Considering Skin Tag Removal
Aesthetic preferences may drive a decision to remove skin tags, but the process presents issues that deserve consideration. While advertisements for over-the-counter or home remedies abound and make removal look easy, the fact remains that a skin tag may contain nerve cells and blood vessels. Therefore, a DIY procedure that produces pain and bleeding may not provide the outcome that one may desire. The Harvard Health blog affirms that they do not need removal. However, confirming their identity with a dermatologist can provide peace of mind.
Checking Just to Make Sure
Any new skin growth can create concerns until a dermatologist can rule out potential danger. Usually soft and flesh-colored, the tags can vary in size, texture, color, and width. While most skin growths pose no threat of cancer, some can mimic benign growths and may require checking out by a dermatologist. In some cases, they can resemble hemorrhoids.
However, differences between the two conditions can help identify them. For example, skin tags usually do not hurt, while hemorrhoids can create considerable pain. In addition, the tendency to bleed with the slightest touch can distinguish them from tags. Finally, color makes a significant identification difference by letting tags match skin color instead of turning red or purple. Derick Dermatology offers 18 convenient locations in Chicago’s suburbs where answers to skin health can ease concerns.
First Indications
At the outset, skin tags start small and look like a flat bump. Many remain that way and grow no larger. However, others can range from three-quarters of an inch to almost 2 inches wide. Again, unless they create an unsightly appearance that others can see, they present no need for removal unless for aesthetic reasons. While they become less likely to become irritated from rubbing against clothing or jewelry in their beginning stages, they can become painful later.
When the stalk that holds a tag onto the skin becomes twisted, a blood clot may form. Harvard Health Publishing confirms that the tags cannot become skin cancer. In Chicagoland, anyone who has concerns about skin growths can schedule an appointment with a dermatologist at Derick Dermatology in 18 upscale office locations around the city.
Examining Some Possible Look-alikes
Awareness of changes to the skin can provide the option to investigate causes in plenty of time to prevent potential health issues. The routine and typical behavior of skin tags put them in the category of benign and harmless conditions. However, it does not rule out the likelihood of a growth that resembles them but does not conform to the specifications that qualify as a skin tag.
Warts
A grainy surface of a wart makes it feel unique to the touch, but the texture of tags may take various forms. Warts can have tiny black dots that distinguish them from tags by revealing clots of blood vessels. A virus transmits warts, and exposure can produce a new one within several months. Quite often, warts go away without notice or treatment. However, a range of dermatology services includes removing a wart that disfigures the hands and causes embarrassment.
Moles
Usually black, dark brown, or sometimes skin-colored, moles can experience changes that produce worries. While benign and requiring no treatment in most cases, moles can raise concerns for their potential to develop into a melanoma form of skin cancer. Dermatologists recommend using observations that the ABCDE method provides. Changes that occur to a mole’s asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and evolution may provide cautionary signs. Derick Dermatology in 18 Chicago suburbs offers prompt appointments for anyone with concerns.
Seborrheic Keratosis
Another skin growth that may create questions if not concerns, seborrheic keratosis tends to increase in frequency among the older population. While unattractive, the waxy and scaly growths pose no danger requiring no treatment. Slightly raised, they often show up on the chest, back, head and neck.
Skin Cancer
Skin cells that grow abnormally create skin cancer, usually in areas exposed to the sun. However, it can occur where the sun cannot reach. Therefore, early detection of skin cancer provides the best chance for successful treatment.
Knowing When to Remove Skin Tags
Many reasons can support a decision to remove fleshy pieces of skin, but they remain a matter of choice. The possibility of a piece of jewelry snagging a tag can provide strong motivation. Unfortunately, when a snag occurs, it can cause a tear that produces bleeding and the possibility of infection. Appearances matter to most people, and the sight of a skin tag offers almost no appeal. Derick Dermatology provides options for prompt and efficient removal, avoiding the need to apologize for an unattractive blemish.
Professional treatment prevents the risk of infection from DIY efforts for removal. Further, it eliminates the potential for scarring that can last a lifetime. As a firmly attached part of the body, a skin tag can produce excessive bleeding on removal unless proper surgical practices prevent it. A call to any of Derick Dermatology office locations in Chicagoland can schedule an appointment that ensures peace of mind about skin health.