What Is Skin Tags?
Skin tags are small harmless growths on the skin and are usually less than 1cm in size. Skin tags look different from warts and other benign skin lesions because of the small stalk that attaches them to the skin. Warts tend to be flat, while skin tags hang off the skin.
What causes skin tags?
- The exact cause of skin tags is unknown, and there are likely to be both lifestyle and genetic causes. Some people develop them for no known reason.
- You are more likely to get skin tags in areas where the skin tends to rub against itself. Some health conditions are through to contribute to the risk of developing skin tags, such as:
- overweight and obesity
- diabetes
- pregnancy
- Anyone of any gender can develop skin tags, and they are more common in older people. If you’re pregnant and develop skin tags, they usually disappear after your baby is born.
Treatments.
- How are skin tags treated or removed?
There is no medical need to remove a skin tag. Skin tags can sometimes drop off by themselves over time.
If you decide to have a skin tag removed — for example, because it is bothering you or you don’t like its appearance — talk to your doctor. - Your doctor can remove the skin tags by:
• freezing them with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy)
• cutting them off with surgical scissors or a scalpel (excision)
• burning them with electrical energy (hyfrecation)It’s not a good idea to try to remove skin tags by yourself since they can bleed heavily or get infected.
