A skin tag is a harmless tumor that looks like a piece of hanging skin. It is usually narrow where it connects to the skin and then grows to a larger ball or oval. The medical name for a skin tag is “acrochordons”.
Skin tags range in size from absolutely minuscule to roughly the size of an eraser. Their color is usually the same as the skin but occasionally they may vary a bit. Although they are small tumors they are not malignant and usually are not indicative of any other type of problems.
Also Read: What is a Skin Mole and What Are the Main Characteristics of This Skin Growth?
These annoying extensions of the skin can be unsightly. They are usually very soft and often painful if twisted or irritated. Middle-aged people are more susceptible to skin tags and they are much more common in women than in men. However, these growths are very common in so much that approximately half of the population have them in some parts of their body.
They tend to form in areas where there is a lot of heat, friction, and moistness. These areas are usually when the skin rubs against the skin or the skin rubs against clothing.
They most commonly occur:
- On the neck
- On the eyelids
- Under the armpits
- Under the breasts
However, they can occur in a variety of other places.
Many individuals may have tried someday to remove their skin tags buy just scratching them or by trying to pull them off by their fingers. This, however, will only irritate the skin tag. Sometimes a skin tag after being irritated may also bleed. They may also be irritated by clothing or jewelry. This may cause some discomforts.
There are many ways that can help you get rid of skin tag :
- Extraction – The skin tags are cut off or removed by surgical scissors of a scalpel.
- Suture – This involves tying a surgical suture around the base of the skin tag in order to cut the blood supply.
- Electro-cauterization – This uses an electrified instrument to burn the skin tags
- Laser Surgery – A laser is used to destroy the skin tag.
- Cryosurgery – Very low temperatures are used to freeze and kill the skin tags.
The above 5 methods are surgical procedures and should be performed by a qualified physician. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages and the procedures may be painful, so it is important to talk to your physician about what the procedures entail.
You can also get rid of skin tags by home treatments. These methods use simple ingredients that can be easily found at home. Some home treatments have been used for many years and have shown fast results with no discomforts.
What is a Skin Tag?
