Skin tags are commonly observed as skin outgrowths which grow in places where clothes rub against each other or there is rough abrasion of skin contact. Skin tags are usually perceived to be harmless. These skin tags appear to be skin protrusions with short, narrow stems that stick out from the skin. These usually occur near the nape of the neck, armpits, below the bust line and near thigh joints. However these facts related to skin tags are worth noting.
Skin tags are usually harmless
This means that although skin tags may have an unappealing look, they are not liable to cause further skin diseases or even, skin cancer, to be more specific. Normally a benign skin tag is skin-colored, soft to touch and painless. Skin tags are flexible to touch and resist being pulled out of the skin by jerking. They are most commonly the size of a pencil tip or a tiny eraser, making them indistinguishable from a distance.
Cause remains unknown
The actual cause of skin tags still remains unknown despite of numerous researches and in depth studies. Some researchers and doctors hint a genetic role while others suggest a relation between lifestyle diseases occurring in both the genders towards mid life. There are also people who tend to grow skin tags in the same places at various intervals of their lifetimes.
Remove the tag
The various procedures used for the removal of skin tags are painless and harmless. Most of the times skin tags fall off on their own as they flex in various directions and shed off from the attached stem to the skin. In more advanced cases wherein skin tags do not come off on their own, dermatologists use sharp surgical scissors or scalpels to scrape off the tags from the attachment area. Other surgical methods involve the use of cauterizing pens, which burn off the skin tag from its root in the skin.
Treatment by choice
As is noted earlier that skin tags are harmless, it may lead to constant irritation when subjected to abrasion or contact with daily jewelry and clothes. Thus, people who feel the need to eradicate skin tags due to their discomfort in their daily activities have a choice of surgically removing skin tags with proper consultation from a physician. Surgical methods are safe and do not pose to present any side effects. Skin tags are merely outgrowths of the skin and thus the treatment is external and superficial to the skin which makes it all the more safe.
Despite the facts about skin tags there are still many who think about the complications related to skin tags. The good news is that skin tags do not precipitate any further complications. Skin tags may appear elsewhere in the body after their removal from one place. Occasional irritation may occur due to their presence but it definitely does not lead to complications such as cancer and other life threatening diseases. Skin tags may be cosmetically unpleasant to look at but after removal they do not leave scars.