What is a Skin Tag?

A skin tag is a harmless tumor that looks like a piece of hanging skin. It is usually narrow where it connects to the skin and then grows to a larger ball or oval. The medical name for a skin tag is "acrochordons".

Skin tags range in size from absolutely miniscule to roughly the size of an eraser. Their color is usually the same as the skin but occasionally they may vary a bit. Although they are small tumors they are not malignant and usually are not indicative any other type of problems.

These annoying extensions of the skin can be unsightly. They are usually very soft and often painful if twisted or irritated. Middle aged people are more susceptible to skin tags and they are much more common in women than in men. However these growths are very common in so much that approximately half of the population have them in some parts of their body.

They tend to form in areas where there is a lot heat, friction and moistness. These areas are usually when the skin rubs against the skin or the skin rubs against clothing.

They most commonly occur:

• On the neck
• On the eyelids
• Under the armpits
• Under the breasts

However they can occur in a variety of other places.

Many individuals may have tried someday to remove their skin tags buy just scratching them or by trying to pull them off by their fingers. This however will only irritate the skin tag. Sometimes a skin tag after being irritated may also bleed. They may also be irritated by clothing or jewelry. This may cause some discomforts.

There are many ways that can help you getting rid of skin tags:

• Extraction - The skin tags are cut off or removed by surgical scissors of a scalpel.
• Suture - This involves tying a surgical suture around the base of the skin tag in order to cut the blood supply.
• Electro-cauterization - This uses an electrified instrument to burn the skin tags
• Laser Surgery - A laser is used to destroy the skin tag.
• Cryosurgery - Very low temperatures are used to freeze and kill the skin tags.

The above 5 methods are surgical procedures and should be performed by a qualified physician. Each method has it advantages and disadvantages and the procedures may be painful, so it is important to talk with your physician about what the procedures entail.

You can also get rid of skin tags by home treatments. These methods use simple ingredients that can be easily found at home. Some home treatments have been used for many years and have shown fast results with no discomforts.

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Are Your Warts, Moles Or Skin Tags Hurting Your Confidence?

If you are a teenager and suffer from acne problems in a rather severe way, you know how this may lower your self-confidence. The same applies if you have a wart, mole or skin tag in parts of your body that are visible. Here I am talking about those 'horrible warts', moles or skin tags you may have or think that you have on your face.

Unfortunately today's society is quite a materialistic one and it nurtures in us an exaggerated importance on our appearance. A lot of programs and advertisements on television, internet, magazines and other written, audio and visual media make us believe that we have to be good looking to succeed in life. Good values are more and more being shown the back door.

This is however partly true. Industries are trying (and they are succeeding) to build exaggerated needs in all of us, so they can sell us their products. Intelligence, the ability to build mutual beneficial relationship with people, being able to attain the required skills for a successful career is much more important. All these will build your confidence.

However it is also true that your self-confidence will help you to build all these and much more. This is because your self-confidence is also related to your looks. Therefore it is important to take care of how you look.

Nevertheless you have to control yourself and remember that although being good looking is a plus point, you have to take it with a pinch of salt and remember that there are many other things that can help you to build your confidence and succeed in life.

So if you keep looking at the mirror and your eyes always fall on your wart, mole or skin tag, remember that most probably you are exaggerating and your wart, mole or skin tag is not so horrible as you might think.

However if you want to get rid of it, remember that there are many ways you can do so. But remember that although removing your wart, mole or skin tag will increase your self confidence, do not fall into the mistake to believe that being good looking by itself will solve all your problems.

Instead consider it is a plus point on your favor and as another way to build your confidence.

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Warts, Moles and Skin Tags - Can They Develop Into Cancer?

Skin tags pose no real danger. They will not develop into a cancerous growth. However sometimes they may be irritating especially if they are found around the collar. You may even decide to remove a skin tag for cosmetic reasons.

When one considers warts, particular attention needs to be taken in the case of genital warts, since these may be transmitted to others. Moreover sometimes genital warts may develop into a cancerous growth. Therefore if you have genital warts you should consult your physician right away.

Moles may develop into a cancerous growth. It is therefore important to take appropriate care of any changes that can occur to any mole. If you have many moles on you body it is not a bad idea to have regular checks.

Take particular attention after summer because the sun rays may make a mole develop into melanoma or cancer of the skin.

Consider any changes that you notice to any of your moles. Specifically you must consult your physician if a mole changes it's:

• Shape
• Size
• Elevation
• Color

You must also consult your physician if your mole starts to itch or the nearby skin starts to irritate you or starts to discolor.

Moreover certain moles have more probability of developing in a cancer than others. Asymmetric moles are at a more elevated risk to develop into a cancer. The same also applies to irregular moles. Further more moles with a variation of tones have also an increased risk of developing into a cancerous growth.

Top 5 Facts About Skin Tags

Skin tags are very common skin lesions and are basically a small part of the skin that hangs from the surrounding area. They are benign lesions, so are non cancerous and rarely cause any damage, problems or discomfort. However, the most common places for skin tags are around the neck, eyelids, armpits and upper chest. Because of this you may find that your clothes rub against them regularly, and in some cases this may cause some pain and an inflammation of the area. This is still nothing to worry about but you may want to consider having skin tags removed if this is the case. They are more common in women than men and middle aged people than young people but anyone can get them.

1. A skin tag is purely skin. There is an overlap of outer skin that encases an inner layer of skin. For this reason they are rarely harmful and any paid or discomfort from skin tags is usually because they have been rubbed or irritated regularly.

2. It is most common to find skin tags around the neck, upper chest, shoulders, armpits, eyelids and the groin. Wearing a collar or walking can skin tags that are in the wrong place and this is why most people consider removal. The removal is a very simple procedure that in some cases can be completed by your physician.

3. A skin tag can be removed by using liquid nitrogen to freeze it off or through a simple surgical procedure. This procedure will only usually involve a local anesthetic to numb the area around the skin tags although depending on the place and the size of skin tags a general anesthetic may be the preferred option.

4. Skin tags are benign, meaning they are non cancerous. It is very unusual for a biopsy to be performed on skin tags but this may be an option that your physician wants to look at. A biopsy means that a small part (or the whole area) of the skin tags are sent away to the laboratory to be tested.

5. While the operation is painless and very straightforward there is no need to have skin tags removed unless they are getting rubbed or irritated on a regular basis. You should seriously consider whether it is absolutely necessary before requesting a removal.

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Photos of Skin Tags

A skin tag is a harmless tumor that looks like a piece of hanging skin. It is usually narrow where it connects to the skin and then grows to a larger ball or oval. The medical name for a skin tag is "acrochordons".

Skin tags range in size from absolutely miniscule to roughly the size of an eraser. Their color is usually the same as the skin but occasionally they may vary a bit. Although they are small tumors they are not malignant and usually are not indicative any other type of problems.

These annoying extensions of the skin can be unsightly. They are usually very soft and often painful if twisted or irritated. Middle aged people are more susceptible to skin tags and they are much more common in women than in men. However these growths are very common in so much that approximately half of the population have them in some parts of their body.

They tend to form in areas where there is a lot heat, friction and moistness. These areas are usually when the skin rubs against the skin or the skin rubs against clothing.

Read More