Don: I have the weirdest looking mole under my arm.

Yael: Hold it. Put that arm back down. I don't want to see your weird mole. Why don't      you just tell me what's weird about it?

D: Well, it's not a round dot like my other moles, but more like a flesh-colored raisin.      The way it's attached to my skin, it stretches outward like a tiny appendage.

Y: It sounds like you're talking about a skin tag, not a mole. It's a common mistake to      confuse the two. The scientific term for a skin tag is acrochordon, and it's simply a      flesh-colored growth that hangs from the skin by a thin piece of tissue called a stalk.      They're more common as people age, especially in women.

D: What causes it?

Y: What causes skin tags is unknown, but they do appear more frequently in areas      where the skin is rubbed by clothing or by other body parts, such as in creases like      your underarm. They also tend to appear in hot, moist places such as under the      breasts, between the thighs, or around the genitals.

D: Please tell me I don't have to get these things checked for cancer like I do with my      moles.

Y: I have good news and bad news.

D: Give me the good news.

Y: Skin tags are never cancerous.

D: That is good news. But then, I can't imagine what the bad news is.

Y: Because people so often confuse moles for skin tags, you should monitor them just as      you do your moles. If you notice changes or anything that would be suspicious in a      mole, you should have your doctor check it.