Natural Skin Tag Removal: 7 Home Remedies for Skin Tags

Iodine

Posted by Erin (Riverside, CA) on 05/22/2007
★★★★★

I had two skin tags on my areola and being strapped for cash, I couldn't afford to pay a doctor to remove them. So I came on here and read about the iodine cure. It really works! I couldn't believe it. I used it 3x a day, sort of soaking the whole tag with the bottle applicator stick, then going over it with a small makeup brush to cover all the surface area. The smaller tag came off first when I pulled on it in the bathtub. The larger one took almost two weeks, but I was persistent and kept going. It got hard and sort of peeled, and then the "root" of the skin tag got smaller and smaller until it looked like it was going to fall off, but I had to help it by pulling a bit. It stung and bled a little, but all that was left was a tiny scab, which is gone now and there is absolutely no trace of either skin tag. The skin around it was stained for a few days but if that is the only side effect, then so be it! Much better than dealing with the doc and having to get referrals to a dermatologist. It only cost me 3 bucks. I'm amazed. Thanks for your advice everyone!

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by ChurpyBurd (Malaga, Spain) on 07/10/2023
★★★★★

I had a couple of tags on my neck making me look like an old woman. Giving them a firm rub with a QTip soaked in H2O2 caused them to foam up and open up. Not going to say it was comfortable - stung quite a bit - but repeat applications for a week dried them out and they scabbed up and fell off.

Going to try ACV and bandaid on less visible ones on my abdomen.

Five stars for effect - no scarring. But I think probably clipping them would be just as painful and probably shorter duration process.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by detroiter (Detroit, MI) on 12/18/2022
★★★★★

Everyone's body reacts differently to different remedies and I'm happy my body responded positively to apple cider vinegar. My skin tag dried up within a week and I was able to pull it off. I believe if I had been consistent, it would have dried sooner. I soaked the little pad of a band-aid and wore it overnight. if I get anymore that bother me I will definitely use ACV again.

A String Tied Around the Skin Tag

Posted by Janis (Mn) on 02/08/2018
★★★★★

I realized I had a white skin tag on the front of my tongue. I had read that using a tied string wouldn't work because of the skin tag being on the tongue, but I thought "What do I have to lose?" It took a little patience because the string (dental floss) wanted to slip right off. But I got it on and kept it on for about an hour, giving the ends of the floss a little tug occasionally to keep the knot tight. I didn't think it had helped, but the next day, the skin tag looked a little bit different. So I repeated the dental floss knot and after about an hour, the whole thing fell right off!

Dry Ice

Posted by Stuman (Oceanside, Ca) on 12/29/2016
★★★★★

Dry ice is effective for removal of skin tags. When applied, I crack the larger piece of dry ice to make a pointed piece that I can hold in a towel. I touch the dry ice to the skin tag until it becomes white and frozen - about 3-5 seconds. The skin tags usually fall off within the week.

This technique has risks for freezer burn of the surrounding skin.

Under the thread skin tag theory I found sugar may be the cause. I thought this was important so I'm posting here as well.

It's Dec 29 and I just noticed some new skin tags on my neck. One in particular is large and itchy; it wasn't there last month. The association between sugar and skin tags seems to be true for my body type. During this holiday season, I've been drinking ginger beer which has a lot of sugar.

Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Jaja (Chicago) on 03/20/2016
★★★★★

I had a cluster of skin tags in my armpit where the skin becomes irritated from my bra. The largest one was about the size a 2 grains of rice. I tried tea tree oil and it was 100% successful.

Because I'm impatient, I went with undiluted tea tree oil. I put some on a cotton ball and then taped the cotton ball to the armpit and wore it all day. (At first I used a band-aid, but the tea tree oil literally dissolved the band-aid. Then I switched to a cotton ball secured with the white medical tape.)

