Skin Tags and Moles -- Causes and Cures
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September 12, 2009, Last Updated September 8, 2010
By Betty Howard, Contributing Columnist
Skin tags and moles are often confused. What are the differences
between skin tags and moles? Are skin tags dangerous? What do some
people develop skin tags more than others? How can skin tags be
safely removed?
What are Skin Tags?
I have numerous skin tags on my back. They seemed to come
"overnight" when I reached age 38. By the time I was 40, I had had
enough and I had many of them removed. But what made them appear
suddenly?
Skin tags are simply growths of skin, fed by blood, and connected to
the surface of your body by a thin stalk. Their technical name is
acrochordon. Contrary to popular myth, skin tags are not cancerous
or pre-cancerous. They are harmless form a medical perspective and
are merely cosmetic nuisances. This is why many medial plans in the
U.S. won't cover their removal.
What Causes Skin Tags?
There are several causes of skin tags. Skin tags often appear for the
first time following pregnancy. Hormonal changes during pregnancy
are believed to increase them. Skin tags are also more common in
people who are overweight or obese, perhaps encouraged by the
hormones that fat emits.
How to Remove Skin Tags
Skin tags live on a tiny blood supply . To get rid of them,
dermatologists can freeze them, cut them off with sterile scissors or
cauterize (burn) them. The area is then treated with anti-bacterial
solutions to prevent infection. I had my skin tags removed with an
instrument that looked like an electrolysis needle. It emitted a electric
current which was used to burn off the tags.
Several home remedies for removing skin tags are used, including
tying a string around the stalk to cut off the blood supply and freezing
them off using treatments sometimes recommended for warts.
Moles Are Different From Skin Tags
Moles are often darker than your normal skin, usually brownish or
darker, while skin tags often are the same color as your normal skin.
Moles tend to appear in areas that get a lot of sun, while skin tags
grow in areas of your body hidden from the sun, such as the folds of
our skin or under your breasts.
Moles can be flat or raised, and can grow without stalks.
Like skin tags, moles are usually harmless. Unless they change shape.
If a mole changes shape or color, see a doctor to screen for skin
cancer.
Moles are harder to remove. Because they can be flat, with no stalk,
removal of moles should be done only by a medical professional in a
sterile setting. The same treatments used to remove skin tags are
used to remove moles-- freezing, burning and sometimes cutting.
Moles are small dark marks on the skin. They are a collection of skin
pigment cells called melanocytes.
You can have moles at birth (congenital melanocytic naevi). But most
of us develop moles in out teens or twenties. Others develop them
after we become pregnant or during menopause or pre-menopause.
Find out more information on how to keep your skin healthy: Olive Oil
Keeps You Young/ Fat-It Alive!- Fat Emits Hormones That Affect Your
Skin and Heart /Stop Dandruff -Natural Remedies / Shingles -Causes
and Cures /
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