Medically referred to as acrochordon, skin tags are benign growths on the skin that resemble a small piece of soft skin that's hanging out. Skin tags are commonly acquired and harmless. In certain cases, individuals may be prone to skin tags resulting in 50-100 tags on their skin. This may be due to various reasons such as an increase in their body weight, genetics, as well as other unknown reasons. Some small tags could rub spontaneously and fall off without causing any pain to the individual who may not even realize they had tags. However, most tags on skin will not fall off on their own, but instead tend to persist once they have been formed.
Skin tags are bits of skin or flesh colored tissue which protrude from a small, narrow stalk and are visible on the skin surface. Tags typically occur in characteristic areas on the body such as the eyelids, base of the neck, underarms, under the breasts and the folds of the groin. Skin tags may vary a little in appearance, although they are typically smooth or slightly wrinkled and irregular. They may also be flesh-colored or slightly brown, hanging from the skin via a small stalk.
There are 3 main types of skin tags that commonly occur. These are the cutaneous tags, genital tags and anal tags. How and where these tags grow is what distinguishes between the three types of skin tags.
Cutaneous Skin Tags: These are typically painless, and will not grow or alter their appearance. These tags will commonly appear in skin folds located on the base of the neck and under the breasts.
Genital Skin Tags: These tags on skin commonly appear in the genital areas of both men and women. Men often develop tags on the skin found on groin folds, while women tend to develop these normally on the outer labia of the vagina. The older you get, the higher your chances of developing genital skin tags. Although these rarely occur in children, they may nevertheless develop.
Anal Skin Tags: These types of tags on skin are normally associated with anorectal disorders that tend to develop due to the presence of haemorrhoids or anal fissures. These may be an indicator of a more serious condition referred to as Crohn's disease, which would require immediate medical attention. Anal tags may become uncomfortable due to itching, or even prove painful to have.
Joan One is a freelance journalist and creative writer who immensely enjoys writing and researching into any topic under the Sun. She specializes in writing "green" eco-friendly topics aimed at enabling environmentally conscious readers to find simple ways to reduce their carbon footprint and help save our planet.
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