Skin Tags: Causes, Treatment Options and Cost in South Africa

Skin tags are small, soft, harmless growths that hang off the skin, usually where it rubs against itself or against clothing. Friction is the main cause, with genetics, age, weight and hormones all contributing. They are not cancerous. Professional treatment in South Africa costs roughly R250 to R3,000 per session depending on the clinic and method used.

If you have just found a small dangly bit of skin on your neck, under your arm or below your bust, the rest of this article walks you through what it is, why it appeared, whether it will disappear on its own, and what your options are if you decide you would rather it were gone.

Key Takeaways

• Skin tags are benign, harmless growths caused primarily by friction in skin folds, with genetics, age, weight and hormones contributing to their development.
• Skin tags rarely disappear on their own. They do not shrink with weight loss or fade over time, so treatment is the only reliable way to get rid of one you already have.
• A sudden appearance of multiple skin tags, particularly alongside weight gain or fatigue, can signal insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes and is worth raising with your GP.
• Professional treatment in South Africa ranges from roughly R250 to R3,000 per session. At Skin Reform, sessions start at R850 and use high-frequency coagulation, cryotherapy or snip excision, with minimal downtime.
• Over-the-counter creams and home freezing kits sold at pharmacies often produce inconsistent results and can damage healthy skin or destroy a growth a doctor needed to assess.
• See a doctor before treatment if a growth changes colour, bleeds, grows rapidly or looks irregular, as these warning signs may indicate something more serious than a skin tag.

What Is a Skin Tag, and How Do You Know That Is What You Have?

A skin tag, known medically as an acrochordon, is a small benign growth that hangs off the skin by a thin stalk. They are soft, painless, the same colour as your skin or slightly darker, and usually between 1mm and 5mm across, although older ones can grow larger.

They turn up most often in areas where skin rubs against skin or clothing: the neck, eyelids, underarms, groin, under the bust and in the skin folds around the waist. They tend to wobble slightly if you touch them, which is one of the easier ways to tell them apart from other growths.

Skin tags, moles and warts are often confused. A mole is usually flat or slightly raised, pigmented, and firmly attached to the skin. A wart is caused by a virus, has a rough, cauliflower-like surface and sits flat against the skin rather than hanging off it. A skin tag is soft, skin-coloured and clearly dangles. If you are unsure which you are looking at, have it checked before you do anything else.

Are Skin Tags Dangerous or a Sign of Cancer?

No, skin tags are not dangerous and they are not a form of skin cancer. They are entirely benign, which means the cells behave normally and do not spread. Roughly 50 to 60% of adults will develop at least one in their lifetime, so if you have found one, you are firmly in the majority.

What matters is being certain that what you are looking at is actually a skin tag. Skin cancers can occasionally look similar at first glance, particularly to an untrained eye. The warning signs are different: a growth that changes colour, bleeds, itches, grows quickly, has an irregular border, or looks nothing like the soft, uniform, dangly description above should be checked by a doctor or dermatologist before any cosmetic treatment is considered.

A true skin tag is a nuisance, not a medical threat. Wanting it dealt with because it catches on a necklace or a bra strap is not vanity, it is practicality.

What Causes Skin Tags to Appear in the First Place?

The main cause of skin tags is friction. Skin repeatedly rubbing against skin, or against clothing and jewellery, appears to trigger the small overgrowth of cells and blood vessels that eventually forms a tag. That is why they cluster on the neck, underarms, groin and under the bust, and why clothing lines and chafing spots are common sites.

Friction is not the whole story, though. Several other factors make some people much more prone to them than others.

• Family history. If your parents had them, you are more likely to develop them too.
• Age. They become far more common from your late thirties onwards, and most people who get them will notice their first in middle age.
• Hormonal shifts. Pregnancy is a well-known trigger, and many women notice their first skin tags during the second or third trimester. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is also linked to a higher number of tags.
• Skin type. People with softer, thinner skin in the folds tend to develop them more readily.

One skin tag is usually nothing to think twice about. A sudden crop of them, on the other hand, is worth paying attention to.

The Link Between Skin Tags, Weight and Type 2 Diabetes

Multiple skin tags appearing at once are linked to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. This is one of the more useful things skin tags can tell us, and it is why doctors take note when a patient turns up with a dozen new ones.

