digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Dr. Ken Berry says skin tags are a warning sign of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes, and recommends a low-carb, keto, carnivore, Banting, or Atkins-style diet to reduce insulin and blood sugar so the tags shrink or go away. He argues that removing the tags alone does not address the underlying risk.
Key Points
- Dr. Berry says skin tags (acrochordons) are benign and never cancer, but claims the number of tags is directly associated with the risk of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes regardless of where they appear on the body.
- The speaker says the common explanation that skin rubbing on skin causes tags is insufficient, because many people with rubbing skin folds have no tags.
- Genetics and a possible viral component are mentioned, and he says these account for only a small share (about one or two percent each) of the risk of developing skin tags.
- The link between skin tags and obesity is explained as coming from the same metabolic process (insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia), not from obesity causing tags directly.
- Surgical removal is an option, but he says tags will return if the underlying problem is not corrected.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Reduce intake of carbohydrates, especially processed carbohydrates, by following a low-carb, keto, carnivore, Banting, or Atkins diet, which he says lowers blood sugar and insulin back to low normal and reduces hyperinsulinemia and blood sugar spikes. He also says that if you do have tags removed, you should correct the underlying diet to prevent recurrence.
- Common locations for skin tags he lists are around the eyes, neck, under the armpits, and in the groin area.
- He notes that skin tags do not typically go away on their own on a standard American or high-carbohydrate diet and tend to increase in number over the years.
- He cites user comments on his channel reporting tags disappearing after switching to these diets, and acknowledges this is anecdotal rather than from a controlled study.
- He says he has removed thousands of skin tags in his career, which he acknowledges is a profitable procedure, and that he prefers addressing the cause.
Bottom Line
Dr. Berry frames skin tags as a visible marker of insulin resistance and metabolic risk, and his advice is to treat the diet behind them rather than only removing the tags. He encourages viewers considering these changes to discuss them with their own doctor.
