Tina: How do I get rid of unpleasant skin tags?

Tina, 55, sadly sees that over the past five years, skin tags have appeared everywhere on her body. “Under my arms, under my armpits, and under my breasts. But also on my stomach and especially on my neck. I think it looks very unattractive.”

“Is the skin tags caused by my age or maybe because I am a bit overweight? And above all: what can I do about it? Because burning a skin tag doesn’t seem like an option to me, given there are dozens of them.”

Steel warts (also called fibroadenoma, acrocordon or skin tags) is a type of skin bump in the shape of a leg,” explains the doctor, a researcher in cosmetic dermatology Jetske Ultee From. “It’s common: half of adults have it. It’s actually more common later in life or if you’re overweight. Even if you have type 2 diabetes, you may have it (more). On top of that, you can develop it. Pregnant women suddenly have skin tags. Because of hormone levels.”

As with Tina, skin tags mainly occur on the neck, underarms, breasts, and in the groin, Alti knows. “Because here the skin has to withstand a lot of friction and that can provoke warts.”

The good news? Skin tags are harmless and sometimes fall off your skin on their own. Alty: “If it doesn’t, unfortunately there’s no cream you can put on it that makes them go away. Although apple cider vinegar is often dispensed with, there is no convincing scientific evidence that this remedy is helpful.”

cut or freeze

If Tina wants to get rid of a skin tag, Ultee advises her to go to her doctor, skin therapist, or dermatologist to have it removed (relatively quickly and easily). “They can cut warts with scissors. They can also freeze skin warts with cryotherapy, just as they do with ‘regular’ warts.” skin tags already cut or burned.”

Whether a skin tag stays away for a long time afterwards depends mainly on the cause. “If you have the idea that they are caused by your extra weight, it naturally helps you lose weight. Then there is a good chance that you will have less warts afterwards. But in other cases it can unfortunately happen afterwards. Remove it again soon new things will come “.

Category: friend request

In this weekly column Friend request We send reader questions about health to one of our experts. Do you also have a pressing health question for a GP, midwife, dietitian, psychologist or other health expert? Mail it to [email protected] and you’ll probably see the answer here soon.