By Betsy Jabs
Learn how to remove skin tags with these 5 strategies to help you get rid of them naturally. They’re not problematic but many want them gone.
Next to warts, one of the questions I get the most is how to remove skin tags. Skin tags are fleshy bumps that can be anywhere from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a pea. Technically called acrochordons or cutaneous papilloma, the benign growths of skin are more annoying than problematic. Let’s discuss how to remove skin tags naturally.
Skin Tags: What Where and Why
There really is no scientific consensus on why people get skin tags. Studies have shown a correlation between adult-onset diabetes and the development of benign growths, but the results are not conclusive.¹ Skin tags show up more often in people who are overweight. They tend to occur where the skin folds and there is friction, such as in the groin area, on the neck, in armpits, and on the thighs. They are also common on the eyelids. A lot of folks want to know how to remove skin tags because they’re visible.
Adult-onset diabetes tends to be related to obesity and when we are overweight we tend to have more areas of skin folds and friction. For this reason, I think it’s more likely that friction encourages the skin tags and it’s less likely related to the inability to process carbohydrates.
Studies have also confirmed a connection between skin tags and human papillomavirus (HPV).
This result corroborates the hypothesis that HPV plays a part in the etiology of benign lesions like cutaneous soft fibromas.[2]
Finally, it seems that you have a greater chance of developing skin tags if someone in your family has them. Whatever the reason, it’s good to know how to remove skin tags naturally.
I remember hearing a lecture once during which the speaker suggested we get skin tags when our lymphatic system becomes congested. I think this makes a lot of sense. If we are constantly applying friction to the top layer of our skin and there is a toxic soup below, it stands to reason that a wart-like growth could occur.
How to Remove Skin Tags
There really isn’t any reason to do anything unless the tag is in a place where it gets irritated or you just don’t like the look of it. Your doctor may freeze it or simply snip it off with a pair of scissors. Unfortunately, these methods often leave a scar behind. If you want to know how to remove skin tags naturally, you’re in luck. Because there are a number of well-known natural ways to remove these growths without leaving a scar.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apply twice a day with a cotton ball. It may sting a bit at first but this should decrease with time. It takes 2-4 weeks for the skin tag to fall off. (Matt and Betsy recommend this organic raw ACV.)
Castor Oil and Baking Soda
Make a paste with castor oil and baking soda and apply it over the skin tag. This can be covered with a bandage. Continue to apply until the skin is smooth. (Find organic castor oil here.)
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Another way to remove skin tags naturally is tea tree essential oil. Simply add two to three drops of tea tree oil to a cotton ball that has been moistened with water. Apply directly to the skin tag and cover with a bandage. The tag will darken and usually drop off in about a week and a half. (Find 100% pure, organic tea tree oil here.)
String
If you want to get rid of skin tags fast, this is your method, but it requires consistency and bravery. Tie a small string or dental floss around the tag as tightly as possible and leave it on. Keep an eye on the string and tighten it as the blood supply to the tag diminishes. In a few days, the growth will change colors and fall off.
Other Possible Skin Tag Treatments
Finally, if my hunch is right about the connection between skin tags and a congested lymphatic system, merely trying to get rid of skin tags will not be the end of it. You might want to get your body moving, begin a daily practice of dry brushing skin before bathing, and try a simple cup of calendula tea (Calendula officinalis) to head off any more problems.
Have you ever successfully removed a skin tag using a natural method? Tell us about it!
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Sources
- Rasi A, Soltani-Arabshahi R, Shahbazi N. Skin tag as a cutaneous marker for impaired carbohydrate metabolism: a case-control study. Intl J Dermatol 2007; 46: 1155-1159
- Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. Human papillomavirus and skin tags: is there any association? May-June 2008.
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I used Oregano oil and it work very well. I would use a q-tip to apply it directly on the skin tag and not to get it on the skin around the skin tag.
