Leelannee (Sussex, Nj) on 08/31/2009:
For anyone concerned about irritating the surrounding skin: dip a cotton swab in oil, draw a circle around the skin tag, apply your remedy to the skin tag ONLY (with a q-tip or by using a band-aid)I had 3 skin tags on my neck, treated all 3 with iodine (I use a natural, clear supplement that has 600mcg iodine per drop).
Two of the skin tags were very tender, so I did not want to try the nail clippers!!!
#1) I put 3 drops of iodine on the pad of a band-aid & applied to skin tag. It burned for a few minutes. When I removed the band-aid 3 hours later, the skin tag had turned grey & lost all sensation (it was irritated just prior to treatment); I was able to pull it off with tweezers with no pain or bleeding. There was a square of reddened skin that returned to normal within 48 hours.
#2) I repeated the above but left the band-aid on overnight. This tag was on the back of my neck & slightly larger. When I removed the band-aid, the tag had again become painless & I was able to pull it off, but there was slight bleeding which stopped immediately upon being blotted with tissue. This time I had a dark line-shaped "burn" from the iodine, the size of the edge of the pad. In less than a week it has faded.
#3) I painted oil around the 3rd tag before applying the iodine-on-a-band-aid. This tag was not painful. After 3 hours, pulled tag off with tweezers, no irritation on surrounding skin!
I just wanted to pass this along because many posters are reporting that they had to paint their tags for several days, and mine came off within hours. However, mine were quite small. Good luck!
Tara (Palmerston North, New Zealand) on 06/23/2009:
I applied lugols iodine a few times (or when I remembered) on a small skin tag under my arm (that I'd had for a few years) and always had to shave around. I then suddenly noticed about 3 weeks later it was gone! I then tried another skin tag and this time applied a drop or so every day and this time watched it gradually disapear over another period of about 3 weeks. Yeah! No more skin tags!
Tina (Edgecomb, Maine USA) on 02/24/2009:
Iodine has taken care of my skin tags - Ive been using it for about a week on several small tags around my neck and upper chest (treating them once a day )and they're going or gone. - I'm telling everyone about your site I think it's wonderful
Matt (Boston, MA) on 07/08/2008:
After reading the comments on here, i purchased a bottle of iodine tincture and proceeded applied it 2 times/day to my skin tag over a 3-week period. for the first week or so, i was diligent about (lightly) scraping the outer layer of the tag with a pocket knife before applying. after about a week the tag had become enlarged and quite sore, but i figured i'd stick it out. the soreness did later subside, but the tag remained enlarged and after 3 weeks i decided enough was enough...it simply was not working. I guess iodine works for some people, but it just left me with a big ugly, sore skin tag and some discolored and dry, scaley skin near the tag.
KellyK (Little Silver, NJ USA) on 04/11/2008:
I tried the iodine for my skin tags and it worked!! I had about 9 small skin tags around my neck from when I was pregnant.They were really starting to bother me and just looked so unsightly. I spend $1.69 on the iodine at the local drug store, put it on the skin tags twice a day. After 1 week most were gone but the stubborn ones, they took 2 weeks. The area around them also became dry so be sure to use some anti bacterial cream once they fall off. Im so glad I found this site, now i can enjoy the summer and not worry about those annoying skin tags.
Chris (Houston, Texas) on 02/24/2008:
I am 37 years old. I began to get skin tags sometime after 30. Both my mother and my grandmother have skin tags. I have in the past cut them off with nail clippers. That worked, but I have a hard time being brave enough to do that!! I tried the Iodine cure. I bought a bottle of 2% iodine from my local grocery store. I applied it morning and night to three skin tags. Two were inside my belly button and one on my hip. The belly button ones really bug me. After one week, one completely fell off in the shower, and the other one is shrinking and drying up. The hip one turned dark, and is hard, and seems like it will fall off soon. The hip one is bigger, so naturally I imagine it will take a little longer. I am so excited to have found a painless cure! Thank you earth clinic!
Diane (Burbank, California) on 08/15/2007:
I read here something about iodine curing skin tags, so I decided what the heck. I used the iodine twice a day on a skin tag on my underarm, and nothing much happened for a while, other than the skin around it getting red and irritated, but then this morning, the skin tag was black. Later on, when I went to check it, it was gone!! Wow - it really works. Thank you for this informative and fun website.