Skin tags are small, fleshy skin growths that generally develop in middle age. According to the Medical News Today website, skin tags are common. The website estimates that nearly half the population either has or will develop skin tags. While they are benign and not contagious, they can be unsightly. Clothing and jewelry can become snagged on them, and this can cause the tag and surrounding skin to become irritated. Skin tags can be treated in several ways. A dermatologist might remove a skin tag through cauterization (electrical burning), cryotherapy (freezing), or incision. Home remedies include tying the skin tag off with string or dental floss or "burning" it off with a wart-removing compound.
Step 1
Consult your doctor before using wart remover on a skin tag. Skin tags are soft tissue. Most wart-removing compounds contain salicylic acid, which can irritate or injure soft tissue.
Step 2
Moisten a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol. Use this to clean the skin tag and surrounding skin.
Step 3
Protect the skin surrounding the skin tag by applying petroleum jelly around the base of the peduncle, the stalk-like structure that supports the head of the skin tag.
Step 4
Numb the skin tag by holding an ice cube to it for five minutes. You could also apply a topical anesthetic.
Step 5
Apply one drop of wart removing compound to the head of the skin tag. If a second drop is needed, apply that. A crust will appear where the wart remover was applied. Leave this alone.
Step 6
Repeat every 24 hours until the skin tag falls off. After the skin tag has fallen off, cleanse the surrounding skin with rubbing alcohol.
Things You'll Need
- Rubbing alcohol
- Cotton balls
- Petroleum jelly
- Ice cube or topical anesthetic
- Over-the-counter (OTC) wart remover
