Skin tags, are small growths that often appear on the eyelids. They are benign pedicles of skin that overgrow and can become irritated.
Skin tags are more common in:
- people who are overweight and obese
- those with diabetes
- women during pregnancy, possibly due to hormonal changes and high levels of growth factors
- those with some types of human papilloma virus (HPV)
- people with a sex-steroid imbalance, especially if there are changes in levels of estrogen and progesterone
- those whose close family members also have skin tags
Like tags elsewhere, the small fleshy stalks show up on eyelids because of the skin-on-skin movement of blinking. While eyelid skin tags are not dangerous, they are certainly very noticeable.
When patients come to me with eyelid skin tags, I usually remove them the same day right in the office. I apply a small amount of numbing medication and then simply snip off the tag from the base. Usually there is a small scab that heals in a few days.