Can sun exposure or sunburn damage cause skin tags?

Exposure to the sun could cause a variety of issues on the skin. When you step outside and the sun is shining, you may want to enjoy your day. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a bright day, but you’ll need to apply sunblock if you’re going to protect yourself from the rays of the sun. You see, when things are bright, exposure could lead to sunburn and damage to the layers of the skin. Even though your skin is resilient, too much sun could burn the dermis, and can even cause mutations in the cells. These mutations can cause spots, and even cancer cells to grow. But do they cause skin tags? That’s a question that many people are wondering, and in reality, they may cause issues, but not necessarily tags. There are some that will see growths, and could get tags, but it’s not too common.

What Exactly Are Skin Tags?

First and foremost, it’s important to understand what skin tags are and how they form. They are growths on the surface of the dermis that spring up after collagen is forced to stay in once place too long. This occurs when skin rubs against other skin cells for any given length of time. A fold in the skin, a crease, and even motion can cause this to form. When the cells push out, the overgrowth becomes an unsightly, painless, growth that can appear to be a mole at first, but it’s simply a growth known as a tag. This is not cancerous, it’s not dangerous, and it should not hurt.

Those that have certain medical conditions or are taking medication can be at risk of getting these on the skin. For instance, those that are obese, diabetic, or are taking steroids can see these crop up around the eyes, mouth, neck, underarms, under breasts, the waistline, and even genital region. Again, these are not painful, and are not cause for alarm most of the time. They can get worse if you scratch, scrape, or wear tight clothing. Infections can occur as well, and they can be signs of HPV infection.

What About Sun Exposure and Skin Tags?

Simply put, you may not get skin tags directly from sun exposure. However, the high heat, sweat, and humidity that can be evidenced through the summer days can cause you to squint, rub your skin when walking and sweat in odd places. That heat index rising could lead to the cells in certain areas to rub against other layers, and that can lead to skin tags. So, while sun exposure doesn’t directly lead to it, it can lead indirectly.

Sunburns and damage to the skin from the UV rays do not cause these issues to form. However, a burn could lead to damaging the skin deep enough to form mutations in the dermal tissue. Those mutations are directly related to skin cancers, which is why it’s very critical to apply sunblock whenever going out on a sunny day. Whether you have light or dark skin, sunblock is going to help you avoid burning in the sun’s rays with relative ease.