Skin Tag Orgins and Removal Treatments

What are skin tags?

Skin tags are small, benign growths that are composed of a core of fibers and ducts, nerve cells, fat cells, and a covering or epidermis. Additional names for skin tags include acrochordon, cutaneous papilloma, cutaneous tag, fibroepithelial polyp, fibroma molluscum, fibroma pendulum, papilloma colli, soft fibroma, and Templeton skin tag. They are often seen raised from the skin on a stalk called a peduncle.

Who gets skin tags?
Both men and women tend to get skin tags as they age. Skin tags are also more common in pregnant women, obese people, and people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. About 46% of people develop skin tags at some point in their lives.

Where do skin tags appear?
Skin tags often form in areas where the skin creases, such as the neckline, the groin, the underside of the arms, the area beneath the breasts, and the eyelids. The most common location is the armpit. It is common for skin tags to appear in groups. They often become stuck on jewelry, are shaved in error, and are agitated by clothing. Women who shave their armpits should be careful not to shave or cut skin tags that are located there.

Are skin tags harmful?
Although skin tags are technically tumors, they are benign and normally harmless. They can, however, become damaged and become inflamed and sore. If shaved off or rubbed hard, they may bleed.

What causes skin tags?
Although we do not know the exact cause of skin tags, the following are thought to be associated with their appearance:

* Chaffing and irritation from the skin rubbing together
* Hormones secreted during pregnancy or in cases of acromegaly (gigantism)
* Insulin resistance caused by diabetes
* Human papilloma virus
* Illegal steroid use that interferes with the body and muscles, causing the collagen fibers in the skin to bond so that skin tags are formed

How are skin tags removed?
Since skin tags are generally harmless, they are usually removed for aesthetic or cosmetic reasons. Physicians usually remove skin tags using one of the following methods:

* Cauterizatio - the skin tag is burned off using electrolysis
* Cryosurgery - the skin tag is frozen off using liquid nitrogen
* Ligation - the blood supply to the skin tag is interrupted
* Excision - the skin tag is removed with a scalpel

Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treatments

Most squamous cell carcinomas may be treated by one of the following methods. More healthy tissue around the lesion is removed
than for basal cell carcinomas because of the potential of squamous cell carcinomas to spread. Nearby lymph nodes are also examined
carefully. The choice of treatment is influenced by:

* size, location, grade, and type of tumour
* whether the tumour is primary or is recurring
* person’s age and health
* people with organ transplants are at a high risk of aggressive squamous cell carcinoma, which is considered in their treatment plan
* availability of the treatment

Surgery (Wide Excision)

# used for:
- most small lesions that are less than 2 cm
- superficial or SCC that has not spread
- verrucous carcinomas (slow growing and less aggressive)
- tumours that have previously been treated with radiation therapy
- lesions on the eyelid, forehead, scalp, lip, penis, vulva and anus

Mohs Micrographic Surgery

* used for all types of squamous cell cancer
* commonly used for:
- areas that are at high risk of recurrence (eyelids, nose, ears, forehead, scalp), as well as areas that have - already recurred
- areas where it is important to keep function and appearance
- lesions that are larger than 2 cm, and lesions with poorly defined borders
- aggressive tumours, and invasive lesions that have spread to nerves, cartilage or bone
- tumours that have been left untreated for a long time
- lesions that had not been completely removed with prior surgery it involves a meticulous study of tissues removed by a  pathologist at the time of surgery

Radiation Therapy

* used after surgery for:
- elderly individuals
- ensuring cancer free margins
- treatment of involved lymph nodes
- squamous cell carcinoma that has recurred after surgery
- to relieve or control the symptoms of very large tumours
- for people who are unwilling or unable to undergo surgery
- tumours on the eyelid, cheek, earlobe and nose not used for verrucous carcinomas (slow growing and less aggressive)

Chemotherapy

* systemic chemotherapy is used for squamous cell cancer that has spread to other parts of the body
* drugs used most often in chemotherapy:
- cisplatin
- doxorubicin
- bleomycin

Curettage And Electrodesiccation (C & E)

used for
- small areas that are less than 2 cm
- lesions that haven’t spread
- squamous cell carcinoma with distinct margins in Actinic Keratosis should not be used for:

- larger lesions that are greater than 2 cm
- recurrent tumours
- aggressive squamous cell carcinoma
- lesions with poorly defined borders
- hairy areas like the underarms, scalp, and the pubic area
- areas where it is important to keep function and appearance uncommonly used

Wart Treatment by Type of Drug and Procedure

The new advance in treatment of genital warts has been imiquimod (Aldara). This encourages the patient’s autoimmune system to attack the wart. This is particularly helpful in the moist areas of the skin or mucosal surfaces.

Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid can be applied either in the form of plasters or as liquid on to the warts. This will break down the thickened skin on the surface. It is more effective if the area is covered. These are useful for warts on the hands, knees and feet. They do turn the skin white. They can be used in combination with paring of the warts. Treatment with these at nighttime and covering with duct tape can be effective although slow.

Podophyllin

Podophyllin has a long history of use. It is useful mostly in genital warts. It should be applied very carefully on the warts, trying to prevent spread on to normal skin. It should be washed off after a few hours. There is irritation usually for a few days. Repeat treatments are usually required. A more purified form of podophyllin called podophyllotoxin is available for patient use. It can be used once or twice daily for a few days in succession. This produces some irritation. It has the advantage of not being as irritating as podophyllin and can be applied by the patients themselves.

Vitamin Acid

Vitamin acid (Tretinoin) is a vitamin A preparation. It is used in the treatment of acne and photo damage. Vitamin A products tend to regulate the surface of the skin, generally trying to keep the epidermis behaving normally. It may also cause some inflammation. In some individuals it can help reduce or even eliminate warts.

Cantharone

Cantharone (cantharidin) is derived from an insect. It can be very helpful in children but the application is painful. Inflammation and
blistering usually occurs later in the day, after application. Multiple treatments may be required. There are two concentrations. The
stronger version combines Cantharone with podophyllin and salicylic acid. Very occasionally the blistering reaction can be quite severe
and associated with swelling and pain. It is often very effective even in resistant warts.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is the use of liquid nitrogen. This can be applied either with a Q-Tip or it can be sprayed on to the skin. It causes destruction by freezing water inside the cells. This damages the cell causing death. It is painful to apply and there is blistering associated with this. Multiple treatments may be required. Thawing and freezing again makes this therapy more effective. It can be a problem in dark skin in that it can either increase or decrease pigmentation, which can be permanent. This treatment can be used in combination with other therapies.

Electrodesiccation

Electrodesiccation is the use of an electric needle to burn warts. It usually requires a local anesthetic. It does have a potential risk of scarring. Very large warts can sometimes be scraped off before they are cauterized.

CO2 Laser

The CO2 laser has been used for many years. It essentially vaporizes water in the skin and causes destruction. It leaves a hole in the skin which will heal. There is often scarring with this technique. Other lasers such as the pulse dye laser are easier to use. The yellow light is absorbed by blood in the vessels that feed the warts. This is a similar laser used in the treatment of red birthmarks. The pulse dye laser at a high power setting can be effective particularly if multiple pulses are used in succession.

Aldara

Aldara is an immune response modulator. It boosts the patient’s immune response to viruses. It can also encourage the production of a
lasting immune memory. It has been available in Canada since 1999. It works best in the genital area as penetration into the skin is easier. When it is used elsewhere it often has to be covered to help with penetration into the skin. It has been shown to work well particularly in women. It is applied three times weekly. There will be some inflammation associated with this. The results may be enhanced by combining this with liquid nitrogen. This drug has added a very significant tool in treating genital warts.

Understanding Basic Types of Moles

It is necessary to clarify that not all moles are the same. There are a few classifications. But the most important for you is to be able to
discern the common mole from the moles that are more risky to cause skin cancer.

Moles are overgrowths of the skin’s pigment cells called melanocytes. Usually the moles are round spots on the skin colored in medium to dark brown. The greater part of moles is flat with constant color and regular in shape. A number of moles are raised with lighter colors. The people often had mistaken the new moles with the freckles. Sporadically the moles may develop a white halo around them.

