Millions of people right now are dealing with a variety of skin issues. One of the most common is known as skin tags. While this overgrowth of skin is benign, and mostly painless, you may not like the appearance. In some rare instances, they could be painful, irritated, and spread across the body. They may also indicate the appearance of a disease such as HPV, diabetes, or other skin disorders. The grand majority of cases, however, should not cause any alarm. Understanding what these are and how they are removed is one way to also learn about prevention.
What Causes Skin Tags?
One of the first questions that you should ask is in regard to the root cause. The main causes that are attributed to tags include obesity, allergic reaction, HPV, steroid use, diabetes, and heredity. These are the main causes, but in some instances, it’s just a matter of skin rubbing alongside crease, fold, or other patch of skin. This can occur under the arms, in genital regions, along the anus, under breasts, eyelids, and even mouth or ears. The root cause may be addressed if things get severe, or if once removed, they continue to appear, but in most instances, they are no cause for alarm.
Getting Rid of Skin Tags
There are several ways that you can get rid of tags from the skin. The most common options are topical. You can apply topical essential oils like castor, oregano, garlic, tea tree, and coconut. Or you could purchase hemorrhoid cream and apply it twice a day to the afflicted area. These can help dry out the tag and allow it to fall off with relative ease. Aside from that, a doctor can be visited to get a helping hand with removing the area through a number of resources. The most common includes using a laser, scalpel, or freezing them off.
Preventing Skin Tags
In regard to prevention, there are things that you can do to ensure that you are not dealing with this issue in the long term. You can also work on prevention before they even form, and it starts by eating a healthy diet, and exercising. By doing these things you can prevent weight gain, which is one of the main reasons why people start seeing this issue. When the skin creases, and folds, sweat and heat can collide in certain areas and cause growths to form. If you’re obese, consider losing weight immediately, and that will start to help with this issue.
The next thing to do is to utilize powders such as talcum powder to avoid friction. This can be placed in sensitive areas to avoid skin from rubbing together for long periods of time. Another resource is to wear looser clothing, and limit the exposure of skin to jewelry, and harsh detergents. This can help decrease allergic reactions that could lead to skin growths, etc.
If the problem with tags persists, it may be a sign of another issue. If that’s the case, it’s imperative to call a doctor and get a helping hand in figuring out a course of action.