Why do I have so many skin tags?

I have skin tags all over my chest and back and sides.  I had them twice taken off, but they keep coming bag and
as I am getting older (now 40) they seem to be getting worse and larges in size.  My mother and sister have the same skin tags as me.  I want to know what my options are as to getting rid of them completely.  They itch sometims and are just very bothersome and embarrising looking.  

Why do I have these in the first place?  I got them after my first pregnancy 13 yrs. ago.

thank you!

[louise72]

I got alot of skin tags on my neck and around my breasts when I was pregnant as well it must be a pregnancy thing.  

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

Skin tags are very common soft harmless lesions that appear to hang off the skin. They  develop in both men and women as they grow older and most often found in the skin folds (neck, armpits, groin). They also tend to be more numerous in obese persons and in those with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Skin tags are made up of loosely arranged collagen fibers and blood vessels surrounded by a thickened or thinned-out epidermis.  The cause is not clear but is associated with : irritation from skin rubbing together; high levels of growth factors, particularly during pregnancy or in acrogmegaly; insulin resistance; or human papilloma virus.  Skin tags can be removed for cosmetic reasons by:  cryotherapy , surgical excision, electrosurgery  or ligation.

Take care and regards.