Skin Tags Research Paper
By Jonas Wilson
Skin tags
Skin tags are practically harmless cutaneous growths on the skin that are predominantly composed of loose collagen fibers and blood vessels in the epidermis. They are known medically as acrochorda, fibroepithelial polyps, papillomas or soft fibromas and are typically flesh-colored or in some cases darkly pigmented.
Being benign in nature, skin tags usually do not undergo any transformations in terms of size, shape or color over time and are generally painless unless they are irritated by an external factor such as shaving or another skin pathology such as eczema. Thus, papillomas do not usually have the propensity to give rise to cancer, even if left untreated. Reports of malignant transformation are extremely rare. …show more content…
They are believed to be as a result of increased friction, which is created when the skin repeatedly rubs against itself, hence the predominance of the lesions in skin folds. Papillomas are also known to increase in pregnant women owing to the elevation of hormones throughout gestation, especially during the second trimester.
It has been discovered that skin tags, through an unknown mechanism of action, tend to have an increased incidence whenever there is an elevation of blood glucose and insulin. This finding enables the lesions to be used as markers in persons who are at a potential risk for diabetes mellitus type 2. In addition to the aforementioned finding, some studies have found low risk Human Papilloma Viruses 6 and 11 inside skin tags, thereby suggesting an etiological correlation. Other studies have suggested a possible link to the genetic susceptibility of developing skin tags.
The lesions are also infrequently seen in certain conditions such as Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, which is a rare autosomal dominantly inherited syndrome that gives rise to fibrous folliculomas, pneumothorax, pulmonary cysts and tumors of both
Skin tags
Skin tags are practically harmless cutaneous growths on the skin that are predominantly composed of loose collagen fibers and blood vessels in the epidermis. They are known medically as acrochorda, fibroepithelial polyps, papillomas or soft fibromas and are typically flesh-colored or in some cases darkly pigmented.
Being benign in nature, skin tags usually do not undergo any transformations in terms of size, shape or color over time and are generally painless unless they are irritated by an external factor such as shaving or another skin pathology such as eczema. Thus, papillomas do not usually have the propensity to give rise to cancer, even if left untreated. Reports of malignant transformation are extremely rare. …show more content…
They are believed to be as a result of increased friction, which is created when the skin repeatedly rubs against itself, hence the predominance of the lesions in skin folds. Papillomas are also known to increase in pregnant women owing to the elevation of hormones throughout gestation, especially during the second trimester.
It has been discovered that skin tags, through an unknown mechanism of action, tend to have an increased incidence whenever there is an elevation of blood glucose and insulin. This finding enables the lesions to be used as markers in persons who are at a potential risk for diabetes mellitus type 2. In addition to the aforementioned finding, some studies have found low risk Human Papilloma Viruses 6 and 11 inside skin tags, thereby suggesting an etiological correlation. Other studies have suggested a possible link to the genetic susceptibility of developing skin tags.
The lesions are also infrequently seen in certain conditions such as Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, which is a rare autosomal dominantly inherited syndrome that gives rise to fibrous folliculomas, pneumothorax, pulmonary cysts and tumors of both