Human body is a closed complex system that never fails to amuse us. While there are various things that take place inside the human body and go unnoticed as they are not visible to the naked eyes. It is not just the internal hidden issues that are present on the surface of our skin that we often tend to ignore due to lack of knowledge. Well here we are ot talking about those pimples and blackheads but things that are even more serious. We all observe various skin lesions that look common in the beginning but can actually turn out to be more serious and complicated with time. Sometimes some skin conditions do make us feel uncomfortable but are so confusing that we are unable to detect them. To clear your confusion and to make your treatment a bit easier here we are going to decode and break down the difference between three of the very common skin conditions that are warts, moles and skin tags. Sit tight and read along to know the difference between moles, skin tags and warts with Dr. Madhuri Agarwal, Dermatologist, Founder, Yavana Aesthetic Clinic, Bandra Mumbai.
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What Are Warts?
A small growth on the surface of the skin that looks like sore blisters and resembles a cauliflower with a rough texture. These warts usually pop up on places like our knees, bottom of the feet and even on your hands. These small non cancerous skin growths are often infected with one or the other virus belonging to the HPV or human papillomavirus family. This virus tends to trigger the extracellular growth that eventually results in making the outer layer of the skin hard and resulting in a hard dark hanging spot. These warts do not appear on every individual’s skin that gets affected by the HPV virus, but especially to those people who are suffering from some kind of chronic skin condition. Apart from this even people who are habitual of biting or their nails are prone to this condition as the cuts make a gateway for infection to get into your body and form warts.
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It is important to know that this skin condition is highly contagious and hence can be passed from one person to the other merely through skin contact. Not just the skin contact but one can also get warts by using someone else’s personal hygiene items such as razors and towels.
There is not just one but multiple types of warts such as common warts, flat warts, plantar warts, filiform warts and genital warts. The presence of warts on your body might be an indication of a virus that you might have inherited from someone due to some or the other type of physical contact.
What are Skin Tags?
If you have been observing a soft small piece of skin hanging over that may have a stalk then it most likely is a skin tag. This skin condition generally appears when your skin rubs against some kind of clothing. These skin tags mostly appear on the folds of the skin and are said to be the beginning of a tumour. These noncancerous skin tumours are generally made up of various parts such as epidermis, fat cells, core fibers, nerves and ducts. This hanging flaps of skin typically appears in places where the clothing rubs against the skin such as the armpits, groin, body folds, under breast region, eyelids, upper chest and neck.
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Skin tags are like little balls of skin that are dangling from the surface underneath the skin. Where this skin condition is not present in a child since birth and hence the growth takes place as a person ages. Although these skin tags are not harmful for health, they can easily be removed for cosmetic reasons by a dermatologist in a painless and effective manner.
Although some small skin tags might even go unnoticed and fall off on their own due to repetitive rubbing of the skin where in other cases the skin tags that are bigger in size might even burst under pressure.
What are Moles?
Skin moles are said to be one of the most serious types of skin condition out of these three which takes up a long time in formation and grows slowly. The colour of these moles can range from being similar to that of a person’s skin colour to the tones of black and brown. These moles can appear anywhere on a person’s skin and tend to show up during childhood up to and until 20 years of age. These moles are mainly of three types with congenital nevi being one of them congenital nevi is said to occur in about one person out of 100 and are more likely to appear after birth. These moles have a greater risk of turning cancerous.
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Also Read: Want To Know The Types And Causes Of A Mole? Dr Sukriti Sharma Talks About It
The second type of moles are known as the common nevi and turn out to be a small growth with a distinct edge. These moles are usually pink, tan or brown in colour. The third and last type of moles that people observe on the surface of their skin are the dysplastic nevi. Uneven moles that are large in size and have an irregular shape. The uneven edges of these moles are lighter in color whereas the centre is usually dark brown. Although these moles are hereditary they have a great chance of developing into cancer and hence any kind of changes in these moles should be taken care of and should be shown to a dermatologist at earliest possible.
This article is based upon a post by Dr. Madhuri Agarwal, Dermatologist, Founder, Yavana Aesthetic Clinic, Bandra Mumbai on her instagram handle.