Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   What is the difference between skin tags and warts and cell masses?
   I would like to know how these three are different and how they can be removed or treated…
   Cell masses: I mean like “clusters” of skin cells that are the size of a dime that hang off the body, similar to skin tags. Might even be skin tags, but I thought skin tags were smaller.

   • ANSWER:
     Skin tags are harmless and typically painless, and do not grow or change over time, warts – typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can recur. I had both of them, to get rid of them I used creo therapy, it helped me.

2. QUESTION:
   What is the difference between the two of these?
   Genital warts and a skin tag?
   Thank you I have no clue why people get thi confused they look different also lol

   • ANSWER:

3. QUESTION:
   Whats the difference between genital warts and genital skin tags?

   • ANSWER:
     Genital herpes, known specifically as herpes, is an STD caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It is mainly passed on through direct contact with the vagina, genital skin or the mucous-covered linings within the mouth. This particular form of STD is a viral infection that enters ones skin or linings via the microscopic tears. The virus would then travel inside the body to settle permanently in the nerve roots within the spinal cord.

     When an individual suffers a herpes outbreak, it means that the virus had already traveled through the nerve fibers and had met the original site of the infection. The moment the virus reaches the skin, blisters and redness emerge. Subsequent outbreaks will then be experienced sporadically right after the initial manifestation of the outbreak. They could emerge every week or years apart.

     The HSV-1 or herpes simplex virus-1 and the HSV-2 or herpes simplex virus-2 are two forms of herpes that cause genital lesions. The HSV-1 is the one responsible for the blisters in the mouth area and the HSV-2 brings about lesions or genital sores around the anus area. People having suppressed immune systems, as a result of either stress, medications or infection, would normally experience longer and more frequent herpes outbreaks.

4. QUESTION:
   What is the difference between a skin tag and a wart and is Preparation W effective against both>?

   • ANSWER:
     ^^ As they said. The only ways to get rid of a tag is to freeze off (by a doctor!!) or tying a small peice of cotton tight around it till it drops off. I have also snipped off small ones with scissors, but i am not saying you should, they bleed a lot and i don’t know how big yours is!

5. QUESTION:
   What are the differences you look for to distinguish between warts and skin tags?

   • ANSWER:
     Skin tags are smooth in touch.
     warts are rough.
     skin tags are not multicolored.
     warts are multicolored.
     Warts biopsy will show HPV.
     skin tags will show nothing.

     More-

     Your Guide to Skin Tags

     As we grow older, different growths and spots start coming out of skin. Skin tags are one such product of aging. The exact cause of skin tags is not known. They are also known as Acrochordons.

     How Do They Look?
     Skin tags look like small growths hanging with a stalk. These fleshy bumps are ugly in appearance and cause more of mental discomfort than physical.

     Where Do They Appear?
     Skin tags appear at different places such as neckline, below the breasts, underarms, and groin. They may also appear at different sites on the body.

     Size:
     They normally form in cluster of small tags of about 0.1 cm to big ones measuring up to 1 cm.

     Warts-

     All About Warts

     Warts are skin growths that appear on any part of the body. This growth is non-cancerous and caused by a family of virus known as human papilloma virus (HPV). Despite common belief, warts do not have a root. They grow on the epidermis. Warts are skin-colored most of the times and rough in feel. Some warts may be dark in color and smooth to touch. Warts may grow individually or in a bunch. The virus spreads from one area of the skin to another and also from one person to another. Although warts may be left alone and may disappear after some months or years, most of the people get them treated because they affect the appearance. Also if they are not treated, instead of disappearing, sometimes they may grow in number. Let us discuss about the types of warts and their treatments.

6. QUESTION:
   How do you tell the difference between a skin tag and a HPV wart?

   • ANSWER:
     Genital warts is caused by HPV and if
     they have a cauliflower look to them then usually you can pin point it to being warts.

7. QUESTION:
   Can my Doc have misdiagnosed skin tag?
   ok i know i shudnt be this paranoid but!
   i got weird growth in my anal region..its pink and soft and fleshy ..without pain but itches…happend a week ago…i was paranoid that it could be genital warts… so i went to doc today..who’s a very respected GI specialist by the way…he just looked at it for like 10 seconds and told its skin tag ..I was so relieved..but now again im worried could it be genital warts and could the doc have misdiagnosed it ? Can docs easily point out the difference between the two like he did ? Should i go for further tests or am i just paranoid ?

