Insulin resistance and skin tags

[W&D's Nana]

I did switch over to using almond flour for baking even though one kg of almond flour costs the same as 20 kg of regular all purpose flour. I figure my health is worth the expense especially to indulge in the sugar free keto recipes for "bread" and cookies.

 

[Slayer Mum]

Just to add - when I read some years ago that skin tags were a sign of underlying insulin resistance (IR) - I talked about this as something to watch out for, for my adult children, re their increased risk for the dreaded T2. Especially my child who shares my tendency to gain weight primarily around the waist, but it's an alert I put out to both of them. They know of course, that the alert is so they then can lower the amount of glucose-forming food in their diet, and yes they know what that is! (Whew.) My extended family on the other hand are barely indulgent of my alerts to watch out for, but one does what one can.

BTW, my dad also has been plagued with skin tags, and the brown marks around the neck. He also has the big firm belly that shows bloating, as I did pre just lowering glucose forming food and LCHF. He did not have blood glucose issues, but I did try to talk him into avoiding wheat products (as I am clearly sensitive to so the chances are that he is too...) and ultra processed vege oils, but to no avail. (I did a great presentation of butter over margarine, but I can't override the anti saturated fat brigade, sadly.) He developed rheumatoid arthritis which has an association with too-high glucose forming food (a 2000 study) (I remember this as I wrote it, told it, and tried.... sigh). He developed this very late in life, but oh boy has it lowered his quality of life.

Yeah - tell your family members, if you have that indicator of IR, to watch out for skin tags and the discolouration around the neck, for sure. (And just to add - switch to almond flour baked goods and real butter straight away!! imho.)

How easy is almond flour to work with? Could i use it in a bread machine for example?

 

[Brunneria]

Re the skin tags,

I have had bouts of them, over the years. Maybe 3 times, always coinciding with longer term lapses in my low carbing (both before and during my 'pre diabetic phase). But not with particularly high sugars. So I suspect that the cause is insulin resistance, rather than high blood sugars. Although, of course, you can have high IR and high BG at the same time...

As for dealing with them, I am like Jo K, a pair of clean sharp scissors and a tissue to wipe the blood away, and I am good, especially if you cut them off before they grow big. The two biggest that I ever cut off needed plasters, others not. I tried the knotted cotton thing. OWWWW! Definitely not trying that again.

I also suspect that people who are prone to skin tags may have something particular about their skin that makes it more likely that they grow them (in the presence of IR, of course). In my case, I have fair skin, prone to sun damage, am carrying the red headed gene and have a plethora of freckles and moles (not the raised kind). The skin tags are just one more skin thing, and are usually non-pigmented. The rest of my family - even the T2 diabetics - have more melanin, tan easily, and don't run to freckles, moles or skin tags.

 

[Resurgam]

My GP cut off many dozens of skin tags and never mentioned high glucose or diabetes and that was 25 years ago.
I used to need factor 50 sunscreen, going out in the sun was painful and I never got a tan, it was just my freckles joining up. My family have a Viking ancestry, dad and brother had/have Dupytrens contracture and my hair used to have a few red hairs before they went grey.

 

[AloeSvea]

How easy is almond flour to work with? Could i use it in a bread machine for example?

Just a heads up - almond flour has popped in here briefly as a way to increase insulin sensitivity/lower insulinemic food intake as in wheat flour products, to lessen the amount of skin tags...

I bake with almond flour all the time, but I have no idea about bread-maker machines.

About Viking ancestry/pale skin and skin discolouration and skin tags. I've seen photos online of such from on dark skins. I have no idea what is about insulin resistance that causes this skin condition, but I take it it is not skin colour/amount of melanin in our skin... be interesting to follow up on this... (And as always - I'm very happy to be proved wrong!). Any takers for a spot of research?

 

[AloeSvea]

Re the skin tags,

I have had bouts of them, over the years. Maybe 3 times, always coinciding with longer term lapses in my low carbing (both before and during my 'pre diabetic phase). But not with particularly high sugars. So I suspect that the cause is insulin resistance, rather than high blood sugars. Although, of course, you can have high IR and high BG at the same time...

As for dealing with them, I am like Jo K, a pair of clean sharp scissors and a tissue to wipe the blood away, and I am good, especially if you cut them off before they grow big. The two biggest that I ever cut off needed plasters, others not. I tried the knotted cotton thing. OWWWW! Definitely not trying that again.

I also suspect that people who are prone to skin tags may have something particular about their skin that makes it more likely that they grow them (in the presence of IR, of course). In my case, I have fair skin, prone to sun damage, am carrying the red headed gene and have a plethora of freckles and moles (not the raised kind). The skin tags are just one more skin thing, and are usually non-pigmented. The rest of my family - even the T2 diabetics - have more melanin, tan easily, and don't run to freckles, moles or skin tags.

Thanks for the heads up on the knotted cotton! I was considering doing it last night, but I was worried about the possibility of pain... don't like pain....

 

[Outlier]

Any takers for a spot of research?

I am fair-skinned with mid-brown hair (once!) small, and European ancestry. All immediate family had skin tags except auburn-headed (but not in my time) father. Willing to offer info for your research. Finding this thread revelatory!

 

[Hezzal]

Used to get them in my armpits and my neck. The doc never thought about what they could indicate, cut a couple off and told me I could do it at home with clean scissors and betadine! (Which I did do, for a couple of years.) And when I was finally diagnosed with T2, and started low carbing.... No more tags. Poof.

So have hope.

That’s how I was diagnosed.. went in for skin tags, came home with blood tests and then a diagnosis…

 

[AloeSvea]

Just a 'six months' later re my unsightly skin tag under my bottom lip... I got a third treatment with the liquid nitrogen, it didn't immediately drop off, but diminished finally, and then, after a week or so - dropped off. entirely Whew! Been able to buy new lipsticks etc since...

So yeah - painless, took three treatments, but finally worked....

 

[Outlier]

What a super result! You'll have to buy lots of lipsticks now.

 

[NeeNee87]

OMG I hate those things. I have skin tags on my neck and they are SOOO annoying. I thought they were hereditary but I guess maybe tied to diabetes from what I am reading here.

I also have the dark skin patches around my neck and armpits but I already knew that was tied to diabetes.

 

[HairySmurf]

This forum is wonderful! Now to Google what a betadine is and buy some newer, sharper scissors!

BTW I doubt anyone knows exactly how skin tags appear. There are lots of little trivial medical things like that which cause no harm or are easy to treat, or both, so nobody bothers with testing or research. Another one for me is Keratosis Pilaris - little red dots on the skin. No scissors cure with that one though