Do hormones like estrogen and testosterone play a role in the appearance of skin tags?

Skin tags are small growths on the skin that form due to a variety of reasons. At the core of the issue, skin cells rub against one another and cause small plateaus to form. These are benign, and are due to collagen shifts that push the dermal layers up and out. Small tags are not uncommon under the armpits, breasts, waistline, groin area, nose, and even neck. These are not dangerous, they will not bleed, get too irritated, or should it cause alarm. Some people may not want to have these on their body, as they are unsightly, and therefore can be removed. Exploring this issue on a deeper level, however, you may find that some of the root causes may be due to hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Figuring out how they play a role in this requires a little bit of focus.

The Causes of Skin Tags

The big thing that you need to understand about tags is that they are due to friction of the skin. But they are linked to bigger medical problems, which is where hormones come into play. There are several instances where men and women have a hormonal shift that is quite big. For instance, a woman may become pregnant and her estrogen levels change. Alongside that, women will gain weight, and have to deal with a variety of changes through the pregnancy. That causes skin cells to stretch and form tags across the skin as it stretches.

For men, testosterone can cause changes in the body, including shifts in weight, muscle mass, and other elements. A side effect of this can be tags that form around the pubic area, neck, and waistline. They can even form around the pectoral region. The shift in testosterone and the fluctuation of hormones can very well cause a wide variety of issues for men, just like estrogen can cause problems for women.

Changing Things Up

There is a way to reverse the issues associated with estrogen and testosterone. A doctor will need to prescribe medications, or nutritional elements to help with the change in overall hormonal balance. Many people will find that as the hormones level out, the skin tags that were forming will stop. However, removing existing tags will take a little bit of help. There are a variety of things that can be done to erase tags, including using essential oils topically. You can use oils such as oregano, or tea tree oil on the tags themselves.

Aside from essential oils, you may need to go to a dermatologist to have them frozen, or burned off. You can use wart remover at home, as well as acne medication or even hemorrhoid creams. These can help dry out the tags and have them fall off with relative ease. However, you’ll find that you will need to work with topical solutions to help them fall away. Either way, you’ll find that there is a link between hormonal shifts and tags on the body, so you’ll need to address that as well.