"Little grain-like bumps keep forming on my neck — is it okay to remove these?"
"Once I clear them up once, they never come back, right?"
These are the first things people bothered by small bumps on the neck or under the arms tend to ask.
Hello, I'm Director Kwon Si-jin & Yoon Ju-hyun at DA Clinic Myeongdong ^^
We're getting ready to open our doors in Myeongdong soon, and since so many people have been asking about skin tags ahead of our opening, we wanted to put together this overview for your information first.
Those bumps that kept catching your attention even when you draped a scarf over your neck — I completely understand how it feels.
It's hard to see removing them once as the end. Recurrence in the same spot is rare, but depending on your constitution, new ones can crop up in other areas. Let me honestly walk you through why.
Skin Tags Are Benign Bumps Called 'Acrochordon'
Let me first lay out what skin tags are.
What we commonly call skin tags is what's known as acrochordon — a benign lesion where the skin stretches out slightly and rises as a soft, flesh-colored bump.
They tend to form mainly in areas where the skin often folds and friction occurs, like the neck, underarms, around the eyes, and the groin.
They're usually painless, but people often want them tidied up because they catch on clothing or accessories and feel bothersome, or because they're a cosmetic concern.
We Tidy Up Just the Bump With a CO2 Laser or Radiofrequency
For skin tag removal, a CO2 laser or radiofrequency (RF) method is commonly used.
A CO2 laser works on the principle of precisely removing the bump tissue with high energy, and radiofrequency is a method that delivers heat through a fine tip to tidy up the bump.
Skin tags are usually small bumps sitting close to the surface, so there's little need to dig deep, and they're cleared up in one go in many cases.
For the small ones, several can be tidied up together in a single spot.
That said, if a bump is large or there are many of them, it may be split up while watching recovery, and the response varies by individual.
The Tidied-Up Spot and Other Areas Should Be Viewed Separately
A part people often misunderstand about skin tags is 'recurrence.'
It's uncommon for the exact same bump to rise again in the spot you tidied up, but if you have a constitution prone to skin tags, new bumps can crop up in other areas.
This is less a matter of what you removed coming back to life, and closer to a flow of new ones forming in an environment where friction is frequent and the skin folds.
So it's hard to declare that tidying them up once means they'll never form again, and some people touch up new ones as they come up. (the degree to which they form varies by individual depending on constitution)
Care Is Needed Even After Tidying Them Up
Tidying up the bumps well, and the care afterward, matter equally.
When you tidy up skin tags with a CO2 laser or radiofrequency, a small scab or red mark is left in that spot, and it's best to leave it until it naturally settles down while new skin fills in.
If you deliberately peel off the scab because it's bothering you, the mark can linger longer.
Also, while recovering, being mindful of UV protection so that area doesn't get exposed to sunlight can reduce pigmentation.
For areas that often touch clothing, like the neck or underarms, reducing friction helps recovery.
In These Cases, Take a Closer Look Before Removal
Just because it looks like a skin tag doesn't mean every bump is the same.
There are cases where a bump that's dark in color, growing rapidly in size, or has a bumpy border needs to be distinguished from a simple skin tag.
A bump with a rough surface or that keeps bleeding is also best not brushed past.
In these cases, rather than tidying it up blindly, it's safer to first confirm the condition with a diagnosis, tell what kind of lesion it is, and then decide the direction for removal.
Because even if it looks similar, it may be telling a different story inside.
FAQ
Q. How many sessions does it usually take to tidy up skin tags?
A. Skin tags are usually small bumps sitting close to the surface, so they're cleared up in one go in many cases. For the small ones, several can be touched up together in a single spot. That said, if a bump is large or there are many of them, it may be split up while watching recovery. Since it can vary with the area, the number, and the state of the skin, it's more reasonable to decide by looking at the condition rather than pinning down a number at the start, and it helps to keep in mind that the result varies by individual.
Q. If I tidy them up once, will they never form again?
A. It's uncommon for the exact same bump to rise again in the spot you tidied up. That said, if you have a constitution prone to skin tags or an environment with frequent friction, new bumps can crop up in other areas. This is less a matter of what you removed coming back to life, and closer to a flow of new ones forming. So it's hard to declare they'll never form again, and some people touch up new ones as they come up. The degree to which they form varies by individual depending on constitution.
Q. How do I care for the tidied-up spot?
A. It's best to leave the small scab or red mark remaining at the tidied-up spot until it settles down while new skin fills in. If you deliberately peel it off, the mark can linger long. While recovering, be mindful of UV protection so that area doesn't get exposed to sunlight, and for areas that touch clothing, like the neck or underarms, reducing friction helps. If redness lingers for a long time or there's oozing, don't just leave it — it's best to have the condition checked.
In closing
If we sum up today's content in one line, it's this.
Skin tag removal is a treatment that tidies up the bumps, and while recurrence in the same spot is rare, new ones can form in other areas depending on your constitution.
If there have been bumps catching on clothing or accessories and bothering you, it's fine to view it with the mindset of touching up new ones as they come up rather than treating it as the end after one time. Just please keep in mind that the sessions and result vary by individual, and that since even something that looks like a skin tag could be a different lesion, telling it apart with a diagnosis comes first.
This piece isn't one that recommends a treatment; it's an informational article we put together for your information as we prepare to open.
DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon. We'll share news of our opening and treatment information first on our blog and Instagram ^^
Thank you for reading this long piece. This was Director Kwon Si-jin & Yoon Ju-hyun at DA Clinic Myeongdong.
This column is an informational article meant to provide general medical information, and the effects and side effects of treatments may vary by individual. DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon. (Medical Service Act Art. 56)