Skin tags, or acrochorda, are basically soft and small hanging tags of skin that are like a peduncle or a fleshy stalk. A skin tag may appear on any area of the body, but it appears ordinarily on eyelids, neck, armpits, under the breasts, groin, upper chest, and other parts that are rubbed against skin.
Epidermis, fat cells, core of ducts and fibers, and nerve cells are the basic structure of skin tags. Skin tags have unknown symptoms and these are benign skin growths in nature. Occasional scratching or rubbing of the skin may worsen this skin condition. Enlargement of the skin tags is probable when there is too much applied pressure.
People likely to develop skin tags are those who are diabetic, pregnant, and overweight. There may be unknown reasons for some instances, but both sexes may attribute having skin tags to hereditary factors. Other risk factors include illegal steroid use and human papilloma virus.
One of the main factors as to why skin tags appear is the rubbing of a skin against skin, in the form of chaffing in skin folds or creases. Skin tags appear whenever there are trapped bunches of collagen and blood vessels in thicker skin.
In general, skin tag are smooth and irregular and are a raised fleshy stalk that is brown or flesh in color. Some people, as a matter of fact, do not experience this skin condition although it is usual for skin tags to stay on the skin and not to fall off. In the beginning of its occurrence, skin tags are as small as 2 millimeters and as large as 1 centimeter in diameter. Nonetheless, there are instances where skin tags grow as large as 5 centimeters in diameter.
There is no necessity to undergo any kind of procedures if the benign aspect of skin tags is to be considered. The removal of skin tags is recommended when there are incessant irritations or when there are cosmetic concerns. Consulting a skin specialist is the initial step that must be done if skin tag treatment is to be considered. When it comes to skin tag removal, two options are cryosurgery and cauterization.
Over the counter solutions for this skin condition are now readily available. This kind of solution works by means of freezing the skin tags leading to them falling off in just a matter of a couple of weeks. Another easy way to remove skin tags is to merely scratch them away, but then again, this will only result in bleeding and pain.