I used tea tree oil for several bit now ive developed a nasty purple itchy rash so i guess no more tea tree oil for me. I will try something that doesnt burn like aloe. My left armpit is a hot, itchy mess
I’ve had success removing skin tags that stand proud of the skin by pinching it between my thumb and index finger and twirling it while also tugging on it. It does sting if you do it with enough force but doing so seems to compromise the skin tag. I follow up by rolling my Tea Tree Oil Blemish Stick on it (Desert Essence). That stings for a minute too, but so worth it. For smaller ones, I’ve done something similar with a pair of tweezers.
I do feel that they’re related to the lymphatic system. And I believe that a poor functioning lymphatic system might be related to liver issues.
Do you know if this would would work for a raised red spot ?
A paste of caster oil and baking soda is my go to to remove everything!
They are caused by years of poor diet, mainly too much sugar and processed foods. Stop eating as much sugar foods as possible, such as sodas, snacks with high sugar content and white-flour foods such as breads, white rice, muffins, cakes, pasta. When a fatty liver cannot function properly it can show up in so many ways: auto immune diseases, skin tags, more severe diseases. Eat fresh or frozen veggies, never canned, real meats, a little fruit; very little and never canned, nuts or beans. Real food! Skin tags will die-off permanently. All of the above is easier said than done.
This is not necessarily true. I have been on a ketogenic diet for 2 years. I eat no sugar, grain, fruit, beans or processed food. I still get skin tags.
I’m not sure that the above is actually the case. I’m vegan and eat lots of vegetables and fruits, whole grains and beans, and virtually no sugary or processed foods whatsoever. In my house we eat mostly home-cooked and baked goods, all whole foods, with an occasional sweet treat on special occasions. I never had skin tags when my diet was terrible, it was only years after I cleaned up my act.
Nope. My husband has had skin tags since he was a little boy. He was born in the 60’s and didn’t even have access to the kinds of foods you’ve listed. (I’m not implying that those foods aren’t bad for you, just saying they didn’t cause skin tags in his case.) His dad had them, and several of his siblings, too.
I’ve always used lemon juice, applied twice a day with a cotton swab. It takes about two weeks for them to fall off.
Oh wow thanks for the tip I’m on it (*U*)
I had a skin tag develop on the corner of my under eye lid. For a week I used jojoba oil and one morning I went to touch the area and the skin tag fell off. No pain and no sign the skin tag had ever been there. What a relief.
Nice to know. I have one there too… will try that. Ty
I don’t have skin tags but my husband has lots of them next to his eyes. I’ll suggest him one of these solutions even if I think that he won’t like the string one. Do you think that Apple Cider Vinegar is too stingy for peri-ocular area?
One commenter said she used Jojoba oil on her skin tag in the corner of her eye and it fell off after a few days. This certainly seems like the safest for the eye area
Interesting stuff, but I am wondering how to try this on an eyelid skintag, which I have? The eye area is so delicate and the eyes sensitive to any foreign substance so I’m a bit wary. I’m thinking the vinegar is probably the least harsh option, but I wonder if anyone has managed to get rid of an eyelid skintag?
Update on using the dental floss to get rid of large skin tag. It was painful doing it this way. It took 8 days for it to turn black but was still red at the base. I then cut it with scissors. It is finally gone after months of trying other methods that did not work. Methods that wasted my time were Tea Tree-Frankincense-Oregano Essential oils and ACV each used over a 6 week period. Dental floss saved me a $500 dermatologist bill. Thanks.
I wash my hands well and pinch the tag off between two fingernails.
I have always been told growing up that if you put a small amount of nail varnish on the growth and cover it with a bandaid it suffocates it and it will fall off. I have tried the apple cider vinegar method and find that the nail varnish is easier and faster as well. This also works with warts. 🙂
I need to get the tag off my eyelid. …..at root of eyelashes.
Ok, I have one stubborn skin tag. Day 3 of using the dental floss knot and this tag is still standing tall. Have been trying to get rid of it since last fall. None of the essential oils or ACV worked after a month of using. I will give the floss more time even though it is the most uncomfortable attempt so far.
