Are skin tags contagious? Are they spreadable to another person or to other parts of my body?

People sometimes assume that they are dealing with skin tags, when in reality they are dealing with warts. Warts are slightly raised elements on the skin and are not tags. They are specific to different root causes, even though removal is similar to that of tags. But that leads many people to assume that skin tags are contagious, since it is possible to spread warts through various means, and receive outbreaks due to STI and other infections. As a result, you’re going to find that you may be convinced that you can spread tags from one’s body to another through sexual contact, or other means. The truth of the matter is simple, no they are not contagious. However, there are some infections that could lead to an outbreak, and by virtue the notion of contagious tags could be met with a positive answer. The confusion becomes easier to navigate when you understand the root causes of skin tags.

How Does One Get Skin Tags?

The skin of the body can rub against other parts of the skin. There are folds, creases, and other elements that can cause skin tissue to literally rub against itself. Whether it’s from weight gain or it’s from genital contact, or even just irritation and rubbing contaminated skin against sensitive areas. When dermis rubs against other dermis, collagen is forced to create an outer growth. This growth is a raised element that is similar to a zit at first, but there’s no blood or puss, and you cannot pop the element.

Skin tags may be caused by a number of factors, some of which are medical conditions including obesity, and diabetes. However, there is a sexually transmitted issue at play, and that’s where the idea of contagious skin tags may come in. While some may consider genital warts to be a matter of this, that’s actually an issue that comes with herpes, and other STI problems.

HPV Issues

HPV is an infection that is spread by sexual contact, and it can last for a lifetime if severe enough. This may cause either warts or tags to form. The warts associated with this STI can be on the arm, legs, and even on the genitals. While you can spread HPV through sexual contact, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are spreading skin tags, which is different. The symptoms of HPV can be in fact raised skin across various parts of the body, but it’s only due to sexually transmitted infection, not because you’re touching the tag itself.

It should be noted that there usually is no symptoms when someone contracts HPV. While there is no cure for the issue, treating the warts can be done through topical solutions. There is a vaccine that can be given to boys and girls, with girls getting a recommendation to have it administered at younger ages due to the connection with cervical cancer. At the end of the day, the answer to the initial question is simple, skin tags by themselves are not contagious, however, HPV is infectious, and can be spread through sexual contact.