foreign we'll be discussing key things that you need to know about skin tags including what they look like why they develop potential problems and finding ways to remove them so let's start off by exploring what they are while skin tags are small growths that hang off your skin they're common and harmless but they can be removed if they're bothering you so let's explore what skin tags look like well they're small soft skin colored growths and they can vary in color and size varying between a few millimeters up to five centimeters wide they're usually found on
the neck armpits around the groin or under the breasts however they can also grow on the eyelids or under the folds of the buttocks skin tags should not be confused with the common warts ways to tell them apart are that skin tags are often smooth and soft whereas warts tend to be rougher with an irregular surface skin tags also tend to be knobbly and hang off the skin whereas warts are usually slightly raised or flat skin tags are also not contagious whereas warts spread very easily so a sudden outbreak or cluster of growth is more
likely to be warts finally skin tags do not usually cause any pain or discomfort so now let's move on and explore why they occur so skin tags are made up of loose collagen fibers as well as blood vessels surrounded by skin collagen is a type of protein found throughout the body both men and women can develop skin tags and they tend to occur in older people and people who are obese or who've got type 2 diabetes pregnant women may also be more likely to develop skin tags as a result of changes in their hormone levels
and some people develop them for no apparent reason skin tags tend to grow in their skin folds where skin rubs against itself such as the neck armpits or the groin this is why they tend to affect overweight people who've got excess folds of skin and skin chafing they can also be caused by high levels of growth factors particularly during pregnancy or in acromegaly so now let's discuss when skin tags can be a problem skin tags are typically considered to be harmless and don't usually cause any pain or discomfort sometimes they fall off on their own
if the tissue is twisted and died from a lack of blood supply however you may consider having skin tags removed if they're affecting your self-esteem or if they snag on clothing or jewelry and bleed in the UK skin tags are not normally removed on the National Health Service because it's considered to be a cosmetic procedure and cosmetic surgery is usually only available on the NHS if the problem is affecting your physical or mental health if you do decide to go ahead and get skin tags removed then there are four different main options that could be
considered these are cryotherapy which is freezing surgical excision often with scissors Electro surgery also known as diathermy and ligation this is where a suture is tied around the neck of the skin tag and this cuts off its blood supply and subsequently the skin tag will fall off now it's really important that you don't try to remove a skin tag by yourself you must contact object this is something you're considering they will be able to look at it assess it and have an open discussion with you as to whether or not this should be removed if
you decide to go ahead freezing or burning skin tags can cause irritation and temporary skin discoloration the skin tag may not fall off and further treatment may be needed surgical removal has got the advantage of removing the skin tag completely but there is a risk of minor bleeding you should never attempt to remove a large skin tag yourself because they'll bleed heavily I do hope you enjoyed the video and you learned something new if you did please remember to like it leave me a comment if you've got any other thoughts and if you do enjoy
this video please remember to subscribe to the channel for weekly medical education videos if you've not done so already please also check out the references and resources that I use to make this video which can be found in the description box and there's lots more useful information contained within these links finally I do have to stress that this has been designed as an educational video for information purposes only it's not a clinical advice video and for legal reasons please read the full disclaimer in the description box if you do have any concerns especially if you
got dark bleeding or irregular skin lesions please go see your doctor as ever thanks for watching until next time bye [Music]
