Many women expect changes such as wrinkles, dryness, or adult acne during perimenopause and menopause. However, hormonal fluctuations can also lead to less well-known skin changes, including the development of skin tags.
If you have noticed small, flesh-coloured growths appearing around your neck, underarms, eyelids, or beneath your breasts, they are likely to be skin tags. These benign growths are extremely common and can develop in areas where the skin is subject to friction.
In this Blog, Hormone Skin Specialist, Arabella Reynolds, takes a closer look at the connection between menopause and skin tags, why your hormones are responsible, and how you can safely remove them.
What Are Skin Tags?
Skin tags (scientifically known as acrochordons) are small, soft, harmless growths of skin. They typically develop in areas where skin rubs against itself or clothing.
While they are completely benign (non-cancerous), they can easily become irritated, catch on jewellery, snag on bra straps, or simply become a cosmetic nuisance that affects your confidence.
Why Do Menopause Hormones Cause Skin Tags?
Hormones influence almost every aspect of our skin health, from collagen production to cell turnover. When your hormone levels fluctuate and decline during perimenopause and menopause, your skin’s behaviour changes too.
Here are the primary reasons you might be seeing an increase in skin growths right now:
Declining oestrogen and loss of elasticity
As oestrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, your skin rapidly loses collagen and elasticity. This causes the skin to become thinner and more prone to sagging or folding. Increased skin-on-skin friction in these folds creates the perfect environment for skin tags to form.
Midlife insulin resistance
This is a crucial link many women miss. During menopause, the drop in oestrogen often changes how our bodies handle carbohydrates, leading to mild insulin resistance and weight changes around the midsection.
- Higher levels of insulin in the bloodstream stimulate insulin-like growth factors.
- This triggers skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) to multiply rapidly, directly causing skin tags to sprout.
Other hormonal triggers: pregnancy & PCOS
Hormone-driven skin tags aren’t exclusive to menopause. Many women first notice them during pregnancy due to a spike in the hormone leptin (which encourages cell growth) combined with rapid weight gain. Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) also frequently experience skin tags due to elevated androgen (male hormone) and insulin levels.
What About Cherry Angiomas (cherry spots)?
Another common hormonal skin lesion women notice during midlife is the cherry angioma, often called a ‘cherry spot’.
These are small, bright red spots made up of clusters of capillaries. While they can appear during pregnancy due to surging hormones, they also become significantly more common as we age and undergo the menopausal transition. Like skin tags, they are harmless but can multiply over time or bleed if scratched.
Should You Get Your Skin Tags Checked?
While the vast majority of skin tags are entirely benign, any new, changing, or bleeding skin lesion should be assessed by your GP.
Occasionally, more serious skin conditions or certain types of skin cancer can mimic the appearance of a benign skin tag or cherry angioma. It is always best to have them examined by an experienced practitioner before attempting any form of removal.
Safe, Professional Skin Tag Removal at The Hormone Skin Clinic
Please avoid DIY home-removal remedies like tying them off with string or using over-the-counter freezing kits, which can lead to infection, scarring, and hyperpigmentation.
At The Hormone Skin Clinic, we specialise in how hormonal transitions affect your skin. We regularly assess and safely remove benign lesions – including skin tags, cherry angiomas, and age spots – using Electrosurgery.
- Quick & precise: The treatment takes just a few minutes per lesion.
- Minimal discomfort: We ensure the process is as comfortable as possible.
- Excellent cosmetic results: Leave with smoother skin and minimal downtime.
Before any treatment, we will thoroughly assess your skin to ensure the lesion is suitable for removal and discuss the best approach for your skin type.
Hormonal changes are a natural part of life, but you don’t have to live with skin changes that impact your body confidence.
For more information or to book a complimentary consultation one of our Hormone Skin Specialists for skin lesion removal at our Hartley Wintney or Farnham clinic, call 01252 915333 or email info@thefemalehealthclinic.co.uk
