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Genital Skin Tags

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Genital skin tags are all those skin tags that appear in the area of the genitalia such as vaginal skin tags, anal skin tags and groin skin tags. These benign (non cancerous) skin growths are surprisingly common and mostly harmless. It is extremely rare for a skin tag to be cancerous.

Usually growing skin tags is one of those annoyances that occur as we start to get older. They can form in all different parts of the body and of course in the genital area too. Not all skin tags look the same. While some are flesh colored, others are darker than the surrounding flesh; some are flat while others hang off the skin by a stalk known as a peduncle. Some are wrinkled while others are smooth. Some are as small as a pinhead while others can grow to the size of a grape. The majority are a few millimeters in diameter. They may occur singly or in batches. But often where this is one skin tag, then there are others. There is no real known skin tag causes, they simply seem to form from excessive cell growth, which is benign and completely harmless. However, many people opt for natural skin tag removal formulas which will remove the skin tag naturally and painlessly with no irritation or side effects.

All skin tags in the genital area can be irritated or injured by underwear and may even bleed when injured because they have a blood supply that enables them to grow.

Vaginal skin tags

Vaginal skin tags in women do not usually cause any problems unless they are irritated by friction, by sanitary napkins or tampons, by underwear or even by sexual intercourse. Skin tags may also start to swell during the menstrual period of women, returning to their normal size afterwards, so they are more likely to be irritated during that time.

Groin skin tags

In the case of men, when groin skin tags appear on the penile shaft and around the scrotum, they can be easily irritated, chafed or infected through the mechanical movement during lovemaking, or simply because the groin is a moist area where the skin can be sensitive and tender. Groin skin tags may appear in the left or right groin and mostly take on the appearance of unwanted skin and do not usually cause much embarrassment.

It is the penile skin tags which may grow at the head of the penis which cause more concern both to the owner of the penis and to his sexual partner. Unfortunately, any abnormality in the penis is thought to be linked to sexually transmitted disease (even though this is untrue) especially because it is the penis that penetrates the sexual partner. Often groin skin tags on the penis occur at the circumcision line because of uneven removal of skin at the time of being circumcised.

Anal skin tags

In the case of both men and women, anal skin tags can make their appearance.

Anal skin tags are a little different to the other genital skin tags in that they are usually associated with other anorectal problems and may well come about as a result of an injury, a hemorrhoid or an anal fissure. They may well be an indicator of a more serious rectal ailment that needs medical attention.

In addition cleanliness can be a problem with anal skin tags as fecal debris may become trapped under the tag. If you have several tags, the problem is multiplied and infection becomes a possibility. Sometimes anal tags may itch or be painful. If you have anal skin tags, then you have the problem of firstly treating the skin tags themselves by removal and secondly treating whatever condition is causing the skin tags to occur in the first place. Both these medical problems can be resolved and your doctor or healthcare provider will be able to give you a diagnosis and advice on treatment. Anal skin tags have absolutely nothing to do with anal intercourse or sexually transmitted diseases.

Conclusion

Remember that the genital area is just like the skin anywhere else on your body and they is no reason whatsoever why you should feel embarrassed about those genital skin tags. However for reasons of comfort and to avoid possible anxiety on the part of your sexual partner, you may well decide to have genital skin tags removed.

There are several options for the removal of skin tags in the genital area:

• Excision under a local or general anesthetic
• Cryotherapy which is where the tags are frozen off by liquid nitrogen
• Laser treatment
• Electrocautery

When deciding on which option to chose, also be aware that you will not always be covered by medical insurance for the  skin tag treatment in the genital area.

Go to our H-Skin Tag page