Can High Cholesterol Cause Skin Tags? Here’s What We Know – Health Digest

As explained by general practitioner specializing in dermatology, Dr. Finbar McGrady, via YouTube, metabolic syndrome is like the perfect storm that wreaks havoc on your body. Abdominal obesity, elevated levels of triglycerides, low levels of “good” cholesterol or high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), high blood pressure, and elevated levels of fasting blood sugar coming together in metabolic syndrome can manifest on your skin via skin tags, per the expert. 

It is also important to know that your cholesterol levels mean more than you think. Hyperlipidemia refers to having a high level of triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol in your blood. 

While there is no scientific data to point toward a direct link between high cholesterol and skin tags specifically, the concern here is with metabolic syndrome. In fact, a 2024 study published in Pediatric Dermatology even linked skin tags with metabolic syndrome in children under the age of 18. So, preventing skin tags is oftentimes going to be a matter of preventing metabolic syndrome.