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Skin tags are benign, noncancerous tumors of the skin which are basically a core of fibers, ducts, nerve cells, fat cells and a covering or epidermis. It appears on different parts of the body; face, eyelids, upper chest, armpits, under the breasts, groin or neck.
Skin tags are usually not obvious except they are in a prominent place or are repeatedly scratched, by clothing, jewelry, or when shaving. Indeed, some people don’t know when they have skin tags when they are in hidden places as in some cases, they rub off or fall off without pain or the person knowing.
The surface of skin tags may be smooth or irregular in appearance but are often raised from the surface of the skin on fleshy peduncles or stalks and are usually flesh-colored or slightly brownish. They commonly occur in creases or folds of the skin.
They start small, flattened like a pinhead bump and while some stay small, some grow bigger. They size ranges from one centimetre to five centimeter. And very large skin tags may burst under pressure. Skin tags are usually harmless and can be left alone but people want it removed for aesthetic reasons and to feel comfortable with their look.
The causes of skin tags are not clear but certain factors have been identified; when there are clusters of collagen and blood vessels get trapped inside thicker pieces of skin. Also, it is said that because they are common in skin creases or folds, it may be caused by skin rubbing against skin while some are hereditary. While skin tags affect both male and female, it is prominent in people that are obese, pregnant women or diabetic people.
Skin tags are also more common in people with a sex-steroid imbalance, especially if there are changes in levels, those with some types of human papilloma virus (HPV), people with High Blood Pressure, high cholesterol levels or insulin resistance as well as elevated high-sensitive C-reactive protein that causes inflammation.
Skin tags can be removed with certain procedures; over the counter therapies, excision, cryotherapy and surgery. Also, over-the-counter solutions that freeze the skin tag and make It fall off after seven to 10 days are available at pharmacies though it is better to seek medical advice before using these treatments. In addition, there are removal creams which are effective in some cases but there is a need to look out for products that contain salicylic acid and tea tree oil as they can cause skin irritation. Contrary to traditional belief, it has not been proved that removing skin tags encourages more of them to develop.
While it can look appealing to cut off or clip skin tags, it should only be done with the approval of a healthcare professional and utmost care must be taken to prevent infection. Cutting is also a painful process that should be avoided by people who use blood thinners or have bleeding disorders. And cutting should not be tried around the eyes or genitals.
There are some surgical procedures that can be used to remove skin tags; cauterisation which involves burning off skin tag using electrolysis, cryosurgery, where the skin tag is frozen off using liquid nitrogen, excision which is outright removal of tag with a scalpel and ligation which is cutting off blood supply to the base of the skin tag so that the cells die and the tag falls off. It can be done with the use of a skin tag removal band.
These procedures should however only be done by a trained dermatologist, medical practitioner or skin specialist. Also, skin tags on the eyelid, especially those close to the eyelid margin, may have to be removed by an ophthalmologist or eye specialist.
Removing a skin tag at home is not advisable as it can cause a deep-seated infection and it can also be easy to inadvertently nick a blood vessel or vein, leading to significant bleeding.
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