When the body becomes less responsive to insulin, insulin levels in the blood rise. Higher circulating insulin appears to stimulate the growth of skin cells, which contributes to skin tag formation, particularly on the neck and in the armpits. Weight gain also increases the number of skin folds and therefore the amount of friction, compounding the effect.

This does not mean every person with skin tags has diabetes. It does mean that if you have developed several in a short period, especially alongside weight gain, tiredness or a family history of type 2 diabetes, it is worth mentioning to your GP and asking for a fasting glucose or HbA1c test. Treating the tags addresses the symptom. Checking your metabolic health addresses what might be driving them.

Why You Suddenly Have Several at Once

A sudden crop of skin tags almost always comes down to a change in hormones, weight or friction, and often more than one at the same time. Pregnancy hormones are the classic example, which is why many women see their first tags during pregnancy and why they can keep appearing for a few months afterwards.

Rapid weight gain is another common trigger. New skin folds create new friction points, and rising insulin levels do the rest. Perimenopause and menopause bring their own hormonal shifts and often a small change in body shape, both of which nudge tag formation along.

If you have not been pregnant, have not gained weight, and are still finding new tags every few weeks, that is a reasonable prompt for a general health check. It is not an emergency, but it is a signal worth listening to.

Do Skin Tags Go Away on Their Own?

Skin tags very rarely go away on their own. Once formed, they tend to stay put unless something physically removes them. Occasionally a tag will twist on its stalk, cut off its own blood supply and fall off, but this is uncommon and not something to plan for.

What this means practically: if a skin tag is bothering you, waiting it out is unlikely to work. They do not shrink with weight loss, they do not resolve after pregnancy, and they do not fade with age. The ones you already have will still be there next year unless they are treated.

The good news is that treating them is straightforward. The methods used in clinics are quick, and the growth does not come back in the same spot once properly treated, although new ones can appear elsewhere if the underlying triggers are still present.

Can You Prevent Skin Tags?

You cannot prevent skin tags entirely, but you can reduce the friction and the metabolic conditions that encourage them. Genetics and age are not negotiable. Friction, weight and blood sugar largely are.

A few things that make a practical difference:

• Choose looser, breathable fabrics in the areas that rub, particularly around the neck, waistband and bra line. Natural fibres such as cotton and linen move against the skin less abrasively than tight synthetics.
• Keep skin folds clean and dry. In a South African summer, heat and moisture trapped under the bust, in the groin or in the neck folds create exactly the conditions tags form in. Dry these areas properly after showering.
• Use an anti-chafe balm or powder on friction points if you exercise, walk a lot or work on your feet.
• Replace jewellery that catches. Chains, necklaces and watch straps that constantly rub one spot are a common culprit on the neck and wrists.
• Keep your weight and blood sugar stable. This is the factor with the biggest long-term effect, because it addresses both the number of skin folds and the insulin levels that encourage cell growth.

Be clear about what this does and does not achieve. Prevention lowers the chance of new tags forming. It does nothing for the ones you already have, which will not shrink or disappear because you have changed your wardrobe or lost weight. Existing tags need treating.

Do Skin Tag Removal Creams and Pharmacy Freezing Kits Work?

Over-the-counter creams and home freezing kits sold at pharmacies claim to dry out or freeze off skin tags in a few applications. In practice, results on skin tags specifically are inconsistent. Most of these products were developed for warts, which have a very different structure, and they often struggle to work on the thin stalk of a true tag.

The real problem is not just whether they work, it is what can go wrong. A product strong enough to destroy tissue is strong enough to irritate healthy surrounding skin, leaving redness, a lingering dark mark or, in some cases, a small scar. Freezing kits can do the same if applied for too long or in the wrong spot.

The bigger risk is treating something that was never a skin tag in the first place. If the growth turns out to be a mole or something more serious, a home product has just destroyed the evidence a doctor would need to assess it properly.

Having a Skin Tag Treated at a Clinic: What to Expect and What It Costs in Rands

In-clinic treatment is quick, precise and predictable. At Skin Reform we most often use high-frequency coagulation, a fine probe that delivers a small electrical current to seal off and lift the tag away from the skin. Cryotherapy (controlled freezing) and snip excision (a clean cut with sterile surgical scissors, sometimes with a small amount of local anaesthetic) are also standard options, and the right choice depends on the size, number and location of the growths.

