Skin Tags: an Understanding
A skin tag is a benign growth of skin that protrudes from the skin and more commonly seen after middle age. But it can be seen at any age. The common sites where skin tags occur are neck, underarms, groin, eyelids, and under the breasts. Skin tags are also known as acrochordon, cutaneous papilloma, cutaneous tag, fibroepithelial polyp, fibroma molluscum, fibroma pendulum, papilloma colli, and soft fibroma or Templeton skin tag. Skin tags are harmless but sometimes they may cause irritation due to clothing, jwellery etc. and may cause difficulty in shaving in man and also they are not acceptable due to cosmetic reason if they are present in face or other exposed skin.
Nearly 50% of people get skin tags in their life time. Skin tags are acquired as they are not present during birth and they increase in number till 60 years of age and after that they tend to slowly become less. Why skin tags are formed is not clear, but there is a correlation of skin tags with diabetes and obesity. The size of skin tags very from size of a rice grain to as big as golf ball and the surface of skin tags are generally irregular or rough, but they can be smooth in surface. Under the microscopically skin tags have a fibrovascular core and sometime fat cells and covered with very thin epidermis (the outermost layer of skin).
The treatment of skin tag is to remove it surgically under local anesthesia. Skin tag removal has to be done under anesthesia, because they contain nerve cells and skin tag removal can not be done with out pain if anesthesia is not applied. Skin tag removal is generally done by dermatologists and if it is in the eyelids the skin tag removal is done by ophthalmologist. The procedures that are followed for skin tag removal are cauterization with an electrolysis instrument, ligation or cutting off the blood supply to the skin tag, cryosurgery, and excision with a scalpel or other surgical instrument. Skin tag removal is done routinely in an out patient setting.