What are skin tags and how do you get rid of them?!


Question: I recently have noticed more skin tags appearing on my body. I had some removed a few years ago and more have come to replace them. Can you remove them without having a doctor do it? They are painful. Is there anyway to avoid them?


Answers: I recently have noticed more skin tags appearing on my body. I had some removed a few years ago and more have come to replace them. Can you remove them without having a doctor do it? They are painful. Is there anyway to avoid them?

What is a skin tag?

A skin tag is a common, benign condition which consists of a bit of skin that projects from the surrounding skin and may appear attached to the skin. Skin tags can vary quite a bit in appearance. 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 can occur almost anywhere there is skin. However, favorite areas for tags are the eyelids, neck, armpits (axillae), upper chest, and groin.

Who tends to get skin tags?

They are much more common with age beginning in middle age and they tend to be somewhat more prevalent in women than men.

Is a skin tag a tumor?

Yes, it is in the sense that it is a growth. However, it is a benign (harmless and not a malignant) condition.

What does a skin tag look like under a microscope?

The 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.

What problems do skin tags cause?

Usually none. This tiny skin growth generally causes no symptoms unless it is repeatedly irritated as, for example, by the collar or in the crotch.

How are skin tags treated?

In cases in which a skin tag 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, or cutting off (excising) the tag with a scalpel or scissors.

Is there another medical name for a skin tag?

A skin tag is medically also termed a cutaneous papilloma or an acrochordon. However, a skin tag is best known as a skin tag.

Skin Tags
Skin Tag At A Glance

* A skin tag is a common but harmless skin growth.
* Skin tags are frequently found on the eyelids, neck, chest, armpits, and groin.
* Treatments include freezing, tying off with a thread or suture, or cutting off.

They're not usually harmfull, except to your self image. You can have a dermatologist take them off. Don't remove them yourself.

As we get older our skin starts to grow a few "weeds" or skin tags. They can be painful if you pull at them and they may seem to bleed a lot if you pull them off, but you can do it yourself, just one quick jerk, fingernail clips, or whatever, or put some wart remover on them, this takes 4 or 5 days though. They are just a nuisance, no way to avoid them if you are prone to have them. Thats been my experience and thats all I got to say about that.

I had a large skin tag that was very troublesome to me. My doctor said insurance wouldn't cover it because it was a cosmetic procedure. And so I removed it the old fashioned way: I tied some thread around it with a very tight knot closest to the skin. Then I waited for it to die and fall off. It took some time (maybe two weeks) but it worked and it hasn't been back (about a year and a half). If you decide to try this, just keep it very very clean. Dump rubbing alcohol on it at least once a day.
If you have a doctor that will remove them, just do it. Even if you have to have it done every so often, I don't recommend my method.
Best of luck to you.





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