut or pull skin tags themselves at all, and nobody should do this to tags on the eyelids, genitals or around the anus.
Aftercare following skin tag removal: how many days to heal
Aftercare directly affects whether a mark forms.
First 24 hours: keep the wound dry. If blood seeps through, press with clean gauze for 10 minutes.
After that: wash the wound once or twice a day with saline or clean water and mild soap, pat dry, then apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly until the scab falls off. Studies have found that petroleum jelly helps wounds heal about as well as antibiotic ointment, with a lower risk of allergy.
Do not pick the scab: let it fall off by itself, usually in 5–14 days depending on the method used.
Sun protection: for wounds on the face and neck, apply SPF 30 or higher sunscreen after the scab falls off, continuing for at least 3 months, to reduce dark marks.
Avoid friction: avoid necklaces and tight collars for 1 week. Avoid shaving the armpit near the wound until it heals.
If the wound becomes infected: redness and warmth spreading outward, increasing pain, or pus means you should return to the doctor. The doctor may prescribe an antibiotic ointment such as mupirocin 2% or fusidic acid 2% three times a day for 5–7 days, as assessed.
Dark marks after cautery mostly fade by themselves in 1–3 months. If they have not faded after 3 months, the doctor may consider a topical treatment to lighten them.
Do skin tags come back? How to prevent them
A tag removed completely down to the base usually does not return in the same spot, but because the factors that cause skin tags are still there, new ones can keep appearing elsewhere. Many people need to have new tags removed every 1–2 years.
Things that can help reduce new skin tags
Lose weight if you are overweight. Losing just 5–10% of body weight helps the body respond to insulin better.
Control blood sugar and blood fats if you have prediabetes or diabetes, as advised by your internal medicine doctor.
Reduce friction, for example by wearing loose collars, avoiding necklaces that rub the skin all day, and choosing bras whose straps do not rub skin folds.
Keep skin folds dry and blot sweat after exercise.
Losing weight does not make existing tags fall off, but it helps slow the appearance of new ones and is good for overall health.
When should you see a dermatologist?
You are not sure whether a bump is a skin tag, seborrheic keratosis, wart or mole
A tag grows fast, becomes hard, changes color, has several colors, has an ulcer, or bleeds on its own
A tag appears on the genitals, around the anus, or on the edge of the eyelid
A tag has twisted and become swollen and painful, has pus, you have a fever, or bleeding does not stop after pressing for 10–15 minutes
You have dozens of skin tags, or they appear quickly, especially with dark, thickened skin on the neck or armpits
A tag catches on clothing, bleeds repeatedly, or interferes with daily life, and you want it removed safely
In brief
Skin tags are soft, stalked growths that are not cancer and not contagious. They are caused by friction, overweight, insulin resistance, hormones and age.
Many skin tags are a reason to check your blood sugar. Diabetes means a fasting glucose of 126 mg/dL or higher, or an HbA1c of 6.5% or higher.
A bump that is hard, fast-growing, unevenly colored, ulcerated, or on the genitals may not be a skin tag and must be examined by a doctor.
Skin tags fall off by themselves only when they twist and lose their blood supply. The tag turns dark to black and falls off within a few days to 1–2 weeks.
There is no topical product proven to remove skin tags. What works is removal by a doctor: snipping, electrocautery, freezing, or carbon dioxide laser. Wounds heal in 5–14 days.
Do not tie, cut or pull skin tags yourself, especially on the eyelids, genitals and around the anus.
Frequently asked questions about skin tags
How do you get rid of skin tags?
Skin tags do not go away with creams or pills. What works is removal by a dermatologist. Stalked tags are snipped with sterile scissors after local anesthetic. Many small tags are treated with electrocautery or carbon dioxide laser. Small tags on skin other than the eyelids may be frozen with liquid nitrogen. Most wounds heal in 5–14 days. A tag removed completely down to the base usually does not return in the same place, but new ones can appear elsewhere if friction or insulin resistance continues.
Which skin tags are cancer?
An ordinary skin tag does not turn into cancer. In biopsy reports, cancer was found in fewer than half a percent, and it was usually a cancerous growth that looked like a skin tag from the start. Signs that need a doctor's examination are a bump that grows over a few weeks, is hard or broad-based, has uneven color or is jet black, has an ulcer or bleeds on its own, has a shiny pearly surface with tiny blood vessels, or appears on the genitals. The doctor may remove the whole bump and send it for pathology examination.
Which cream makes skin tags fall off easily?
Currently there is no topical product with evidence that it makes skin tags fall off safely. Salicylic acid wart removers are made for warts on thick skin, and on tags on the neck or skin folds they often burn the surrounding skin and cause dark marks. Skin tag creams sold online, vinegar and garlic also risk burns. If you want a tag to come off, have a doctor snip or cauterize it, which takes a few minutes and heals in 1–2 weeks.
Which brand of skin tag remover cream is good?
Dermatologists do not recommend any brand of skin tag remover cream, because no product has been proven to work and be safe. The US Food and Drug Administration has warned that self-use mole and skin tag removal products are not approved, with reports of burns and scars. Another problem is that if the bump is not a skin tag, for example an abnormal mole, applying a cream delays diagnosis. The safer way is to have a doctor examine it and remove it with sterile instruments.
I have a skin tag on the female genitals. What could it be?
A growth on the female genitals may be an ordinary skin tag from friction, moisture and pregnancy hormones, but several similar-looking conditions occur in this area. The most important is genital warts caused by HPV, which are sexually transmitted. Others include normal small bumps at the vaginal opening (vestibular papillomatosis) and molluscum contagiosum. A doctor should examine it every time. Do not decide on your own, use caustic products, or cut it off.
Can skin tags fall off by themselves?
Most skin tags do not fall off by themselves and can stay for years, except when the stalk twists or the blood vessel inside is blocked. The tag becomes swollen, dark red and painful over 1–2 days, then turns black, dries out and falls off within a few days to about 1–2 weeks. During this time wash with saline and apply petroleum jelly. Do not pull it off. See a doctor if redness and swelling spread, there is pus, fever, or the tag stays black for several weeks without earlier swelling and pain.
Written by Dr. Patara Voravutinon, Dermatologist · Last reviewed October 3, 2026
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