What causes skin tags?

If you want to know what causes skin tags, then you are not alone!

The truth is that even today, medical science does not really know the answer.

We don't know what causes skin tags, but we DO KNOW how to get rid of them!

What we do know is that skin tags are very common, and occur in about 46% of people. In other words, if you are bothered by skin tags, you are certainly not alone.

Nobody knows what causes skin tags.
What does make a BIG difference is the number, size, and position of your skin tags. But we will get back to this in a moment . . .

Skin tags, or "acrochordon" to give them their formal scientific name, seem to be caused partly be genetics. If you have a lot of skin tags, there is a chance you can blame mom and dad!

Skin tags also occur more frequently in certain segments of the population. Older people, obese people, and folks with diabetes are more likely to have skin tags. Also, they occur more in pregnancy.

This is different to warts, which we know are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV).

What are skin tags?

What causes skin tags is somehow connected to factors like old age, obesity, diabetes, and even pregnancy.
What is a skin tag? Like we said above, a skin tag is not a wart.

Instead, a skin tag is a small skin growth (actually a tumor), that is raised from the surface of the skin on a fleshy stalk. The stalk is known as a "peduncle". Check out our pictures of skin tags page to see more examples.

Please don't panic over the word "tumor". Skin tags are benign tumors and are NOT cancerous. In fact, on the whole they are pretty harmless.

Even though we don't know aht causes skin tags, we do know how to remove them.
However, as we started to discuss earlier, the issue is really about number, size, and placement. A skin tag may be be very small and in an unobtrusive place that is usually covered by clothing.

Let's be honest - to have several large skin tags on your face can be very upsetting. For men, it can also make it very difficult to shave. And cutting off a skin tag may not be the smartest thing to do . . .

Some skin tags are the size of golf balls and so are significantly disfiguring.

What causes skin tags remains a mystery. However, today we do know how to remove them. You can undergo minor surgery by a dermatologist, or, even, better, use this safe, effective, natural home skin tag remover.

There are all sorts of home remedies being touted on the Internet. Some are impractical or a little whacky, and others use ingredients you can find around the house. A popular one, but very PAINFUL and UNSAFE according to the Mayo Clinic, is the skin tag removal string method.


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