Skin Tags And Warts Specialist

What are skin tags and warts?

Skin tags and warts are growths that can form nearly anywhere on your body. While they typically aren’t dangerous, they can be bothersome. Depending on their location, these growths can snag on clothing or jewelry. Meanwhile, warts that form on the hands or feet can be painful. While skin tags and warts look similar, they do have a few key differences:

Skin tags

Skin tags are benign (noncancerous) growths that form on the surface of the skin. These flesh-colored growths are relatively soft and thin compared to other types of lesions, like warts. Most skin tags start out as small bumps, but over time, they can grow quite large.

Warts

Like skin tags, warts are benign skin-colored growths. However, they’re harder and more rounded than skin tags. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes rapid cell growth. While harmless, warts can be painful, as they often feel like a rock has formed beneath your skin.

Where do skin tags and warts grow?

While warts and skin tags share many similarities, they typically develop in different areas of the body. Warts tend to grow on the hands, feet, and knees. Anybody can get a wart, but they’re most common in children and teenagers. Warts are also contagious, meaning they can pass from person to person.

Skin tags, on the other hand, commonly develop in areas of friction. They rarely form on the hands or feet. Common areas where skin tags grow include the:

• Neck
• Eyelids
• Underarms
• Groin
• Buttocks
• Under the breasts

Because skin tags tend to develop in the folds of the body, where friction is frequent, they’re most common in overweight individuals and older adults.

What are the treatments for skin tags and warts?

While skin tags and warts are different skin concerns, their treatments are quite similar. 

Skin tag treatment

The most popular treatments for skin tags are cryotherapy (freezing) and burning. After applying a numbing anesthetic, the team can remove your skin tag quickly with either of these methods. If your skin tag is very narrow at the base, the team can cut off its blood supply by tying it off. Some skin tags are large enough to require surgery.

Warts

Most warts are treatable with cryotherapy, though they may require more than one treatment. However, treating plantar warts, which develop on the soles of the feet, can prove more challenging. Plantar warts sit under a thick layer of skin, so the team may need to open the skin to reach and treat the growth.

To learn more about skin tags and warts, call Hill Country Dermatology or book an appointment online now.