What is a Skin Tag?

by admin on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 | 36 Comments

Neck Skin Tag - Click Here for the Best Treatment

Skin tags are benign (non-cancerous) condition which consists of a bit of skin that projects from the surrounding skin and may appear attached to the skin. These type of skin tag s can vary quite a bit in appearance. Sometimes they may be smooth or irregular, flesh colored or more deeply pigmented, and either simply be raised above the surrounding skin or have a stalk (a peduncle) so that the skin tag hangs from the skin.

Where do skin tags occur?

Skin tags typically occur in characteristic locations including the neck, underarms, eyelids, and under the breasts (especially where underwire bras rub directly beneath the breasts). Skin tags may vary somewhat in appearance, they are usually smooth or slightly wrinkled and irregular, flesh-colored or slightly more brown, and hang from the skin by a small stalk. In the early or beginning stage of a skin tags may be as small as a flattened pinpoint-sized bump around the neck, but some skin tags may be as large as a big grape.

You can find skin tags anywhere there is skin. However some of the areas for tags are the eyelids, neck, armpits (axillae), upper chest, and groin.

Who tends to get skin tags?

About one half of the population is reported to have skin tags at some time Skin tags are generally acquired (not present at birth) and may occur in anyone, more often they arise in adulthood. Skin tags are much more common in middle age and they tend to increase in prevalence up to age 60. Children and toddlers may also develop some king of skin tags in the underarm and neck areas. Skin tags usually are thought to arise more readily in areas of skin friction or rubbing, tags are also more common in overweight people.

These skin tags : Outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) shows overgrowth (hyperplasia) and it encloses an underlying layer of skin (the dermis) in which the normally-present collagen fibers appear abnormally loose and swollen. A skin tag is best known as a “ skin tag” , but the medical term is Cutaneous Papilloma or an Acrochordon Treatment

If you have a skin tag that is irritated or cosmetically unwanted, treatment may be done by freezing the tag with liquid nitrogen, tying off the tag with a thread or suture so as to cut off the blood supply, cutting off (excising) the skin tag with a scalpel or scissors.

Are skin tags a tumor?

Most skin tags are a type of growth or tumor, albeit a completely benign and harmless one. Skin Tags are not cancerous (malignant) and not found to have potential to become cancerous if left untreated.

What does most skin tag look like under a microscope?

The outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) shows overgrowth (hypoplazia), and it encloses an underlying layer of skin (the dermis) in which the normally-present collagen fibers appear abnormally loose and swollen most of the time. . Usually there are no hairs, moles, or other skin structures present in any skin tags.

What Kind problems do skin tags cause?

Most of the time these tiny skin growths generally cause no symptoms unless they are repeatedly irritated as, for example, by the collar or in the groin. Sometimes a cosmetic removal for unsightly appearance is perhaps the most common reason they are removed. You will find that a a tag may require removal because it has become irritated and red from bleeding (hemorrhage) or black from twisting and dying of the skin tissue (necrosis). At times they may become snagged by clothing, jewelry, pets, or seatbelts, causing pain or discomfort, but overall these are very benign growths that have no cancer (malignant) potential.

On some occasions a skin tag may spontaneously fall off without any pain or discomfort. This only occur after the tag has twisted on itself at the stalk base, interrupting the blood flow to the tag.

How are most skin tags treated?

There are several effective medical ways to remove most skin tag, including removing with scissors, freezing (using liquid nitrogen), and burning (using medical electric cautery at the physician’s office).

Most of the time small tags may be removed easily without anesthesia while larger growths may require some local anesthesia (injected lidocaine)) prior to removal. The application of a topical anesthesia cream prior to the procedure may be desirable in areas where there are a large number of tags.

Most dermatologists (skin doctors), family physicians, and internal medicine physicians are the doctors who treat tags most often. Some times an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) is needed to remove tags very close to the eyelid margin.

There are some home remedies and self-treatments, including tying off the small tag stalk with a piece of thread or dental floss and allowing the tag to fall off over several days.

The big advantage of scissor removal is that the growth is immediately removed and there are instant results, but the potential disadvantage of any kind of scissor or minor surgical procedure to remove tags is minor bleeding.

Some of the possible risks with freezing or burning include temporary skin discoloration, need for repeat treatment(s), and failure for the tag to fall off.

There is simply no evidence that removing tags causes more tags to grow. On most occasions, there are some people that may be more prone to developing skin tags and may have new growths periodically. Occasionally patients even require periodic removal of tags at annual or quarterly intervals.

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Picture of skin tags

Hormone elevations which usually develop during pregnancy which will cause an increase in the formation of skin tags, as skin tags are more frequent in pregnant women. These Skin Tags may be easily removed during or after pregnancy.

Skin tags are know as a benign condition and not directly associated with any other major medical conditions, since tags are commonly found on healthy people.