Skin tags are common, harmless skin growths that hang through the surface of skin on a thin piece of tissue called a stalk. They have been composed of many components, including fat, collagen fibers, and sometimes nerve cells and small blood vessels. It’s possible that these collagen fibers and blood vessels become wrapped up in a very layer of epidermis, causing the formation of the skin tag. The medical term for a skin tag is acrochordon, and they may be able also be referred to as soft fibromas or fibroepithelial polyps.
Skin tags are frequently found in areas of friction on the skin, like the neck, underarms, under the breasts, eyelids, as well as other skin folds. They begin as small, frequently flesh-colored bumps. They may stay that size and go largely unnoticed, expand and continue being painless, or expand and become irritated due to friction or stress.
It’s not completely clear what causes skin tags, and you can find no ways that are proven prevent them. Some research reports have shown that skin tags are more common in people who have diabetes or are overweight. Pregnancy might also lead to increased numbers of epidermis tags, most likely due to hormonal alterations in the body.
Many methods are readily available for epidermis tag treatment
Skin tags don’t need to be eliminated. They aren’t harmful, and will perhaps not become so with time. However, some social individuals find them unsightly and choose to need them removed. Skin tag reduction can be achieved via number of different methods. One commonly used method is cryotherapy, where a physician, usually a dermatologist, freezes off the epidermis tag using nitrogen that is liquid. Another choice is electrocautery, in which an electric probe or needle is used to burn off the skin tag. Snipping or excision, either with scissors or even a scalpel, might be a better selection for larger skin tags. Because skin tag removal is considered cosmetic, these procedures are often perhaps not covered by insurance.
Home treatments for skin tag reduction are mostly unverified
While home remedies can be obtained, their efficacy is largely anecdotal and not supported by significant information. Some kits that are commercial ligation bands that can be put round the base of skin tags, thereby cutting off their circulation and causing them to fall off. Home “freezing” kits are also available, but typically require numerous applications. Tea tree oil and apple cider vinegar also have reportedly been used to treat skin tags; however, there is little research information to aid their effectiveness. Moreover, these substances often result epidermis discomfort. Tea tree oil, in particular, is well known to cause allergic skin responses in some people.
Keep an optical eye out for atypical features
Often, what may look like a skin tag could actually be a different type of epidermis development? If you notice a fleshy growth that has features that aren’t typical of skin tags, for example variants in color, sudden changes in size, or aspects of bleeding or pain, ask your doctor to take a peek.
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