Anal skin tags

[GirlwiththeCurl]

Have any of you dealt with anal skin tags? My son S (the underweight one that I'm taking to see L's GI next Monday) has had something that looks like a skin tag since he was born. Here's why I'm asking: his tag isn't on the surface of his anus. It is sometimes visible (often after a bowel movement) and sometimes it retracts into the anus and cannot be seen at all. I've searched around and I can't find any mention of such a thing happening, and pictures (yes, I've searched for pictures of anal skin tags online :shifty-t don't really look the same. It's not a hemorrhoid.

The ped, when I asked about it when he was really young (like his 2-wk appt, I think) said it wasn't all that unusual but ought to be removed at some point because they tend to get infected. But I remember her searching around for the attachment point and not being able to find it, too.

So... any idea if that is really normal?

 

[my little penguin]

What your describing sounds like rectal prolapse
Where part of the intestine/rectum prodrudes through the anus and retracts on its own
It can be partial or full prolapse
Very common in underweight kids under the age of 4
Also common with cystic fibrosis
Ds had reoccurring rectal prolapse at age 7 at dx due to inflammation/constipation

Pictures online look way worse than in real life

His GI dx it
The child bears down like having a bowel movement and then the GI would be able to see the prolapse

Good luck with the appt

 

[my little penguin]

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/931455-overview#a3
Warning graphic pictures

 

[GirlwiththeCurl]

Thanks, mlp!! I read a bit about rectal prolapse from your link, and I actually think it might be an extruded rectal polyp, which is one of the differential diagnoses of prolapse. It's kind of weird in that it seems to be a blob of tissue on a stalk, which then is sometimes extruded and sometimes retracted, and when I looked it up a rectal polyp can grow like a mushroom on a stalk. Anyway, I'll make sure the GI knows all about it.

That 'skin tag' has been driving me nuts for a while, now.