Two drawbacks in doing it this way - it irritates your skin badly and you smell strongly of tea tree oil. Under the cottonball, the skin area became red and scaly and raw, and of course so did the skin tags. After 4-7 days of this, they all basically dissolved. However it was a little painful due to the irritation, especially the skin tags themselves were painful during treatment as the outer layers of skin just basically peeled away. Months later, they are starting to come back, so to manage them I will now use a q-tip and apply the tea tree oil just to the skin tag each night before bed. This way I avoid smelling too much like tea tree oil during the day and it is not as painful as the extreme cotton ball method.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Pd (Oregon, US) on 08/13/2014
★★★★★

I am 62 and a skin tag / mole popped up on my right shoulder out of the blue --- so I had my husband ruff it up with a emery board -- just slightly and then put a drop of hydrogen peroxide on it and within doing this for a week --- IT IS GONE ---- easy and no surgery --

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Ct (Somewhere in Texas, Usa) on 05/28/2013
★★★★★

I think what I had was a skin tag! The tag was on my back and I could only see it by holding a hand mirror above sholder level and viewing my back in the bathroom mirror. The tag was in the middle of my back, slightly to right (or to the left looking in the mirror! ). It had been there some time, and I paid it little attention. However, as it grew, I could feel it when leaning back in my office chair. It had grown to about the size and shape of a No2 Pencil eraser.

Fortunately, I could just reach it by extending my left arm over my right sholder, and so I taped a cotton ball soaked in ACV over it each night before going to bed. I did this every night for about sixty days (two - thirty band aids - packs) by which time the tag dissolved, leaving just a small spot about the size of a freckle or mole.

I learned early on to sleep on a towel as the Apple Cider Vinegar stained my sheets when I rolled over on my back during sleep. Marvelous stuff this ACV!

Juicing

Posted by Glen (Derby, Ny) on 01/05/2013

I'm 50 and had a rather large skin tag on my bottom eye lid for some time which began looking like a head of cauliflower. I started juicing vegetables several weeks earlier for basic better health reasons and to my amazement the tag is complete gone. I juice carrots, apples, kale, parsley, garlic, ginger and sweet potatoes. If this is the result from juicing I can only imagine what it has done for my insides. This is the only possible reason since I have not made any other changes. Good luck to all.

Scissors

Posted by Chuck (London, Uk) on 12/06/2012
★★★★★

I developed skin tags in my armpits some 20 years ago (gawd) and they have always been a source of embarrassment for me. I would say 10-15 on each side; not big and they didn't bother me at all. Actually, I had (hee hee) one big one on each side - big as in 1cm long and thin.

Also, I have (sorry, had :)) one medium one and about 4-6 small ones on my neck.

Anyway, as you might imagine I hated them. I am just remembering now that when I was 29 I went to the GP (Family Doctor) and he pulled a face and said that there were "too many" to do anything with (he should be struck-off - he really failed me; I wonder how many other people he has really failed also. All while taking a big fat salary and pension). If I was embarressed before, I was now mortified... I have been meaning to do something... But what. I have been so busy and they weren't bugging me (until my sister... SISTERS! ... Said on holiday once, in a very loud voice "Ughhhhh... what are those").

Over the years I have tried all sorts - alcohol, Tee Tree Oil, lots. Anyway last week I came across this site (magic! ) and I decided to try the iodine - I had some in the cupboard (I put it on the kids for any scrape / cut). Two days of hiding in my bedroom slathered in iodine... Go on, it is funny (the family were off seeing relatives). They did look a bit bothered, but not anywhere near bothered enough for my liking. Iodine on my shirt, on the floor, pyjamas and the towel... ughhh.

Now, I don't have heaps of time to spend on this. I want them gone, but I can't sit around for hours slathered in this and that; I have kids and a job and a wife etc etc. So, I spied those scissors in a pot in the bathroom... Hmmmmm... These little fellers have bothered me too long. I decided to cut off one of the big boys (1cm, not really big) and see about the pain / blood. I rubbed iodine into the scissors (I am sure that there are better ways - boiling / alcohol, but I was on a roll and there was to be no stopping me) and into/around the skin tag.

'Snip', almost no pain ( not even a pinch's worth) and almost no blood. I put a plaster on it and the.... The mad glint in my eye... this was good, really good (should have done it years ago - silly me).

I snipped all the ones on my neck off (fabidoodah). Yes, a little bit of blood - much less than a cut finger. Probably all amounted to 2 drops. Slapped plasters on. There was one that was half mole and half skin tag... you got it, that came off too (not the mole bit).

