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Skin Tag or Wart?

By July 10, 2010 - 11:05pm
 
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I have a history of being a hypochondriac, but I think I have a valid concern this time - I am very attuned to my body and I pay close attention to moles and things of that nature. Well it seems as though overnight I have grown a skin tag/wart right at the top of my butt crack. At first I seriously thought it was HPV/Gential wart but the more I looked at it and looked online it just didn't seem right. It's pink and fleshy and it even feels as though it could fall or be "clipped" off. It is at the very top of my bum crack and I have recently been working outdoors in very hot weather, so I have been sweating a lot and being very active. I have never had a skin tag or a wart before so I have no reference point really...

Anyway I don't know how worried I should be or if I should even be worried. I currently have no health insurance, and I'd like this to go away.
So,
1) What is this?
and
2) How do I treat it myself?

Thank you!

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I am 54 and at 24 I had a couple of small skin tags under my arms. My Dr. said nothing to worry about. Now thirty years later Drs. are still saying nothing to worry about. Only now I have about thiry of them under each arm. What causes them and is there something I can do myself to get rid of them ?

June 8, 2011 - 8:51pm

Hi,
Here are pictures of skin conditions, including skin tags, moles and warts:
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/slideshow-common-adult-skin-problems

From your brief description alone, is sounds like a skin tag. Here are the differences:
1. Skin tags (slide #11 at above link): small flap of flesh-colored (or slightly darker) skin that hangs by a stalk. Not painful. It can be caused by other skin or clothing rubbing on the area. They can go away on their own, or a doctor can remove it.
2. Moles (slide #14 at above link): usually brown or black. Moles should be checked out by a doctor if they are painful, itchy, bleed, have irregular border or color, if they change over time
3. Warts (slide #18 at above link): Not painful, and many go away on their own. Most warts are caused from skin-to-skin contact and are a strain of HPV. There are some over-the-counter remedies to remove them (you can ask a Pharmacist).

I have had skin tags before, and if your bump is flesh-colored, it is most likely not a mole. If it is "hanging", as you said you could cut it off, then it sounds like it might be a flap of skin hanging from a stalk which is a skin tag. The location is also important, as you mentioned your clothing is rubbing in that spot. My skin tags went away on their own.

You could also have a pimple, but it does not sound like you believe it is this?

Watch the bump over time, and as long as it is not painful, no oozing (unless it is a pimple, and that would go away after a day or two), it is not uneven color, then you can do a "watchful waiting" to see if there are any changes. If not, it is most likely one of the skin conditions above and is most likely not harmful. Bottom line: when to have a doctor look at it: change in color, uneven color, pain or discharge.

I hope this helps!

July 11, 2010 - 6:05am
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