Common Mole

In fact the moles could come into view everywhere on the body. Their color is usually brown, because is caused by the pigment melanin. Usually the common mole appears at the first part of life, when the system is growing but it is not impossible some moles to appear after the age of 20. The sun is one of the direct factors that have a strong influence on the moles. The people who are often exposed at sun light tend to have more moles that the others.

The common moles could change during the adolescence and the pregnancy, because of the big hormonal changes in the system. There is no typical way of change of one common mole. Usually one mole exists about forty to fifty years. Usually at the beginning of its life cycle the mole is flat and thin something like a freckle. Sometimes the color of the new mole is brown to black or even pink.

According to the size and shape the moles become bigger and rise over the surrounding skin with the time. Usually this is attended with the lightening of their color. It is not unusual some moles to rise over the skin and to develop a small stalk. The older moles tend to have some hairs on it that makes it odious sometimes. Some moles do not ever change.

The question which excites a lot of people is: Is it possible the common mole to disappear by its own? In fact the answer is yes. Some moles at the end of their life cycle tend to loose their color and to fade away. The raised moles also could fall of if they are raised vastly over the skin and have a thin stalk, but remember you must not try to wrench it away yourself. Look for a professional medical pracictioner to remove your mole for you.

As you can see there is no typical course of mole development. Because of that it is very important to know well your moles and to keep the history of their growth. According to the risk of skin cancer the early mark of any changes in the mole could be the decisive factor for the success of the melanoma treatment.

In order to make the process of the moles observation easier and at the same time enough efficient and useful for your dermatologist, our organization develops a list of common descriptions and characteristics of the moles that will help you to check your moles regularly and correctly. Be sure that you know the common types of moles.

Types of Moles

Each person has at least a few skin moles. They usually come out by the time an individual is 20 and at the beginning looks like freckles. Of course there are a lot of people who were born with skin moles. Usually every 1 of 20 babies has one or more moles at its birth.  A skin mole’s shade and form don’t usually change. A mole typically lasts about forty or even fifty years before start to become lighter. Some skin moles fade away completely, and some never fade at all. Sometimes a number of moles extend stalks that raise them above the skin’s surface it is possible these moles to drop off.

A skin mole is a spot on the skin with darker color. Generally it is part of skin pigmentation and could appear anywhere at the body. Most often we are talking about benign moles that are just a couple colored cells of the skin. Sometimes the facial moles could be even charming. On the other hand, from time to time moles can cause a serious health risk and can become Cancerous moles.

There are several skin mole types depending on its placement on our body:

Facial moles – or all moles on the face. It could appear all over the face and the head.

Body moles – are the moles at the other parts of the body with no specific location.

Genital Moles – Very often a lot of people feel ashamed of its genital moles. It is not surprising that most often the mole can cause
more psychological than health problems to its owner.

Moles in Children – It is normal the kids to have some moles at their bodies and it is important their parents to know what to check and how to examine the moles of the children

Black Moles
This variant of a benign mole (the common mole) is also referred to as a mole of midlife. It typically is seen in darker-skinned persons

between the ages of sixteen and thirty years. Of course this rule has a lot of exceptions. Usually the black mole is little, up to 5 mm.

Bleeding Moles
In common cases the mole which is bleeding or ooze is a reason to go to dermatologist. But even in this case the bleeding could be caused by irritation of the mole on the underwear or just a cut during shaving.

Body Moles
Moles may come out from the birth of an individual or may appear later during the whole life. It may begin from maturity and could still
grow when the person become forty or fifty years old. There is no specific place where the moles tend to occur more often

Changing Moles
The changes in the mole have to be brought to the attention of your dermatologist. It is normal the mole to grow with us and to change through the years but any unusual change in the color, fast growth, bleeding or oozing, inching or pain could indicate that the mole is turning into a melanoma.

The average person seldom has only “beauty marks”. In fact, in our present society the moles are often seen as a hindrance for their owner. There are a lot of people who feel depressed by their moles, especially if we are talking about the facial moles. If such a mole has strong influence upon the overall appearance and the general condition of the person may be it will be better for him or her to remove it.