Actually, I should have gotten better scissors - I do have some, it's a question of finding them. I had to 'trim' a couple of them back a couple of times to get the whole tag off. And one was a bit tough and needed to be snipped by the sharper bit of the scissor blade. Afterwards I trimmed a bit of my hair... I only mention this (as I had evidently gone mad - joking) as it became about the same level of 'intervention', if you like.

This all happened 10 minutes ago and I am now sitting here with about 10 plasters on and happy, happy, happy.

This is phase 1. The underarmers (phase 2) will go either with scissors (which I am really happy with) or with string (which I am intrigued by).

The big thing is though, I am back in control. And it feels good.

Thank you Earth Clinic - I clearly needed some encouragement.

One last bit of advice - I am an expert now, remember. It would be easier if you could get someone else to do the snipping... I didn't as I am too embarrassed about them and the moment of their demise came and I had to do it then!

Anyway, don't wait - Go for it NOW and in 10 minutes you will be sitting there with a few plasters on and the hugest smile.

Iodine

Posted by Wke (Mountain City, Tn/usa) on 07/07/2011
★★★★★

Apply topical iodine directly to the skin tag; do not use a bandage. Yes, often it burns, but the skin tag disappears in 48 hours.

Iodine

Posted by Ed157 (Los Angeles, Ca, Us) on 10/17/2010
0 out of 5 stars

Yep, I burnt the top layer of skin off of my face. Be careful. I now have a large rectangular wound on my face the size and shape of the bandage part of the band aid, I guess the skin around the eyes is thin, I hope it doesn't leave a scar. I would not advise doing the soaked bandaid with iodine tip on the face.

A String Tied Around the Skin Tag

Posted by Karen (Channel Islands, Uk) on 05/06/2010
★★★★★

skin tag cures

For me, the most successful was the cotton-tying method. Tried the iodine and tea tree oil without success. The cotton method worked well, and within just a few days the tags had discoloured, dried and fallen off-amazing! You have to take the time to tie the cotton just right, and I left quite long strings, so that I could pull it a little tighter, after a while. You can tell within a few hours if you have tied it correctly, as it starts to discolour, and 'picks' a bit. If not, take it off and tie again-it's worth the small effort. I had about 10 fairly prominent tags around my neck which have gone, and no scarring! An excellent remedy-thank you!

A String Tied Around the Skin Tag

Posted by Cynthia (Jacksonville, Alabama) on 04/19/2010
★★★★★

I had a skin tag that eventually grew to about the size of a lentil behind my ear on my neck. I tried a lot of things of what ppl have put on here, including putting aspirin paste and a bandaid, acv, and even calcium mixed with lemon juice which normally works very well for blemishes. I tried tying a piece of thread on it tighter and tighter every few days for 2 weeks. It just got bigger and bigger and looked like a giant swollen tick. Finally I bit the bone and did what some have said on here and had my husband cut it off with a razor blade after I put some ice on it to numb it a little. He was scared to do and and wouldn't at first, but after 3 more days, I forced him. It took a micro second and hurt less than anything you can imagine. Just a tiny scratch and boy what a relief. The thread had made the connection of it to my neck extremely small, but my hubby couldn't tell that until he cut it off. Boy was that a relief to have that annoying thing gone, and have a flat smooth neck again. It didn't even bleed hardly a speck . Believe me, that was an experience. Thanks to this site and everyone with their sharing. Next time, I'll probably just cut them off, it's not worth all the trouble. I'd been living with that for years, it was SO nice to have it finally gone! Bless you all~

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Liz (Alberta) on 05/27/2015
★☆☆☆☆

I was very hopeful about trying ACV to treat my anal skin tag, which has been around since my daughter was born over 10 years ago. I just wanted things to get back to normal on by bottom. Probably one last grasp to retain my youthful state of being.

Well, after 6 days I had to stop. Not only did my skin tag not fade away, turn black and fall off or any of the other exciting things people said happened, the ACV seemed to have irritated the area so much that my hemorrhoids came back in full force, which is funny because other forums report ACV helping treat hemorrhoids.

My bottom is raw and inflamed with hemorrhoids - I thought the skin tag was interfering with my sex life!