Use a scissor and cut it off at base will bleed but clean and put on neosporin.
I tied a piece of thread around mine in a tight knot. After one day it was off colored and smaller. The next day it was black and then it came off within a day or so came with little to no pain. This was several years ago now and it has not come back.
my granpa would use a human hair and make a slip knot and tie it off-much like the dental floss
My grandpa did that to Pull us Kids loose teeth
Your grandpa must of had long hair… LOL Just kidding, I couldn’t resist! The old remedies work well! Thanks, grandpa!
Frankincense essential oil applied to the skin tag a few times a day should make it fall off within a week or two.
I use cuticle cutters to get rid of mine and haven’t had any come back. Skin tags have no nerve endings so it doesn’t hurt at all unless you’re cutting healthy skin.
OmG! Ouch! I tried that and mine always hurt. 🙁
Done the same thing a few times, I don’t know about the no nerve endings though. Yes it hurts and mine tend to bleed a bit. Other research also shows if you cut them off they will bleed a lot
Oh yes it does!
Interesting and helpful information on skin tags. Would you please share remedies for removing plantar warts on soles of feet? Thank you.
Are you sure its not a callous (it will have a teeny white dot in center of circle)? I thought I had a wart on my heel. It got to the point where it was painful. We were traveling in an RV and doing lots of hiking. I started using a drop or 2 of ACV on a cotton ball and then putting a band-aid or scotch-tape over it. The dropper made it easy to squirt into the band-aid at the end of the day when the cotton ball had dried. I would change it every day. Took about a week. It almost worked too well, as a layer of toughened skin around it came off also (about 2 to 3″ diameter!). The “new” skin was quite pinkish-white. That was a few yrs. ago and a new callous has formed there but its not painful and is very flat. I would say ACV works for a wart or callous. Just keep an eye on it.
I cut mine off with a nail clipper. Worked and have not returned.
I put colloidal silver on a band-aid and put the band-aid over the skin tags. Did this twice a day. By day 4 or 5 the tags had turned black and fell off.
I will try this one
Thank you for this article. My Dermatologist wanted to charge me $500 to remove a large irritating skin tag. So far, natural ways have not removed it yet. I have tried ACV, oregano and tea tree essential oil. Used each for 4-6 weeks. The top of it is dried out but the root must be deep because it is standing strong. Next attempt is the recommended dental floss. Will let you know.
I have never had skin tags but I have used hydrogen peroxide to remove some growths that were like raised moles but colorless. I just dabbed it on the spots about twice a day and the growths gradually went away. It seems to be helpful with nail fungus also.
I had a huge skin tag on my spine, a fiend told me he used bitters, so I gave it a go. Put it on a cotton ball, then on skin tag, covered with a good bandage. never even changed it. Five days later it was gone.
I was going to use the dog remedy with peanut butter, we have used on 8 grand kids for warts, but I was at my daughters’. I can believe it has to do with the lymphatic system, because I am anything but overweight
Gail what is the remedy for dog skin tags please? I have a large short hair dog with several tags but vet didn’t think it was necessary to remove them. Thank you…
A couple I know is taking Curcumin daily. They have both told me that one of the benefits they have seen to taking it is that their skin tags have just begun to fall off with no additional effort on their part.
Oregano works too, but be sure to only place on skin tag, as it will burn healthy skin. A carrier oil can be used to stop this.
You can put the 100% pure oregano oil on the tip of a toothpick or q-tip in order to be able to get it directly on the skin tag. It definitely will burn healthy skin.
Wonderful solutions! Do you know of any natural solutions to get rid of dark spots on skin?
Thanks so much!
Frankincense oil has been used to lighten dark spot, and as an anti-aging/anti-wrinkle treatment.
I have skin tags pretty regularly on the neck area, and tea tree oil is the one remedy that works at all times. I tried apple cider vinegar but it wasn’t as effective. It does take some time and patience, even with tea tree, but they always dry out and fall eventually. 🙂