   • ANSWER:

8. QUESTION:
   why shouldn’t i use over the counter remedies for male genital warts?
   I don’t even really know if I have warts or not. Have a single small “skin tag” about the size of a pin head on the underside of my shaft near the base and about a half dozen or so similarly sized brown spots scattered across the top – which I can’t remember if there was a time I didn’t have them – but now the largest one has become slightly raised. Should I be worried?

   I just noticed the one underneath which (according to what i found on the net) resembles a skin tag and that’s what drew me to looking online and inquiring about a remedy. I went to the pharmacy and the consultant said OTC products are a no-go but I was negligent about asking why. If someone knows the difference between what I’d get over the counter and what I’d get in prescription form, would you let me know?

   Also, if you are aware of any other or natural remedies for these types of (whatever they are – warts?) that would be great also. I’m a really clean and healthy guy in my late thirties

   • ANSWER:
     The wart products in store are for planter’s warts and can just destroy more skin than anything. That includes both the freeze-off stuff and salicylic acid treatment. I’ve seen what it can do to a finger wart, and while that later healed up, I wouldn’t even consider using it on genitalia.

9. QUESTION:
   Im circumcised and i have a small white missing area when i have an erection?
   i dont know if its natural but im 16 and ever since i was circumcised at the age of 4 (didnt have a choice -_-) i have had weird lumps/scar where they cut the foreskin off and when i erect there is a small white space is this natural can someone give me a link of the difference between cut or uncut (preferably a cartoon)

   • ANSWER:
     Hi Andrew

     these small lumps do they just look like tiny tags of skin raised up similar to a small wart
     and are they spread around the scar tissue ( if so) then it’s the stop start point of each slice that the ((doctor)(butcher) make your own mind up on that one) made with the scalpel or scissors as he hacked sorry cut your foreskin away
     they will fade in time or you could go back to the quack whoops doctor and let them mess around with it a bit more hopefully to tidy things up a bit

     Jill X

10. QUESTION:
    how do u know the difference between an anal skin tab and anal warts?

    • ANSWER:
      Get a mirror, have a look, then compare to these piccys of anal warts…..
      Im SURE you will know just by looking, a skin tag is usually singular, these piccys are gross….Yuck…poor souls….

      jah1.com/fntnhd/medfoto3.htm
      www.thesahara.net/verrucas_plantar_warts.htm

11. QUESTION:
    Whats the difference between a wart and a skin tag? im confused now :S?
    what ive got looks like a big spot, but it hurts when my clothes rub against it, also its a bit red. What could it be? should i go to the doctor?

    • ANSWER:
      A wart is caused when a wart virus infects a skin cell and takes it over. It causes the skin cell to reproduce with the wart virus DNA, which changes how the end cell looks. It looks like a squashed mushroom sort of, on the surface of the skin. A skin tag is normal skin that just overgrew oddly. It will just look like a flap of skin, almost like a drop of skin that didn’t drip off. Neither usually looks like a big spot, nor are they red as a rule. This sounds more like a boil in the making, a blocked hair follicle or zit. Try applying heat to the spot and see what happens. Heat should cause any of those three things to form a centralized spot, and eventually a whitehead that will drain itself in a few days. A boil will take a bit longer, and generally get really painful before it drains. Cover it with a band-aid to keep the clothing from rubbing on it, and stick with heat for a few days. If things haven’t improved by then, or at least shown you a clue as to what it is, then it’s a good time to have it looked at.

12. QUESTION:
    What are the difference between these 2 ?
    Genital warts and a skin tag?

    • ANSWER:

13. QUESTION:
    how would i know the difference between skin tag and a wart?

    • ANSWER:
      A skin tag is usually on a stem and hangs free from your body. It is more like a little flap of skin. A wart is raised too, but it is attached all the way around to your skin. It is usually hard and bumpy and a skin tag is soft. Skin tags usually don’t start to appear until you are over 35, although you can get them when you are younger, you usually don’t.

14. QUESTION:
    Question for the ladies…?
    I’m just curious, does anyone else have skin tags umm…”down there”? I have some and had a bad experience with them because this one idiot doctor I saw tried to say it was genital warts. Which I knew for several reasons could not be true. I got a second opinion, and THIS doc took a biopsy of the growths and it turned out to be just normal flesh. Skin tags. Does anyone else have these? And are MOST physicians competant enough to tell the difference between skin tags and warts?

