ACROCHORDON
Acrochordon also called skin tags are small, painless benign tumors that form mostly in areas where the skin folds or creases, but also in other areas.
- Their favorite locales are the neck, upper chest, groin, eyelids, armpits, and eyelids.
- Acrochordon may appear as single lesions or multiple lesions in the same site.
- They may appear as either rough or smooth and may attach to the skin by a short fleshy stalk referred to as peduncle.
- Their sizes may range between 1 to 5 millimeters, some may be as large as 1cm or even 5cm in diameter.
- More than half if not all of the population have been reported to have acrochordon at some point in their life.
- Acrochordon arw prevalent in adults and the elderly, although they may also form in children and toddlers.
- They are painless, harmless but can be very annoying.
- Although some acrochordon may at some point fall off, some persist once formed.
CAUSES
The exact cause of acrochordons are unknown, but skin rubbing against skin is said to play a role. This is believed because the growth occurs among skin folds – in the armpits, neck, and groin, and sometimes in the eyelids.
Plump babies may develop it around the area of the body where skin rubs against skin.
Younger children may develop it in areas where they may rub their eyes, such as the upper eyelids areas.
Preteen and older children may develop it in the underarm area as a result of friction and constant irritation from sports.
Certain factor that may increase your chances of getting the condition may include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Diabetes
- Being elderly
- Being pregnant. Elevated hormones caused by pregnancy may result in an increase in the formation of acrochordon.
SYMPTOMS
They are present as tiny, benign growth. They have no cancer potential
They may become painful when snagged by belt, clothing, pets, or jewelry.
The growth may become irritated and red from bleeding or black from twisting.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
To make a diagnosis, the doctor will need to inspect your growth. The appearance of a small, pedunculated growth is suggestive of acrochordons.
If the growth appears larger, has a different color, has a more firm structure, or has some other signs that don’t commonly accompany acrochordons, a biopsy may be recommended. This is done to exclude other causes, including cancer.
TREATMENT
They are benign, so they usually do not require treatment unless they become irritated or present a cosmetic concern.
Treatment option may include:
Snipping using serrated blade scissors. This may be used for smaller growth or lesion
For larger lesions, removal may be performed by curettage (scraping) followed by electrodesiccation (burning the lesion with electric current).
Cryosurgery may also be performed. This involves freezing them with nitrogen liquid