Type 2 diabetes is a pathology that often progresses in the shadows, without noise. However, the body sometimes sends discreet warning signals before the disease takes permanent hold.
Between normal blood sugar levels and proven diabetes, there is a pivotal area: prediabetes. This is a blood sugar level measured twice in a row, between 1.10 g/L and 1.26 g/L. At this stage, the situation is still reversible, provided we know how to interpret the early signs, particularly those which appear on our skin.
Skin tags: sentinels of your metabolic health
Often confused with warts, skin tags are small pieces of soft skin, the color of the integument or slightly darker. They are generally found in fold areas: neck, armpits or groin. If they are most of the time benign, their multiplication can be revealing.
“Persistent skin abnormalities may reflect a deeper metabolic imbalance” confirms Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of True Medical.
Indeed, insulin is a hormone that stimulates cell growth. When a state of insulin resistance sets in, the body produces more of it, which can cause abnormal proliferation of these small skin growths.
Why does prediabetes promote these growths?
The link between the skin and sugar metabolism is close. In the prediabetes phase, cells become less sensitive to insulin. To compensate, the pancreas runs at full speed. This excess insulin circulating in the blood acts like a “fertilizer” on certain skin cells.
Dr Kierzek reminds us that vigilance is required. “Any unusual appearance of chronic or multiple skin lesions should be the subject of a consultation.” This is especially true if these signs are accompanied by persistent fatigue, unexplained weight gain or slower healing than usual.
Risk factors and associated causes
If blood sugar imbalance is a major suspect, other factors promote the appearance of skin tags. Overweight and obesity are often on the front line, particularly because of maceration in skin folds, but not only that. Among the other causes identified, we find:
- Heredity: genetic predispositions exist;
- Hormonal variations: as during pregnancy;
- High blood pressure: often linked to metabolic syndrome;
- Aging: which is accompanied by a natural relaxation of the tissues.
Should they be removed?
From a strictly medical point of view, ablation is not obligatory because these lesions are not cancerous. However, they can become annoying. We recommend consulting a dermatologist to remove them if they are located in areas of friction (shirt collar, bra straps, belt) or if they become painful due to repeated sticking. The motivation is also frequently aesthetic, these skin “teats” sometimes being sources of complexes.
In short, skin tags are not simple age-related skin imperfections. If they occur suddenly and numerously, they constitute a real alarm signal.
By consulting your doctor for a blood sugar test, you could act in time. Because, as Dr Kierzek reminds us, when faced with prediabetes, “nothing is irreversible”: a change in lifestyle is often enough to restore balance.