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BENIGN SKIN TAGS, AGE SPOTS BECOME MORE PLENTIFUL AS PEOPLE GET OLDER
SUZY COHEN
Dear Pharmacist, I used to have beautiful skin and now as I get older I notice more and more age spots. How can I get rid of the ones I have and stop more from forming? I'm also curious as to why some people get skin tags as we age. Thanks. - K.S. Lodi, Calif.
Fortunately, skin tags and age spots are benign. A visit to your dermatologist is the quickest and easiest way to eliminate either problem. In just one or two visits your doctor can snip or freeze away most skin tags and literally erase age spots with a laser beam.
Age spots, the discolorations that appear mostly on our hands and face as we age, are pigment deposits resulting from a lifetime of sun exposure.
Over-the-counter bleaching creams that contain either hydroquinone or kojic acid aren't going to perform any miracles, but they aren't harmful either. They help to lighten the appearance of age spots. They do take time, and their effect is mild.
Some people have reported success with an old-fashioned treatment for age spots - castor oil. Simply rub the oil on the spots a couple times a day for several weeks and see if it helps to fade the spots.
Skin tags, those unsightly little tabs that appear mainly on face, hands and chest seem to arise more frequently during middle age and in those who are overweight. Almost half the adult population seems to have at least a few.
One dermatologist-approved method of removing larger skin tags is to gently tie them off with string or dental floss. Apparently, they drop off in a couple of days. Ask your own dermatologist if this home remedy is OK.
Until now, medical science has held that skin tags are growths that happen when the skin in sensitive areas is rubbed or irritated.
But earlier this year, Brazilian researchers found that multiple skin tags are "strongly associated" with insulin resistance, a condition that foreshadows the development of diabetes. Your doctor can test you for this condition.
(c) 2010 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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