Possibly if I kept going maybe something would have happened, but it seems counter productive to be trying to fix one problem and bring on a few more. Not to mention, the pain seemed awfully punishing (possibly for stupidity) and I have an extremely high tolerance for pain.

Maybe it has worked for some but for others like me - wish I would have just stuck with the ugly skin tag. At least I wouldn't have to be having 3 sitz baths a day and using aloe vera, witch hazel, Destin, and whatever other products 5 times a day to try to fix this mess before I go away for the weekend.

Vanity will get you in the butt every time.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Rhonda (Morton, PA) on 05/15/2007
★★★★★

I began taking 2 TBSP organic ACV, 1 TBSP organic Honey and 8oz. Distilled Water 1X per day and my skin tags are going away. I noticed they started drying up and after only 4 days after taking this drink daily and it was totally unexpected. I also have more energy and my face looks clearer. I am going to continue this 5 days on and 2 days off and see what else happens! I also wanted to say thanks to everyone who contributes to this website it's got a ton of great info. I could get lost on this site for days!

Iodine

Posted by Lisa (Lafayette, La) on 09/26/2010

Lauren, I beg to differ with you. I just noticed last night that the mole that I had been applying iodine to on my torso (side) had disappeared after using the iodine for about 2 weeks. It is gone. Gone.

Aloe, Lemon and Tea Tree Oils

Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 08/29/2023
★★★★★

Lemon Oil and Tea Tree Oil and Aloe Gel for Armpit Skin Tags

I've been using myself as a guinea pig to see if this technique worked. I've had clusters of tiny skin tags pop-up all over both armpits for some odd reason. Since it was a skin sensative area and I'm to lazy to apply any ointment several times daily so that's not an option.

I read over on EarthClinic HPV treatment page using lemon oil to treat HPV warts. So I'm thinking to myself there has to be an easy way to apply this so here is what I came up with.

Recipe:

- one teaspoon Aloe Vera Gel placed into a small bowl (I use fruit of the earth brand)

- two drops of Lemon essential oil

- two drops of Tea Tree oil

Method:

Squirt about a teaspoon of aloe gel into a small bowl.

Add essential oils on top of gel.

Use your finger to mix til uniformed.

Apply this mixture equally to each armpit. Do this after morning shower and before bed time (2x daily).

Results:

It has now been 7 days since I started doing this and most of the tiny hard bumps in my armpit are all gone. Only 3 are left but much smaller in size. I will continue this for another week.

Conclusion:

This technique does work and with little effort. Also, I noticed this works great as a deodorant.

Moxa Mini-Cones

Posted by Betty (CA) on 03/09/2022

I just watched a youtube video by a dr who said skin tags might be viral in nature but one thing he pointed out is they are mostly correlated to insulin factors, pre diabetes and type II.

Greater Celandine Tincture

Posted by Anne (Australia) on 12/26/2021
★★★★★

I noticed a skin tag near my anus a few months ago. I came onto earthclinic and followed some advice offered. I started with tea tree - neat on the skin, a few drops on the palm and then transferred direct and neat onto the skin tag. Did it twice a day, once in the morning and again at night. I kept at it for about two weeks, and much as I would like believe otherwise, it didn't shrink. I gave up with tea tree and left it as is I then tried iodine. I have Lugol's iodine 2%, again, onto my palm and then neat onto the skin tag. Did it on and off every few days but I noticed it got bigger. It seemed to have swelled up and got bigger. I gave up on iodine. I left it as is and figured, at some point in time, I'll head off to the doctor's clinic and get them to nitrogen it. Didn't do anything else for a few more weeks but it definitely got bigger.

By chance, I found a bottle of greater celandine tincture in my drawer. I knew it was warts and stuff but not sure about skin tag and keloids. It was a 15 year old bottle of tincture and I figured there was nothing effective about it but before I threw the bottle out, why not do something with it. I applied again, a few drops to the palm and transferred to the skin tag. Some days later, I checked it and it was shrivelling. The 'plumbness' that it felt was shrivelling. I applied it again. Left it for another two days. it shrivelled more. I applied it twice more, a few days apart each and yesterday, having forgotten about it over the festive season, I could barely find it. It was the size of a raisin previously and it was definitely less than 1/5th of the original. I will apply it again and I am quite confident I can rid of it.