Skin Tag Causes

A skin tag, or cutaneous skin tag, is a small, benign skin outgrowth that appears as a hanging piece of skin raised from the skin surface on a stalk, known as peduncle. A skin tag is also known as acrochordon, cutaneous papilloma, fibroma, fibroepithelial polyp, fibroma pendulum, etc. Skin tags are usually found in the areas where the skin folds or forms creases. Several factors are suspected to play an important role in their development, though the exact skin tag causes have not been discovered till date. They are more commonly observed in middle aged and older individuals.

Skin Tag Causes
Skin friction, produced by skin rubbing against skin or clothing, is the major cause of skin tags, as concluded by several studies conducted in this regard. Perhaps this is the reason behind their frequent occurrence in areas like the neck, armpit, upper chest, groin, and eyelids. The skin in these areas are more prone to skin friction, which can be produced either by skin to skin contact or skin rubbing against clothing or jewelry.

A strong association has been observed between the development of skin tags and obesity. Researches conducted in this regard have found that obese people are more likely to have skin tags. Obesity is almost always accompanied by sagging skin, which makes the skin of the neck, groin, and armpit regions more susceptible to skin tags due to increased skin friction. Sometimes, hormonal changes, as in case of pregnant women, can also cause skin tags. But skin tags during pregnancy have been found to disappear after childbirth without any treatment. Like pregnant women, people with gigantism are also more likely to have skin tags due to over secretion of certain hormones.

Skin tags are also frequent among diabetic people, especially those suffering from type 2 diabetes, for which an association between insulin resistance and skin tags has been suspected. Sometimes, excessive use of steroids can cause the collagen fibers to bond in a peculiar manner leading to the development of skin tags. Though rare, the human papillomavirus can also cause skin tags in certain circumstances. Apart from these, the role of genetics in the development of this skin condition has also not been ruled out. However, multiple skin tags are generally linked to hormonal or endocrinal syndrome.

Skin Tag Removal
As mentioned already, skin tags are benign, i.e. they are not cancerous or malignant. So, they are quite harmless and do not give rise to any kind of complication, unless they are irritated or rubbed. As they are not cancerous and also do not grow in size, they usually do not require any treatment. But an individual may want these skin outgrowths to be removed mainly for cosmetic reasons.

Skin tag treatment to remove these growths include cauterization, cryosurgery, surgical excision, ligation, and laser surgery. Cauterization generally involves the use of electric current or chemical compounds to burn off the tissues of the skin tags, while surgical excision is the usual method of cutting off the skin outgrowths with the help of a scalpel. On the other hand, cryosurgery involves the use of liquid nitrogen in order to freeze the skin tags. In ligation, skin tags are destroyed by cutting off blood supply, while laser surgery uses laser beams to remove skin tags.

To summarize, the causes of skin tags are varied and so are the techniques employed for their removal. But before making a decision regarding the removal of skin tags, it is important to diagnose the condition properly, as it is often confused with other skin conditions like moles, melanoma, warts and seborrheic keratosis.