    • ANSWER:
      Totally normal…I have two myself on my inner thigh, really close to the jackpot if you catch my drift. They aren’t large and obvious, but they are there and I know it. So does my fiance. He actually pointed the second one out to me that I didn’t know was there at first. It was kind of funny. There is nothing weird about having them. Some people do and some people don’t. At least they aren’t growing on your face. I had an Aunt with skin tags around her mouth! We are the lucky ones. You can have them removed if you wish, but seriously, they aren’t hurting anyone.

15. QUESTION:
    All signs point to HPV but….?
    For a long time now I’ve had these genital bumps (feel like hardened skin), I think I started to notice them when I was around 14 or so. This was quite a few years before I became sexually active. There’s a major differences between skin tags and warts and I know that, but these are not smooth so I believe they are warts. But what could have caused it if I have had them since before I became sexually active?
    I’m 20, and have also never had a regular period since I got it at 10. Sometimes I go anywhere from 2-6 months without one.

    • ANSWER:

16. QUESTION:
    Skin Tag vs. Genital Wart?
    How do you tell the difference between the two? There is only one, and I though that for it to be warts you had more than one. There is information saying that you can confuse a wart, a skin tag, and a mole, so how do you truely tell the difference? Especially if there is no ‘sure fire’ way to ‘test’ for warts?

    **I know the ‘Go to the doctor’ people will be out today…so read the following…

    My doctor has never said anything about it, so I always though it was a skin tag, until I saw his nurse yesterday. She tells me it’s warts. Do I panic (not literally), or do I just wait for my doctor to check it out first? Plus it’s not like I haven’t had that area checked out a billion times in the last 6 months, b/c I’m pregnant. So it’s not likely that my doctor missed something like this right?

    ~Oh boy, here we go…

    • ANSWER:
      I wouldn’t worry yet. I would just mention it to the doctor next time you’re in and tell him that his nurse mentioned it was a wart. He should be able to tell you and then remove it if necessary. It’s not uncommon for pregnant women to get skin tags. It’s also common for overweight and older people. I seriously doubt you have a single genital wart though. Good luck!

17. QUESTION:
    Anus issues .. Curious as to what is going on?
    What is the difference between anal warts and hemorrhoids? Before I was diagnosed with hpv my anus itched profusely, I was constipated every time I had a bowel movement and blood would be on toilet tissue and on my stool. I noticed either warts or hemorrhoids outside my anus. Then it resembles skin tags and if I push my anus out more it’s as if something is hanging out. What could this be?

    • ANSWER:
      its anal warts what you are describing
      they are painless skin tags…

      i also have anal warts…at first they itched a lot!!
      i also had blood sometimes cause of them….sucks a lot……….

      there are many treatments(creams,surgery,freezing..etC)…they wont kill the virus..they can reappear
      best is to have a healthy immune system to fight the disease….90% of ppl it dissapear in 2 years with a healthy immune system

18. QUESTION:
    Genital Warts or skin tag? Help?
    I noticed 3 little bumps all together. They’re so small, even all together.. smaller than a dime.. right beside my vagina opening. I never noticed them until a few days ago. I’ve had a boyfriend since the beginning of jan and we have had sex (with a condom)… I can’t make a doctors appt. for another week because i’m supposed to get my period within the next 2 days. I’ve been on google trying to figure out the difference between all these different things and what it could be and i’m completely stumped. It kind of looks like a skin tag.. but at the same time.. skin tags look like genital warts. I’m soo confused. I’ve been dating this guy for only a few months, but he’s amazing.. i’m scared if i mention anything to him, he’ll think i’m disgusting and leave. (i’m not having sex with him until i go to the doctors) but i feel disgusting… i don’t know what to do or say fml.. please no negative comments i already feel like shit…..any adivce… or anything

    • ANSWER:
      More than likely its HPV the low kind. Me and my boyfriend just found out that we have HPV and he is the only person I have ever been with too. Its not that big of a deal for than half of men and women that are sexually active get this at least once in their lifetime. When you do go to the doctor you’ll probably get prescribed a cream to get rid of it. You should talk to your boyfriend, but you can wait till the doctor to make sure before you bring it up to him. Good luck wish you the best.

19. QUESTION:
    Anus issues .. Curious as to what is going on?
    What is the difference between anal warts and hemorrhoids? Before I was diagnosed with hpv my anus itched profusely, I was constipated every time I had a bowel movement and blood would be on toilet tissue and on my stool. I noticed either warts or hemorrhoids outside my anus. Then it resembles skin tags and if I push my anus out more it’s as if something is hanging out. What could this be?

