Will Skin Tags Go Away After Weight Loss?
- Jennifer Hardy
- May 31
- 6 min read
Skin tags are one of those annoying little things nobody talks about until they pop up in all the wrong places. These soft, flesh-colored bits of skin tend to show up where your skin rubs together or against your clothes. Think neck, underarms, under the boobs, groin, eyelids. Skin tags are harmless, but let’s be honest: they can be embarrassing, uncomfortable, or both.
I've dealt with skin tags, seborheic keratosis, and moles my entire life. When I moved to a new high school many years ago, a mean kid nicknamed me "mole face" because of a prominent mark on my right cheek.
However, many people don't notice these until weight gain or weight loss. Recently, we were asked if skin tags are connected to GLP-1s like Ozempic and Zepbound. The truth is—kinda, but not in the way you might think.
So, will they disappear after weight loss or starting GLP-1 meds like Ozempic or Zepbound? Let’s break it down.
What Are Skin Tags?
The technical term is acrochordons, but most of us just call them skin tags. They’re small, non-cancerous growths that dangle off the skin and often appear when friction is involved.
For people in larger bodies, or during phases of weight gain, these can become more common, especially in spots where skin folds touch.
Neck
Armpit
Groin
Eyelids
Bra Line
Genitals
Why Weight Gain and Skin Tags Are Linked
Carrying more weight increases the chances of skin-on-skin friction. Repeated rubbing can trigger skin tags. But friction isn’t the only culprit. There’s also the hormonal and metabolic side of things.
People with insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome tend to have more skin tags. One study found that 75% of people with skin tags were overweight or obese, compared to only 25% of people without them.
Hormones like insulin and leptin, both of which change during weight gain or with metabolic issues, may play a role in skin cell overgrowth. So if you’re seeing more skin tags pop up after gaining weight or while struggling with insulin resistance, you’re not imagining it. Pregnancy might also create more skin tags on a woman's body due to hormone fluctuations.
In fact, I have many that I didn't even notice until I started losing weight, and they came out of "hiding" underneath friction-prone areas on my bra line.
Can Weight Loss Get Rid of Skin Tags?
Here’s the truth: weight loss doesn’t usually make existing skin tags fall off. But it can help prevent new ones from forming. Losing weight reduces friction, helps balance insulin levels, and supports overall metabolic health. That lowers the chance of future tags showing up.
Other triggers for skin tags include high blood sugar, insulin resistance, yo-yo dieting, tight clothing and jewelry rubbing on skin, and dry skin. Also, picking at an early growth can make the skin tag worse.
That said, if your skin tags are bothering you (either physically or emotionally), you don’t have to just live with them.
Skin Tag Removal Options
If skin tags are getting in your way (or messing with your confidence), you have a few options.
Cryotherapy
A dermatologist can freeze them off with liquid nitrogen. I've had this done dozens of times in my life. While it's a brief "cold pain" sting, the size of the skin tags and number of frozen spots will determine how much it "hurts."
Excision
Quick snip with sterile scissors. It’s as simple as it sounds. A dermatologist can do this for you. My derm showed me how to do it myself with a pair of sharp, sterile scissors. However, I wouldn't recommend trying this on your own. It's a fine between snipping a skin tag and cutting healthy skin.
Electrocautery
Electrocautery is a medical procedure that uses a small electric current to burn off skin growths like tags or warts.
At-home kits ⚠️
You might find a slew of these products online, and I've even taken the bait in desperate attempts to save money with no success. However, you should know that the FDA has warned against the safety and efficacy of these treatments.
Does Skin Tag Removal Leave a Scar?
On a personal note, before you go removing skin tags due to the perceived unattractive nature, you should know what will be left in their place.
Some of my skin tags came off easily, and you can't even tell they were there. However, at age 50, my skin isn't bouncing back as easily. I wanted skin tags removed from my eyelids this year.
I had cryotherapy on a few tags around my eyelids in mid-April, and by May 31, you could still see healing marks.
The truth? Scarring is always possible, especially on thinner or delicate areas like the face or chest. It depends on the removal method, how deep the tag was, and how your skin typically heals. If you're prone to hyperpigmentation, keloids, or slow healing, it’s something to think about.
The left images are before, the right images are after.
The top image is after, bottom image is before.
Do GLP-1s Such As Ozempic and Zepbound Cause Skin Tags?
Of all the studies that have been done about the side effects and dermatological impact of GLP-1s, skin tags don't show as a result.
But that hasn’t stopped people from talking about it online, especially in weight loss groups and forums. So what gives? Here are a few reasons this might be happening, even if it’s not the meds themselves:
You’re just noticing them more. Rapid weight loss can leave behind looser skin, especially in areas that used to have folds. Skin tags that were once hidden or pressed flat might suddenly be a lot more visible.
Where your skin rubs has changed. Losing weight doesn’t eliminate all skin friction. It just shifts it around. New folds, loose skin, or movement in different areas might be creating fresh irritation or drawing attention to spots you didn’t use to think about.
Everyone’s talking about it. When a topic gets popular, more people start noticing and reporting it, even if it’s not actually happening more often than before.
We love to blame the new thing. If you’ve started a medication and then spot a skin change, even if it was already there, it’s natural to connect the dots. But correlation doesn’t mean causation, especially with something as common and slow-growing as skin tags.
When Skin Tags Might Signal Something Bigger
True skin tags are medically benign. Even as someone who has a strong working knowledge of skin growths (and visuals for days), I still go to the dermatologist once a year for skin checks.
A seborheic keratosis can look a lot like a cancerous mole if you don't know what to look for. A small skin tag could actually be a type of cancerous growth.
It helps to know where your growths are located and keep an eye on them. Red flags include:
Rapid growth or change in shape
Bleeding or crusting
Color changes (especially dark or uneven pigment)
Pain or itching
A growth that looks “different” from your other skin tags
People with multiple skin tags are also more likely to have underlying metabolic conditions like prediabetes or full-blown type 2 diabetes. One study showed people with skin tags were 11 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome. That’s a big deal.
Other Ways Obesity Can Impact Your Skin
Carrying extra weight doesn’t just cause skin tags in many people. It also shows up in other frustrating skin issues.
One of the most common is acanthosis nigricans (right), those dark, velvety patches that often show up on the neck, underarms, or groin. It’s strongly linked to high insulin levels.
You might also notice thickened skin on your feet (plantar hyperkeratosis) or rough bumps on your arms and thighs (keratosis pilaris).
Stretch marks are another common side effect, along with dry, flaky skin that doesn’t bounce back as easily. Then there’s intertrigo, which is those raw, irritated rashes that happen in skin folds from heat, moisture, and friction.
That warm, trapped environment can also lead to fungal and bacterial infections,
Skin Tag Connections to Weight Loss and Healthy Lifestyles
While skin tags result from friction, they could also be a sign of an underlying issue long before other symptoms show up. One study showed that those with skin tags could have an 11 times higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
Take care of your metabolic health, keep an eye on your skin, and don’t hesitate to talk to your doc if something feels off. If you're losing weight on a GLP-1, you're well on your way to reducing the risk of future skin tags.
