Recent studies show that almost 50% of the entire population of the United States of America (USA), suffers from the growth of skin tags on some part of their body. This skin condition or disorder affect persons regardless of age or gender.
Acrochordon, the medical term for skin tags, is a condition in which small patches of skin have a stalk-like or something similar to peduncle appearance. While taking the same color of the skin of the person who is affected, these tags appear looking like papillomas. However, these are benign or non-cancerous. Obese or Type 2 diabetic persons will be at heightened risk of having this condition.
Skin tags most frequently occur in the folds of the skin. They may also be seen in areas such as the neck, upper chest or in the flexures of persons who are over middle aged. Overall these may appear in any skin fold such as the groin.
In making a diagnosis of skin tags, these are often quite small with sizes varying from 2 – 3 mm; often not bigger than a grain of rice. Nonetheless, skin tags measuring 5 cm have been recorded. This would understandably be more obvious and be a source of discomfort to the patient. As stated, this is usually quite small and as a tiny tumor it is mostly benign. It presents no symptoms or problems other than when it is irritated, as will happen in areas such as the groin and neck. These are mostly painless without even an itch, but it’s their location on the body, obvious places, that make them uncomfortable for persons with them.
There are a number of reasons that have been postulated to explain the occurrence of skin tags, but it is still unclear if there is a specific cause for it. Some things are still associated with the disorder. These include obesity, hormonal imbalance, stress, and diabetes. Over 40% of Americans suffer from obesity as they eat less healthily and lead more sedentary lifestyles.
Diagnosis of this condition is detected through physical observations as the growths or skin tags are quite obvious. Treatment of skin tags is most often by freezing using liquid nitrogen or by removing with a scalpel or even a pair of scissors. The patient may choose any options depending on if it is irritating or even if it is cosmetically displeasing. The patient may also decide to have these surgically removed again based on location such as on the face or eyelids. An ophthalmologist should be consulted for the removal of skin tags on the eyelids.
Nonetheless, in cases where the disorder occurs, patients can decide to ignore them as they are not cancerous or have them removed by doing a surgical procedure or even using home remedies.
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