What do Skin Tags say about my Health?

Skin tags are benign skin growths and aren’t generally associated with problematic symptoms, so simply removing the tag is the appropriate treatment.

It may not be a popular conversation topic, but an estimated 46% of adults will have had skin tags during their life.

Not everyone who has had one will know because it may simply rub off or fall off through everyday use of that area of the body. It’s not only possible to have skin tags reoccur and still be in good health, but it’s likely!

What is a Skin Tag?

They’re usually small in size ranging from 2mm to a centimeter in length, and dangle from the rest of your body. Skin tags are soft and may contain a stalk, also known as a peduncle.

Anything that’s normally embedded in skin can be found in a skin tag, including fibers, ducts, and fat. Overlying the core is your epidermis, so if you were to examine a skin tag, you would see the diverse composition immediately.

How do Skin Tags Form?

Skin tags form in predictable areas such as:

• Eyelids
• Armpits
• The groin
• The neck

These parts of the body experience rubbing either on other parts of the body or with clothing and other accessories. The cause of skin tags is due to a cluster of collagen and blood vessels that becomes the seed of the tag. The cluster is trapped under thick skin and an outgrowth occurs.

How Skin Tags are Connected to Other Medical Conditions

The tags are often seen in a few specific groups for different reasons. Below are some of the most common reasons people develop skin tags:

• Steroid use disturbs the normal schedule of collagen product, so mismatched growth may happen in the skin
• Pregnant women undergo hormone change, altering how their bodies work
• People who are overweight have more skin folds, leading to abrasion and rubbing

It’s also common for people who have diabetes 2 and low-risk HPV 6 and 11 to have skin tags.

For others, their predisposition for skin tags comes from their genetic makeup or some other currently unknown reason. In addition, people who are middle aged or older are also more prone to skin tags.

If you’re concerned about your health, consult a physician.