Skin Tags in Children

Skin tags are non-cancerous growths that appear on the surface of the skin. While skin tags are typical found in adults, some children have them.

About

• Skin tags are small pieces of skin that are elevated from the surface of the main skin. They range in size from tiny to the size of a small ball.

Facts

• Skin tags often are the same color of the individual's skin, but sometimes they are brown in color.

Location

• Skin tags can occur on the neck, near the armpits or close to the eyelids. In children who are overweight, the skin tags occur where layers of skin rub against each other.

Problems

• Because skin tags are not harmful, children with this condition can live without a problem. The only time tags become problematic is if they are caught on something and bleeding occurs.

Treatment

• Physicians will remove skin tags in children by cutting them off, freezing them off or burning them off, and all of these procedures are painless. Most of the time, anesthesia is not required, but with large skin tags, an anesthetic is sometimes used.