Skin Tags (Acrochordon)

An acrochordon (plural acrochorda, and also known as a cutaneous skin tag or fibroepithelial polyp is a small benign tumour that forms primarily in areas where the skin forms creases, such as the neck, armpit, and groin. They may also occur on the face, usually on the eyelids. Acrochorda are harmless and typically painless, and do not grow or change over time. Though tags up to a half-inch long have been seen, they are typically the size of a grain of rice. The surface of an acrochordon may be smooth or irregular in appearance and is often raised from the surface of the skin on a fleshy stalk called a peduncle. Microscopically, an acrochordon consists of a fibro-vascular core, sometimes also with fat cells, covered by an unremarkable epidermis. However, tags may become irritated by shaving, clothing or jewelry. Very large skin tags may burst under pressure.

Mycosis Fungoides

Mycosis fungoides (also known as Alibert-Bazin syndrome or granuloma fungoides), is the most common form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. It generally affects the skin, but may progress internally over time.

Mycosis fungoides was first described in 1806 by French dermatologist Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert. The name mycosis fungoides is somewhat misleading–it loosely means “mushroom-like fungal disease”. The disease, however, is not a fungal infection but rather a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It was so named because Alibert described the skin tumors of a severe case as having a mushroom-like appearance.