Cause of Skin Tags

Skin tags are a very prevalent kind of skin growth with an estimated 50% of the population, of all ages and both sexes, having one or more of them. There is no single or fundamental cause of skin tags known exactly. However, some important factors have been found to be the precursors of skin tags and any of these can be regarded as skin tag causes in a particular individual. While some causes of skin tags seem to be common to both genders, a few apply to women only. The treatment methods, however, are identical for both sexes. Following is a brief overview of the important causes of skin tags.

Friction or Rubbing of Skin

Friction to which skin is subject, particularly during rubbing against the surrounding/neighboring skin or with clothing items, is now regarded as an important cause of skin tags. This holds for both men and women as both sexes develop skin tags in parts of the body where skin is subject to such friction: armpits, groin, neck, eyelids, and genital organs, in the case of genital skin tags. A related cause of skin tags is obesity or excess weight which adds to the mass of skin and increases the chances of rubbing skin against skin.

Pregnancy and Menstruation

In women, pregnancy is now known as a main cause of skin tags. Pregnant women frequently develop tags on their skin, though these tags are usually short-lived and disappear on their own a few months after delivery. The rush of hormones during menstruation is also a possible cause of skin tags, though studies find a stronger connection between hormones released during the menstrual period and the increase in the size of already existing skin tags.

Genetics

Some studies attempting to find the relation between a person’s family history of skin tags and his/her share of it have found that heredity may be a possible cause of skin tags. This means that people whose family members have a history of skin tags are more likely to get skin tags than those whose immediate family have no history of skin tags. This holds for people of both sexes and all ages, including children. Nonetheless, skin tags are completely harmless, and there are many forms of skin tag removal at your disposal should you want to treat skin tags.

Other Causes of Skin Tags

Some other factors responsible for skin tags include: elevated levels of growth hormones, the body’s insulin resistance, and certain microorganisms. In case of insulin resistance, the body’s insulin production fails to drive the body’s metabolism with the same pace like that in healthy people. Among the harmful microorganisms, the Human Papillomavirus, commonly called wart virus, is believed to be a cause of skin tags. This virus has about 130 types and it causes warts in different parts of the body, mainly invading skin and the mucous membrane.