To help with some of those "growing where they don't belong" things (like skin tags) here's a frugal tip my dermatologist told me about: Instead of going to the dermatologist for skin tag removal, buy an over-the-counter cryogenic wart removal kit. These kits work just as well at freezing the skin tags (as they do at warts) so they fall off over the next week after freezing.
I would add one note of caution to this: Please, follow the directions on the kit EXACTLY as written. And if you have skin tags near your eyes, or growing from a lid, those probably do warrant a trip to your dermatologist!
Skin tags result from the skin cells getting the "wrong" message that tells them to pinch off and become entirely separate from the rest of your skin. Remember from basic biology, your skin is your largest organ! And it has protected you throughout your life from all kinds of nastiness, including UV (ultraviolet), IR (infrared), viruses, bacteria, and all sorts of invaders. Your skin has also taken a hit if you ever smoked (decreases the elasticity, especially around your face and mouth). AND it has protected you from all sorts of background radiation that is naturally occurring. Basic genetics also tells us that that very same radiation can cause genetic damage. So that combined with a genetic pre-disposition (did your mom or dad or both (like mine!) have skin tags as they aged?) means they will start showing up more and more frequently as we age.
Our immune systems also aren't as strong when we age, so you may indeed find yourself removing all kinds of strange things! This is also true for animals and is why giving them immune-boosting food and/or supplements is a very good idea. My elderly dogs don't eat nearly as much as they used, but since I've been making sure what they do it is full of immune-boosting goodies and high in vitamins and protein, they've been a bit more spry the last few weeks. One of them does indeed have several warts growing in various places, including one in his third eye. We have frozen that puppy off several time and it just keeps coming back, so I'm hoping the immune boosting food I've switched them too will also help those warts disappear. We know now that warts result from a virus, and that when our immune systems are stressed or just depleted as they get older that lets opportunistic critters (like viruses) take a hold.
So, be nice to your skin! Thank it for all that it has done for you and continues to do.
until next time,
