Skin tags are a common skin disorder. They are normally small in size but may grow to be large. It is not a disease but a benign growth on the surface of the skin. This means they are not related to cancer. You will find them attached to the skin by a thin stem.
They can affect both men and women although women are the most affected in comparison to men. The tags are harmless. The major cause of skin tags is not known but they are known to appear during and after middle age. People of that age are the most affected making aging as the only possible cause of their occurrence.
It is best to leave them alone as they are harmless, but some may be irritating or be on a visible part of the body and you may want to remove them. Some of the ways that may be used to treat skin tags include;
By applying apple cider vinegar on the skin tags. When applied, the skin tag turns dry such that it can easily be cut off.
Another way to treat skin tags is by applying herbal medicines. The herbal cure attacks the tissue of the tag till it dries out and falls off. Large tags will obviously take longer than the small ones to fall off.
Since the skin does not hurt, they are only known to be irritating when friction occurs on them; you can treat the irritation by covering the tags with clothing, a band aid or apply creams to reduce the friction.
You may also tie a knot at the base of the skin tag with a piece of string or a thread. The knot stops the blood flow. This results in the skin tag dying and may drop off in a week. The method is however recommended for skin tags that are on less sensitive body parts.
Another way is to cut off the skin tag with a sterilized scissors or a razor. The tag is cut off at the base. This may result in bleeding in the area and you are advised not to do it on your own.
Cryotherapy is another way that can be used to treat skin tags. The process involves freezing the tags with liquid Nitrogen. The process is less painful and may take a week or two for a large tag to fall off. The liquid should be applied three times a day.
However, it is best to let the skin tags remain as they may not be permanently removed.
