How to remove skin tags at home

This is a common method practised to remove skin tags among the general population. People at home make use of a string or dental floss to tie the skin tag around and block the blood supply to the tag. As you know, every living structure needs food and nutrients to survive or grow, and when the essential elements for survival are cut off, skin tags start shrinking and eventually fall off the site.

Follow these steps to remove skin tags by using string or floss:

• First of all, clean the affected area with the spirit or any antiseptic astringent
• Take an adequate length of string or dental floss
• Tie the skin tag with the string or floss tightly without hurting yourself
• Leave it for 3 to 6 days
• In between, you might need to tighten the string or floss every day as the tag stats to reduce in size
• After a few days, the tag will fall off automatically

Tip: Recurrence of skin tags is not been seen usually, however, you can develop skin tags on other parts of the body where they are meant to grow anyway.

There are also few mechanical devices available commercially to help remove skin tags. Mechanism and function remain the same as that of string or floss, although the mechanical device is more effective and specific as they are only meant for removing skin tags.

A clinical trial done on removal of skin tags by a mechanical device, on 32 patients with 177 skin tags in total has shown surprising results. Astonishingly, almost 90% of the patient got the skin tags removed within 2-3 days. The study demonstrates that the rate of success depends on the effective amount of blood supply blockage.

Usually, after eating the banana, you throw away the peel considering it of no use. What if you get to know, it holds the potential to make your skin tags disappear, you will hopefully change this habit. Banana peel contains proteolytic enzymes, which are supposed to break down the structural integrity of these outgrowths hanging on your body. In fact, it has shown promising results in resolving warts. However, there is no established research to confirm the benefits of banana peel in skin tag removal.

Although, If you still want to give this remedy a try, follow these steps for application:

• Take a small piece of banana peel as per the area covered by the skin tag
• Tape the banana peel to the affected area
• Let it stay overnight
• Follow this practice daily for at least a week or until the tag goes away
• You can also scrape the inside of a banana peel and tape it to the skin tag to bring the same result

(Read more: Banana benefits and uses)

There is probably no other vitamin as popular and well known for its skin benefits as vitamin E. It is not only used in the form of capsules but also it is added as an important ingredient in a lot of dermatological preparations. It doesn’t take an expert to know the antioxidant and antiageing effects of vitamin E. But did you ever imagine it can cut down those horrible tags from your body as well. Yes, it can get rid of skin tags effectively. All you need to do is:

• Clean the area around the skin tag including the skin tag
• Take a vitamin E capsule, prick a hole into it and apply a few drops of oil on the skin tag
• Repeat the application few times a day until the skin tags get cut off
• You might feel a slight burning sensation on the application of vitamin E oil
• Discontinue the use if burning becomes severe or redness develops

(Read more: Skin allergy, causes, treatment)

Tea tree oil is such as boon for your skin that it would be wrong to skip this dermatological miracle while listing remedies for a skin problem. This aromatic essential oil is derived from leaves of tea tree, a native of Australia. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find in your local supermarket. Thanks to the growing love for natural and alternative remedies, tea tree oil has gained a special place in almost every other heart. Unlike other remedies tea tree oil doesn’t have many side effects on your skin, which makes it a potentially safer and convenient option for skin tag removal. Also, continuous application of tea tree oil can gradually prevent skin tags from appearing anywhere on the body and impart a perfectly smooth and glowing texture to your skin. Isn’t that just perfect!

All you need to do is to follow the below-mentioned steps of using tea tree oil to get rid of skin tags:

• Clean the area with an antiseptic astringent and let it dry
• Take a cotton ball and put 2 to 3 drops of tea tree oil onto it
• Apply it on the skin tag for few minutes
• Repeat the application of this amazing essential oils 3 times a day until the skin tag disappears

As a word of caution, not all essential oils are safe to be applied directly on the skin, so before you use this oil just check the bottle once for instruction. For extra safety, you can just dilute the oil by mixing 2-3 drops of tea tree oil in a carrier oil like coconut oil or almond oil.

There are various beneficial effects of garlic as far as the general health of an individual is concerned.  When it comes to dermatological benefits of garlic, it does not lag behind either. There are enormous benefits of garlic on the skin right from the treatment of psoriasis, warts to skin cancer. However, when it comes to skin tags removal with garlic, there is minimal scientific research and evidence. Although garlic is successfully used to remove cutaneous corn ( a horn like outgrowth on the skin) and warts, the same cannot be said certifiably for skin tags.

But since garlic has the ability to shed skin layers along with the breakdown of skin fibres, it may help in removing skin tags. Here is how you can use garlic for skin tags:

• Make a paste of few garlic cloves
• Apply only needed amount of paste over the skin tag, avoiding the surrounding skin
• Remove it after 5 to 10 minutes of application
• Repeat it 2 to 3 times a day for a few days until garlic dissolves the skin tag completely

Tip: Garlic can cause a chemical burn to the applied area, so you should be very cautious while using garlic on skin. This practice should not be encouraged widely as side effects cannot be controlled by the individual often.

The main reason behind the use of vinegar to remove skin tags is its acidic nature. Vinegar is weak acids and contains 4 to 8% of acetic acid content, which helps corrode the skin near the skin tag and ease its removal. However, this can also cause skin irritation and adverse effects on healthy skin surrounding skin tags. In fact, studies reveal that using ACV for skin problems leads to skin erosion, especially when you apply undiluted vinegar. So, if you are someone who is giving a thought to apple cider vinegar for removing skin tags, be very cautious while using it and in case of any reaction or adverse effects, immediately stop the treatment and consult a doctor for the same.

That said, here is how you can use apple cider vinegar for skin tag removal:

• Soak a tiny cotton ball in vinegar
• Apply it for 10 minutes on the skin tags to let it work its magic
• Repeat the application 2 to 3 times a day for a few days until the skin tags leave the surface completely