Clinical Evaluation of Acrochordons and its Association in Systemic Diseases

Abstract

Acrochordons (known as skin tags) are benign skin tumors. An Acrochordon is a small, soft, benign pedunculated growth that is found primarily in persons who have higher body mass index. It is the hyperpigmented elevation of the skin which appears above the skin surface as nodules or papilloma in healthy individuals. The common locations of Acrochordons are in the areas of skin folds in and around neck, eyes, and chest wall. The prevalence of Acrochordons is relatively high, found among 46% of the general population. The prevalence of acrochordons showed in our study was 21(14.0%). The clinical presentation of skin tags showed that majority of the skin tags presented as multiple lesions (57.1%) and was present in the neck and chest region (38.1%). Majority of the skin tags (61.9%) presented as small lesions measuring 2 mm in length. All the skin tags were hyperpigmented.  The aim of this study is to clinically evaluate the pattern and presentation of acrochordons. This study was carried out as a cross sectional study among 150 participants visiting the outpatient clinic of the Department of Dermatology of our tertiary care hospital for a period of 7 months. A structured interview schedule was used to elicit data regarding the medical history. Clinical examination of skin tags was associated factors of acrochordons along with the prevalence of systemic diseases.