Do cigarette smoking cause skin tags? The tobacco and fibroepithelial polyp relation

Cigarette smokers are at risk of causing a lot of damage to the body. The more a person smokes, the greater the risks become for a wide variety of problems. Not every issue is directly related to the lungs, mind you. Some issues are related to the skin, including skin tags. Smokers are at greater risk of developing what is known as fibroepithelial polyp, or tags. These are mostly benign, but in some cases, can result in cancerous growths, and issues that are directly related to smoking. It’s best to quit smoking to avoid these, but in some instances, the problem can persist after a person has quit, as there are a few root causes that are outside of the vice to consider. The following breaks down the issue a bit further.

Smoking Problems

You may already know that it’s important not to smoke. Smoking causes damage to the lungs, lips, mouth, mucus membrane, and much more. Quitting smoking can help reduce the rates of diseases of these areas, and can even help skin stop prematurely aging. Smoke causes damage to the dermal tissue as well as the cells that regenerate across the face. That can lead to premature aging, wrinkles, acne, and even fibroepithelial polyp. Skin disorders that are not taken care of, assuming a smoker continues to smoke cigarettes for a long period of time, can mutate from a tag into cancer. Skin cancer can be treated, and in some instances cured, but there are still many deaths associated with caners that spread from skin to lungs and more.

Skin Tags Not From Smoking

Smoking doesn’t always cause skin tags, but it can elevate the risk factors. Knowing these risk factors and root causes can help identify the problem and help remove them. Aside from quitting smoking, helping the issue may require a surgical approach, although often, self-care can be introduced to assist the problem.

The root causes associated with skin tag formation include obesity, diabetes, HPV, steroids, allergic reaction to stimuli, detergent, tight fitting clothing, and family history. These causes can be shifted due to lifestyle change, but when smoking, these issues are aggravated because the introduction of smoke into the body and second-hand smoke that gets trapped on clothing and more.

Removing Skin Tags

The removal of skin tags can be done by a professional in extreme cases. You do not need to see a doctor immediately, unless the tags are painful, have bleeding, discharge, or are in clusters across the body. Most instances, you can remove tags through topical application of essential oils, acne medication, and the tie-snip method. Lifestyle change such as weight loss, quitting smoking, and eating healthy can help avoid further problems with this issue, however.

At the end of the day, there’s a direct correlation between smoking cigarettes and skin irritation and issues. If you’re a smoker, it’s not uncommon to see fibroepithelial polyp, and other skin tags form around the neck, nose, mouth, and eyelids. However, lifestyle change and topical solutions can greatly improve the chances of removing these issues, and avoiding them from coming back down the line.