Obesity
An obese person is at a higher risk for skin tags, not only due to the general effects of weight gain but also to the hormonal changes in the body with obesity. Hormones like estrogen and insulin affect the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, which are necessary for normal skin health.
They can also affect the immune system, which controls what cells are accepted or rejected in the human body. Some people may carry a genetic predisposition toward skin tags, which means that they may develop them even without an increase in weight. They are more likely to create these tags after increased weight gain or during pregnancy.
As far as actual causes go, there is no single cause of skin tags; obesity can be considered a cause if it increases your overall risk. However, if you’re overweight or obese, there are steps you can take to lose weight and keep it off—keeping your BMI within a healthy range is one way to reduce your risk for skin tags. In addition, some evidence suggests that excess sugar consumption can increase your chances of developing skin tags, so reducing sugar intake might help lower your risk even further.