    • ANSWER:

20. QUESTION:
    Is there a difference between a wart and a skin tag?
    I’ve had a tag/wart on my back for quite a number of years and have been a little bit embarrassed to go to the doctor about it. I’ve heard that doctors remove skin tags by tying catgut around them in order to stop the blood supply.
    I’ve recently seen an ad for an over the counter wart remover which involves freezing the wart. I was thinking of getting this and putting it on my skin tag/wart.
    If it is a tag and not a wart will it still work?

    I know that warts are caused by a virus but I know very little about how tags are formed.

    Thank you for answering.

    • ANSWER:
      Hi, my mom gets these all the time. She usually ties a small piece of hair at the root of it and it just falls of in a couple of days. Keep in mind hers are usually small. I know that you can freeze them too, by doing that it will also fall of gradually. If its a big one it will probably need some anesthesia, so going to a dermatologist is recommended.

21. QUESTION:
    Whats The Difference Between Genital Herpes And Genital Warts(FEMALE)?
    Will It Ruin The Chances Of Having A Perfectly Healthy Baby?And A Clean-Free-Of STDs Relationship?Basically Is There Medications I Could Take that will Help Me Not Give it To ANYONE ELSE!or Ruin The Future of having a family, im scared

    • ANSWER:
      Genital Herpes is caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus while genital warts are caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

      Similarities: Both are viruses for which there is currently no cure and are spread through skin to skin contact. Therefore, both HSV and HPV can be transmitted with or without symptoms, while on suppression medication, through oral sex, and while having sex with a condom. You can test positive for both even if you have never had any symptoms. In general, over time, your body’s immune system builds antibodies to fight off the symptoms of the viruses so you should have less symptoms over time. Both viruses are manageable to some extent. You can have healthy children, don’t worry! If you have an outbreak during delivery, however, the doctor may have to perform a c-section.

      Differences: Herpes symptoms tend to be similar to blisters or a rash, sometimes like paper cuts on the genitals for women. Genital warts look like skin tags or little clusters that almost look like cauliflower. There is currently no FDA approved test for men to test for HPV. 1 in 4 people have HSV while 1 in 2 people have had some strain of HPV. Another difference is that high risk strains of HPV can possibly lead to cervical Cancer. Therefore, if you are diagnosed with this type if HPV, it is important to get a pap at least once a year. Also, they recently release a vaccination for young women called Gardisil which can help protect them from getting the majority of the high risk strains of HPV.

      And with both HSV and HPV, you are responsible for disclosing your status with a potential partner before having sexual contact. However, there are people who will understand your situation and accept you even if you have HSV or HPV. Everything will be okay!

22. QUESTION:
    What are the differences between skin tags and filiform warts?
    They both appear on eyelids. Filiform warts may be contagious if scratched, etc.

    I would like to know about their physical differences.
    How do I differentiate them?
    http://www.visualdxhealth.com/images/dx/webInfant/commonWart_29478_lg.jpg
    http://dermatology.cdlib.org/95/pearls/tags/5.jpg

    http://howtogetridofwarts.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/9/3/129384/1575113.jpg

    • ANSWER:

23. QUESTION:
    Any vets on here? How do you tell difference between harmful tumor and skin tag?
    My dog has had this dark growth on her chest under her right front leg for years. At first becuase of it’s size/color/location, we thought it was probably just a darker nipple or something. It started out small and my vet told me not to worry because it was just a “skin tag” and was merely cosmetic. It has grown bigger each year (now she’s 10) and it about the size of a grape. It doesn’t seem to bother her at all but as she ages, I worry that maybe it’s a harmful tumor that we should have removed from the getgo.

    • ANSWER:
      A skin tag is nothing like a tumor…it is kind of a wart. My labrador retreiver has a few. A skin tag is attached to the skin, a tumor is a part of the skin. If you squeeze the skin tag, the contents goes nowhere, if you sqeeze a tumor, you can feel that is has shape, and is a part of the body. (I know it sounds gross, but it’s true.)

24. QUESTION:
    Do people get Skin tags confused with Genital Warts?
    Well i have these growths on my inner labia they are nothing like bumps its flaps of skin ….it looks as if it was grown by the skin ….it doesn’t hurt when i pee or anything it doesn’t get in my way its just there….i went to a physician to get my yearly pelvic exam and everything was smooth and ok.I only had 1 partner and he has no growths what so ever on his genitals …. My mom said that i most likely have skin tags or polyps on my inner labia because most light-skinned African Americans with freckles are most likely to get a skin tag or skin tags ….