Most people describe a brief pinprick sensation during the procedure itself. Each tag takes seconds to treat. Afterwards a small scab or crust forms over the site and falls away on its own within one to two weeks, with minimal downtime in between. This is why we book sessions by time rather than by tag, so you can have as many treated in one appointment as the session allows. You can see our full range of professional in-clinic treatment options across our Sandton, Greenstone, Centurion and Cape Town branches.

Our current pricing is straightforward.

Session length	Typical use	Price
20 minutes	A small number of small tags	R850
40 minutes	Multiple tags or a larger area	R1,500
1 hour	Extensive treatment across several areas	R2,200

Prices exclude VAT, which is added at checkout. The final cost depends on the number, size and location of the growths and is confirmed at your consultation. For context, professional treatment in South Africa generally ranges from roughly R250 to R3,000 per session depending on the provider, the method used and the number of growths, so booking by session tends to be better value if you have more than one or two. You can compare treatment session options or view our full treatment price list before deciding.

Will It Scar, and Does Medical Aid Cover It?

Properly done, treatment leaves little to no visible mark. High-frequency coagulation and snip excision on a small tag typically heal to a tiny pale spot that continues to fade over several months. Cryotherapy can occasionally leave a slightly lighter patch on darker skin, which is why the method is matched to your skin type at consultation.

Medical aid does not usually cover skin tag treatment, because it is classified as a cosmetic procedure rather than a medical necessity. The exception is where a growth is causing genuine functional problems (catching, bleeding, repeated infection) and your doctor motivates it in writing. Even then, cover is not guaranteed, and most patients pay out of pocket.

When to Stop Watching and See a Doctor

See a doctor before any cosmetic treatment if a growth has changed colour, started to bleed, grown quickly, become itchy or painful, or developed an irregular border. Those are the features that separate a straightforward skin tag from something that needs proper medical assessment first.

Also worth a GP visit: a sudden appearance of many new tags, especially alongside weight gain, increased thirst, tiredness or a family history of type 2 diabetes. The tags themselves are harmless, but they can be a useful early nudge towards a metabolic health check.

For anything that behaves like a classic skin tag (soft, skin-coloured, dangly, stable) and is simply irritating or catching on clothing, treatment is a practical, quick fix rather than a medical decision. If you would like a professional opinion on what you are looking at before committing to anything, you can book a consultation at any of our branches and we will talk you through your options honestly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes skin tags to form?

Skin tags form mainly from friction, where skin repeatedly rubs against skin, clothing or jewellery. Genetics, age, weight and hormonal changes all increase your likelihood of developing them. They appear most often on the neck, underarms, eyelids, groin and under the bust, where skin folds create constant rubbing.

Are skin tags dangerous?

No. Skin tags are benign growths and are not a form of skin cancer. Around 50 to 60% of adults develop at least one. However, any growth that changes colour, bleeds, itches, grows quickly or has an irregular border should be checked by a doctor before cosmetic treatment.

Do skin tags go away on their own?

Skin tags rarely disappear on their own. Once formed they usually remain unless physically removed. They do not shrink with weight loss, resolve after pregnancy or fade with age. Occasionally a tag twists and cuts off its own blood supply, but this is uncommon and not worth waiting for.

Do skin tag removal creams actually work?

Results are inconsistent. Most over-the-counter creams and home freezing kits were developed for warts, which have a different structure to a skin tag's thin stalk. They can also irritate healthy skin, leave a dark mark or a scar, and destroy a growth a doctor may have needed to assess.

Does toothpaste get rid of skin tags?

No. There is no clinical evidence that toothpaste removes skin tags. It can irritate the surrounding skin and increase the risk of infection without affecting the growth itself. The same applies to apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil and similar home remedies circulated online.

How much does it cost to have skin tags treated in South Africa?

Professional treatment in South Africa generally ranges from roughly R250 to R3,000 per session, depending on the provider, the method used and the number of growths. At Skin Reform, sessions start at R850 for 20 minutes, with 40 minute and one hour options available. Prices exclude VAT.

Does medical aid cover skin tag treatment?

Usually not. Skin tag treatment is generally classified as a cosmetic procedure rather than a medical necessity, so most patients pay out of pocket. The exception is where a growth causes functional problems such as repeated catching, bleeding or infection and a doctor motivates it in writing.