People are interested in home removal of skin tags for all the reasons people are interested in home remedies for a wide variety of conditions. They want to avoid the cost and inconvenience of visiting a doctor for treatment. In addition, people sometimes worry about potentially harmful or unpleasant side effects from medical treatments often used for removing skin tags, like surgically removing them or freezing them off with liquid nitrogen.
Skin tags often do not require any treatment. Sometimes, though, they catch on clothing or jewelry and that can be painful and may also cause them to bleed. In some cases, even if they aren’t causing any problems, people want to remove them because they dislike the way the skin tags look.
Common Techniques for the Home Removal of Skin Tags
There are many home remedies commonly purported to help remove skin tags, but unfortunately, many do not really work. The following natural remedies probably won’t do any harm, but they probably won’t help, either.
Apple cider vinegar. Many internet sources suggest using apple cider for all sorts of problems, including skin problems like acne, wrinkles, and skin tags. Certainly, there is no harm in putting apple cider vinegar on skin tags, but we were unable to find any evidence at all that this will actually get rid of them.
Garlic. Garlic is believed to have many health benefits, including improving cardiovascular health, decreasing inflammation, and helping to fight infection. We found some suggestions that making a paste of raw garlic and applying it to skin tags would remove the skin tags. Skin tags are not caused by any type of infection or inflammation, though, and we found no actual evidence that this home remedy really works. In addition, the smell of raw mashed garlic might be off-putting to some people.
Lemon juice. Lemon juice is often suggested for treating many types of skin problems, including skin tags. Lemon juice is astringent and may help treat acne, oily skin, and certain other issues. We were not able to find any evidence that putting lemon juice on skin tags would reduce or eliminate them, though. It certainly won’t hurt, but probably won’t help, either.
Tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is an essential oil often used to treat a wide range of skin conditions, including acne, ringworm, athlete’s foot, warts, and toenail fungus. It is believed to have antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal properties. It’s been proven to be effective against some types of infections. Skin tags are not caused by any type of infection or fungus, though, so tea tree oil is not likely to be effective for treating them. Note that while tea tree oil is considered a very safe essential oil, some people are allergic to it and it may cause skin irritation in some cases.
Don’t Try This at Home
While many methods for the home removal of skin tags are harmless or ineffective, some are not so harmless. Definitely don’t try these methods at home.
Cutting off the skin tag or clipping it off with nail clippers. It may seem like it would be easy to cut off the skin tag yourself and it’s understandable that people prefer to avoid an expensive and time-consuming trip to a doctor for something so simple. Skin tags can bleed a lot when removed, though, and if you don’t use sterile instruments and sterile technique, like a doctor would, you can end up with a nasty infection. It can also hurt a lot.
Tying a string around the stalk of the skin tag. This is an old home remedy and the idea is that if you tie a string tightly around the stalk of the skin tag, the skin tag will die and fall off. It can lead to severe infection, though, and is definitely not recommended.
Our Preferred Method of Removing Skin Tags at Home
If you’re interested in the home removal of skin tags, we recommend a homeopathic treatment from Healing Natural Oils called H-Skin Tags Formula. Made in the USA from all-natural ingredients, it’s safe to use on skin tags anywhere on the body, including sensitive personal areas. It’s the most effective treatment for removing skin tags at home that we’ve found. Healing Natural Oils offers a 90-day money-back guarantee if you’re not fully satisfied with the results, so there’s nothing to lose. To learn more about H-Skin Tags Formula and to read reviews written by people that have tried it, just follow the links.
Additional Reading:
Skin Tag Removal Cream Reviews – What works best and is safe to use at home.
Skin Tags Caused By Hemorrhoids – Causes, treatment options. Hemorrhoids and rectal skin tags are treated differently; how to tell the difference.
Freezing Skin Tags – Information about cryosurgery, where liquid nitrogen is used to remove skin tags.
Pictures Of Skin Tags – See how skin tags can look different from person to person.