What are Skin Tags

What are Skin Tags?
Skin tags are small benign growths that may appear anywhere on the body, and are largely seen to occur after midlife. They may start of as growths the size of a flattened pinpoint, and progress form there. A skin tag has a core of fibers and ducts, nerve cells, fat cells, and a covering or epidermis. Each skin tag will appear slightly different, and could be either smooth or slightly wrinkled. They are usually skin colored, though they could be darker, bits of tissue sticking out of the skin, and may be attached to the skin by a small, narrow stalk. While they may develop anywhere, certain regions of the body, such as the neck, underarms, eyelids, and under the breasts, are more prone. They are often considered to be the outcome of skin rubbing against skin, as such a common place to find them is on skin folds. Skin tags are also referred to as acrochordon, cutaneous papilloma, cutaneous tag, fibroepithelial polyp, and Templeton skin tag.

Prevalence
Both sexes are equally affected by this skin condition. It is a common skin condition, and with age, nearly half of all people have them. Higher rates of skin tag occurrence are found among pregnant women, obese people, and people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. About 46% of people develop skin tags at some point in their lives.

What Causes Skin Tags?
The precise cause of the growth of skin tags is unknown. However, there are a few contributing factors. They may rise from irritation of the skin caused by rubbing, hormones secreted during pregnancy, insulin resistance caused by diabetes, and human papilloma virus. Another lesser known cause is illegal steroid use, which causes the collagen fibers in the skin to bond so that skin tags are formed.

Skin Tag Treatment
Skin tags are benign tumors that are usually do not grow or change and are painless. Often, the only problem they pose is cosmetic, and most people get them removed because they are unsightly. There are a few different medical procedures that can be used for the removal of skin tags. They are simple procedures, which can be carried out with or without local anesthesia. Cauterization is one option where the skin tag is burned off using electrolysis. In cryosurgery, the skin tag is frozen using liquid nitrogen, due to which it falls off. Other options are ligation, where the blood supply to the skin tag is interrupted, and a simple procedure where the skin tag is removed with a scalpel. Tags once removed are not likely to grow back on the same spot, but will not be discouraged from growing elsewhere on the body.

While there are several self-treatments for skin tags, removal at home can be risky. A common, though tricky technique is to tie a piece of thread or dental floss to the base of the tag. This will slowly cut off blood supply to it and the tag should eventually fall off. Possible outcomes of skin tag removal at home is excess bleeding, infection and scarring.

Having understood what are skin tags should put your mind at ease regarding these harmless growths. If you wish to get them removed, seek out a good dermatologist, who will recommend which treatment will suit you best. Some people who face periodic growth spurts of skin tags, need periodic removal treatments, at quarterly or annual intervals.