Harmless ‘Skin Tags’ May Point to Polyps

‘Skin tags’--those small, harmless flaps of skin that often grow on the neck or eyelids in people over 40--may be a sign of intestinal polyps, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York suggest that people with skin tags should be tested for blood in the stool, which can reveal polyps, because polyps can become cancerous.

Writing in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dr. Mark Lebwohl reported that among 54 people studied, 86% of those with polyps also had skin tags.

Skin tags, which are non-malignant, also are commonly found on the shoulder and in the groin area. They often grow on the bodies of diabetics and pregnant and postmenopausal women. Polyps, on the other hand, although usually benign, can become malignant.

Lebwohl pointed out that in his study, most of the patients had some form of stomach or digestive trouble before they were examined, so further study is necessary before a connection between skin tags and polyps can be made for the general population.