MamaBear (Toronto, Canada) on 12/16/2023
I have a flat black mole between my fingers. I used generic brand 2% iodine bought in Walmart for $3ish. I put 1 drop of iodine around 6-8 times a day, randomly. I did not cover the mole. I did poke & scratch the mole before applying the iodine. Which means poking & scratching 6-8 times a day. After 2 days the mole began to scab. After 4 days the scab began to peel. I stopped iodine at that point. I didn't think anymore iodine can penetrate through the scab. After 10 days, the scab has completely peeled off but some of mole remained. Will have to do this again to completely remove the mole.
Pro: iodine method works.
Con: it takes time and effort. Also, the skin around the mole where the iodine spread became dry and discolored. See pics. I suspect with time, it will revert back to normal skin. This method will not be good for the face.
Bethanny (Torrine) on 05/23/2023
I had a rather large, raised mole on my chin (been there since birth and steadily growing for 40 years). I applied apple cider vinegar to a small piece of cotton ball, secured with a bandaid and left on overnight -- I did this for a few days. The mole went red, then very dark black within a matter of days. I stopped doing the treatment overnight because my healthy skin around the mole became quite red and irritated. I can't quite remember the exact timing, but it was about a week when I was able to pick the mole off my chin. There was an open wound there for awhile. Then it healed over.
A piece of the mole was still there, I noticed, after some time, and it was starting to grow back, so I did the treatment again. This time, however, I gently roughened up the area with some sharp tweezers, to allow the vinegar to soak in better. I think this did help. And I only applied the apple cider vinegar with a Q-tip and/or a small piece of cotton ball, holding it in place for about an hour a night, rather than leaving the treatment on overnight. I did this for a few days and the remaining piece of mole withered up and died, too. Turned black, then into a scab, and then an open wound which healed up after a few days/a week.
Now I have smooth skin where the mole used to be, although there is still a bit of a discolouration / scar. However, I'd way rather have a bit of discolouration on my chin than the big unsightly mole. I think the discolouration may fade over time, but if it doesn't I don't care, as it's easily covered with a touch of makeup or just left alone, it looks fine.
For people doing this treatment, it does work, but I would NOT recommend leaving the apple cider vinegar on overnight with the bandaid, even if you do try to protect the skin around the mole -- the vinegar is very strong and it will burn your skin. It's not necessary to stay on that long -- Just spot-apply it with a Q-tip or small piece of cotton ball, and let it soak for an hour or two each day, for 2 - 3 days. If I ever do this treatment again that's what I'll do. Then the surrounding skin isn't irritated/burned, as that experience is quite painful and disconcerting.
This is a very cool treatment and I just wanted to let others know that it works, quite amazing!
Jessica (Binghamton, NY) on 04/28/2023
shania (oregon) on 08/16/2022
we5hoovers (Raleigh, NC) on 05/17/2022
Julie (CA) on 04/11/2022
RB (Somewhere in Europe) on 02/23/2022
1) I needed some 12% food-grade hydrogen peroxide, one Q-tip, some vitamin E oil, a lot of faith, and a lot of courage.
2) I didn't need any Band-Aids, balm, toothpicks, and or nail file.
3) My sun spot/liver spot was a perfectly flat, round-shaped, dark brown discoloration of about 4 or 5 mm in diameter.
4) On day 1, I dipped a Q-tip into the hydrogen peroxide and applied it directly onto the sun spot/liver spot.
5) I held it there until it started to whiten and bubble a bit. It did sting a little at first. IMPORTANT: This may sound counter-intuitive, but I did feel lucky when it did sting. This way I didn't have to use a nail file, or toothpick, before I applied the peroxide to my skin.
6) I did this 6 times throughout the day, and always left the sun spot/liver spot uncovered.
7) At night before going to bed, I did not apply any Band-Aid.
8) From days 2 through 8, I let the sun spot/liver spot to rest. I kept the area clean, but did not do anything to the sun spot/liver spot.
9) Between days 4 and 6, I noticed that the sun spot/liver spot had formed a hard, crusty top cover to it.
10) No, I did not pick it off..
11) On day 7 or 8, I noticed the hard and crusty top cover fell off, leaving a light brown spot that looked like my original sun spot/liver spot. There was no crater, or hole to it. The only difference was the improved color. Its color had changed. It went from very dark brown color to a pale brown color. And pale brown is better than very dark brown.
12) On day 9, I applied vitamin E oil over the entire area. And, after that, it looked perfectly healed.
NOTE: This improvement is permanent, therefore I could easily stop at this point. However, in a couple of weeks or so, I might repeat these steps 4 through 12, in order to arrive at a little bit lighter brown color.
Kate (Ontario) on 10/06/2021
I nuked skin cancer off my cheek with ACV and 35% Hydrogen Peroxide which left a real gnarly burn but after a few weeks of the above, I was right as rain. So much so that by the time my referral to the dermatologist came through, she said my skin looked really healthy and she didn't know why I was there!
Patrick (NJ) on 03/03/2021
Lemure (New York) on 01/22/2019
Then I tried Clove Essential Oil and it worked! I had a HUGE mole by my eye (bigger than a pencil eraser) which is almost gone after 1 week! SO FAST! All the other treatments seemed to take forever...
