Beauty is only skin deep, so the saying goes. But even for those of us with vanity firmly in check, the quality of our skin means much. The skin is the body’s largest organ and it’s a major contributor to our sense of attractiveness.
So while some people worry about freckles or brown spots, and others struggle with acne, there are many for whom skin tags—small flaps or folds of skin doctors call acrochordons—are a great source of embarrassment. In fact, about 46 percent of us will have a skin tag at some point in our lives, usually after the age of 50 and usually on our necks and in our armpits.
While completely benign, these folds of skin not only make us feel self-conscious, for women they can also make application of makeup and accessorizing more difficult.
Bottom line, we want them gone. Your first stop is your doctor’s office. She’ll rule out anything serious and confirm the diagnosis. For small skin tags, physicians can often just snip the tag with a pair of curved surgical scissors, or, for larger ones they may use a procedure called electrodessication (slicing and then cauterizing the tag).
Over-the-counter options are also available. Many of these rely on a technique that freezes the tag—much the way wart remedies work. Just check with your doctor before using them and then enjoy the skin you’re in.