The skin is the largest organ the human body has. While most people don’t think of the skin as an organ, it is certainly such, and it’s made up of several layers. It’s resilient, strong, and covers the body. However, there are irritants, and issues that can cause the skin to swell, or even showcase growths. You may already know about ingrown hairs, acne, rashes, lesions, warts, and other issues. But one option you may not know about is the issue of skin tags. When you see these growths, you may be one of the many that panic, assuming that it could be related to skin cancer. The truth of the matter is simple, these are not cancerous, at least not when they form, but they may be indicative of other issues in the body. Understanding what these are, and what they aren’t will help give you peace of mind in regard to what you’re skin is going through.
What Are Skin Tags?
Skin tags are non-cancerous, benign, tumors. That is just a defining term, but they do not behave in the same manner as tumors that you would get in other parts of the body. Instead, these are growths that have a small plateau, above the dermal tissue. It’s almost like a zit, but there is no head, blood, or puss that comes out. You cannot simply pop these, scrape these, or try to remove them in the same way you could acne.
Tags are made up of a simple core, nerve cells, and are singular. They appear on the neck, eyelids, under arms, or any location that has a crease or fold. When there is skin friction, these can form, and cause issues.
Problematic Issues With Tags
Some skin tags are associated with disease and infection. For instance, if you are insulin resistant, or prediabetic, you’ll start to see skin tags form often. When you have high sugar levels in the blood, the skin reacts by having circulation problems, which may form tags. This can also cause weight gain and hormonal shifts which can lead to further skin damage and irritation.
Another issue that you may have to deal with is that of HPV infection. Those that have HPV may find that skin tags form around the pubic area, and can even start to hurt. There is no cure for this, but there are medications that can help with outbreaks and more.
When To See A Doctor
There are some rare cases in which skin tags start to hurt, form clusters, or mutate. In these instances, seeing a specialist is recommended. A dermatologist can look to see what the issue is, and whether it’s related to something simple, or complex. In most instances, skin tags are not cancerous at all. They are easy to remove, and a doctor can either prescribe a medication for home care, or they can remove them in the office. If you see skin tags form, do not completely panic. Chances are, tags are just unsightly, and not going to cause any major problems with your health.
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