What I did was put 1 drop of undiluted Clove Essential oil on the mole, then mix 1 drop Clove with one drop of carrier oil and put that on a round band-aid and I kept that on the mole to keep it wet. (Keeping it wet keeps it from scabbing and makes it shrink more quickly.)
I remove the band-aid and do this same treatment daily - maybe 4-6 times per day with the clove oil straight, then half and half on the bandaid, and I slept with the band-aid, too. Only removed it for showers and then put it right back on.
Do not use more than 1 drop straight and always put the carrier oil on after! Otherwise it can burn you. I have been doing this same thing on tiny moles, without the band-aid - and those shrink too, but more slowly. The only trouble with this method is I got a scab where the band-aid touches my skin. Ive been applying lemon salve to the area before I put the band-aid on, so its not so bad, but I can see that discouraging others.
Get some salve before you start! All together, I bought: Clove Essential Oil, Lemon Butter Cuticle creme (I use as salve for everything, great stuff!), Maracuja oil as a carrier oil, and a box of round band-aids.
The moles that I have removed with this method shrink down to pore sized bump and the dark end just pops off like a black head; its very odd. I keep applying it to the raised bump that is left until there is nothing there.
Bart (MS/ USA) on 02/27/2019
Jason (CA) on 11/14/2020
Bart (MS/ USA) on 02/27/2019
Sky (Florida) on 11/02/2018
I have continued for about 10 years now and it's strange... it only targets one mole at a time. There have been about 5-6, maybe more, over the years. The process is always the same or similar. I don't freak out now, I count myself fortunate because I feel that these are/were the ones developing (or having) cancer. All matched the usual criteria for cancer - odd shaped, dark or partially black. I don't think the amount of ACV is as important as being consistent in drinking the ACV/water. I usually just toss a couple of big splashes into my large water bottle. I can tell you that if I stopped the ACV/water at any point in the process of it targeting a mole, the process also stopped.
A few times I was traveling and just found it too hard to continue during the trip. But when I returned and started the ACV again, then the process completed. I have been astounded. I wasn't taking the ACV for the moles. I had no idea it would solve this. I fell that our body can heal itself if we give it what it needs. I think the ACV used topically is probably similar in it's mechanism, but I do like the idea that my body is possibly taking the ACV tools I'm giving it to decide what needs to be addressed/healed. Maybe drinking it (as opposed to using topically) keeps other, more obscure, cancers in check, not just the ones I can see.
Shh (London) on 06/30/2018
Shelia (Tx) on 04/16/2018
Sophie (London ) on 04/05/2018
Mary (Sumner, Wa) on 03/21/2018
What can I do to reverse that darkening?
Millicent (France) on 11/16/2017
Pinkdamsel (West Orange, Nj) on 07/27/2017
I first learned about Bloodroot from Dr. Andrew Weil; in one of his books he described removing a growth on his dog and later medical students using it to remove moles. This sent me on a hunt for Bloodroot. I ended up purchasing an herbal product I THOUGHT was bloodroot at the time, but turned out not to have that specific ingredient. However, it did work, and apparently by the same mechanism as bloodroot.
It seems like most home remedies for mole removal are one of two types. The acid/caustic products burn the mole as well as any healthy skin they touch. That is why many recommend applying Vaseline or some other protectant to the skin around the mole before using the product. I believe garlic, and possibly ACV and iodine are examples of acid/caustic action. I have not tried any of these, but I would think scarring, etc. might depend on how precisely you apply the acid. Also, some products are stronger than others.
The other type, which includes bloodroot and the herbal product I used (maybe bananas also?), activates an immune response but does not damage healthy skin other than an initial irritation. In a few days the area becomes inflamed, a white ring usually forms around the mole. At that point you stop using the product and a scab forms. Eventually the scab falls off, leaving a crater that over several weeks/months fills in and heals. One theory I have read about how this works is that there is a microbe (virus) in the mole and the product removes the protein covering the microbe hides behind. The immune system then sees the microbe, shrieks “not self” and pushes it out of the body. It isn’t the product that removes the mole, it’s the immune system that does it and without affecting healthy tissue.
My experience: I purchased Bio-T and tried it on a small protruding mole in my armpit. Nothing happened after several days, I concluded it did not work and forgot about it. Several years later we were packing up to move and I came across the little pot of Bio-T and decided to try again. This time I used an emery board to rough up the mole – the very same mole I had tried before – then put on the Bio-T and a bandaid. Incidentally, they tell you not to use metal (something about changing the pH) or latex bandaids. Anyway, with the initial roughing, it worked as described, except it’s never clear to me exactly when the mole “falls out” – it’s just a messy little wound until it heals. I have since used it to remove another 6 moles, including 3 on my face (after deciding I would prefer a scar to the mole). Can barely see any scars, and only because I know they are there.
The mole looks worse, sometimes bigger, and very scary during this process unless you know what to expect. At the time I did my research there were a lot of photos on the web of moles in progress, so I did not panic.
I have not yet tried to remove my largest moles – most are on my back in hard-to-reach spots. The largest of all is on my breast, almost dime-size in circumference, and I’ve been wondering if I should try do a small area at a time. I’m also considering EVOCO; based on testimonials here about moles “rolling off in pieces” this seems like yet a third mechanism, perhaps the gentlest – and slowest! – one.
I’m still dithering ....