    Do i have skin tags??? And do people confuse warts with skin tags?

    • ANSWER:

      The difference between genital warts and a skin tag is very distinctive. Genital warts are the result of a sexually transmitted disease (STD). A skin tag is the result of age, pregnancy, obesity and heredity. In addition, other factors (such as symptoms) make these two conditions different.
      .Description of Skin Tag
      At first, a skin tag appears as a small, soft bump; then it slowly grows larger, according to InteliHealth. A skin tag looks like a soft growth that resembles the skin color. It hangs from your skin via a stalk or thin piece of tissue.
      Where Do Skin Tags Appear?
      In addition to your genitals, a skin tag typically appears on your torso, neck, armpits or beneath the breast.
      Description of Genital Warts
      On men, genital warts typically appear off the tip or shaft of the penis, scrotum or anus. On women, genital warts grow on the vulva or walls of the vagina, according to the Mayo Clinic. For both sexes, genital warts develop in the throat or on the mouth if they had oral sex with an affected person, or they can develop on the anus if anal sex was performed.
      What Do Genital Warts Look Like?
      Genital warts resemble tiny bumps or several small, cauliflower-shaped warts clustered together.
      Prevention/Solution
      Unlike genital warts, a skin tag is not preventable. However, skin tags may be removed by a doctor.
      .

25. QUESTION:
    small bumps at vaginal opening?
    Ive been sexually active for many years now but have been with my boyfriend for 8 months. I have had many pap tests lately due to abnormal cells. I recently noticed a few small bumps almost like little pimples or skin tags right at the vaginal opening… one sort of inside. they arent itchy or painful or red. Im wondering what this could be? also ive been in a loooot of pain having sex the past few months since all this abnormal cells stuff going on but I’m clean of stds. I suspect vaginismus for the pain. Ive asked my doctor and gyno many times and they say it looks all normal inside. feels almost like a cut and when my boyfriend and i try to have sex it just stings like its ripping inside. any ideas?/ what are these bumps and why am i in pain!!
    Ive been returning to the gyno since october 2009 every month or two and ive gone to see my doctor other times to ask her if certain things were warts or herpes but she said just normal random bumps.. but these hard little tiny ones are relatively new. they are watching me closely for cervical cancer so im assuming i do have hpv.. but now i get soooo suspicious of warts every time theres a bump. but the pain during sex is out of control. there are absolutely no redness cuts or sores inside. ive had both doctors check specifically but no answers here

    • ANSWER:
      The abnormal cells could be from you getting a strain of genital warts or HPV (a cancerous strain in fact), If it feels like a cut, i can only thing of herpes. HPV cause bumps to show up, but they don’t feel like cuts, they feel more like a whole bunch of bumps, coupled together, if explained, think of cauliflower. while herpes are bump(s) that burst open.

      I suggest, that since now your having symptoms (be thankful you are, more then half the people who have herpes don’t have any symptoms and are spreading it around with out knowing) to go to your doctor and have them swab the cut/bump for herpes type one and type two. If if come out positive (theirs a chance it’s something else and won’t come positive for either types) for type one, if you have been having oral sex, then this is just how you got it. Type one is the common cause of cold sores, but can become an std when someone receives oral sex form someone infected. Most of the time, this happens when the person giving oral, has no symptoms of a cold sores but have the virus active on the skin, this is called viral shedding. If you come out positive for type two, their is a chance you could have caught this from your boy friend and have him get tested via blood test, because this type prefers the genital region and is rare to have to cause cold sores.

      As for the blood test, if you both want to know your herpes status, make sure that the test is IGG and not IGM as this test can’t tell the difference between both types. If you come put positive for type one, assume you have the cold sore virus (this means you don’t have it genitally, but you can only assume until you get your swab results) and if you come out positive for type two, then you can assume you have genital herpes.

      BTW, Herpes isn’t included in regular std testing, so don’t assume your in the clear just because you came out negative for everything else. As for the pain during sex. it could be that your irritating the cut through sex or it could mean you have some sort of vaginal infection. Also, those small bumps could be anything, I think you should be worried about the cut. These small bumps could appear because your not washing your genital properly thus causing ti to sweat more. This is what my doctor told me when I came to her worried. (I am still a virgin).

      Hope I helped and good luck!