Understanding Skin Tags and 10 Ways to Treat Them

Skin tags are a common skin condition that anyone can develop over time. Technically they can’t hurt you, but they can be unsightly and annoying.

Unsightly and annoying means they have to go, and there are a number of natural remedies that can be used to treat them.

What Are Skin Tags?

Skin tags go by many names: acrochordon, cutaneous papilloma, cutaneous tag, fibroepithelial polyp, fibroma molluscum, fibroma pendulum, papilloma colli, soft fibroma, and Templeton skin tag. Although skin tags by themselves are generally considered harmless, they can often be a sign of other health problems.

They are essentially benign tumors, and most commonly develop in areas where there is skin-to-skin contact and friction like the eyelid, armpit, groin, under the breasts, and neck.

In reality, no one really knows what causes skin tags, but there are common factors,like being overweight and being diabetic, that are associated with their development.

How to Naturally Treat Skin Tags:

Traditionally skin tags are either frozen off, cut off, or tied off with a thread until they drop off. They methods have two things is common: they are expensive and uncomfortable. Thankfully, there are a number of home remedies that can be used to remove skin tags, that are inexpensive, pain free, and most importantly — effective.

1. Oregano Oil

Oregano oil is one of the most potent natural remedies you can use for a variety of health issues. It has an extremely potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimelanomic, anti-oxidative properties, thanks to phenolic terpenoid components like arvacrol, thymol and p-cymene.

To use oregano oil for skin tags simply mix a few drops of oregano essential oil with a few drops of coconut oil and apply it to the skin tags 3 times a day. This treatment can take some time to work, but eventually you’ll notice that the skin tag will change colors (red to purple to black), and eventually simply fall off.

2. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil in an ancient Chinese remedy that has been used for centuries as a powerful antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic compound.

Tea tree works on warts and skin tags by essentially drying them from the inside out. All you have to do is take a cotton ball and dampen it with a little water, add a few drops of tea tree oil, and massage it into your skin where skin tags are present. Repeat the treatment 3 times a day, until the skin tag withers up and falls off.

3. Dandelion Juice

This is a skin tag treatment that doesn’t even require a trip to the store. The milky substance in dandelion stems is actually great for treating skin tags, warts, moles, and even eczema.

All you have to do is pick a dandelion flower and stem, and squeeze the stem until you see the milky liquid in the stem coming out. Just use the stem to apply the dandelion juice to your skin tag. Repeat 3 times a day until the skin tags falls off. It really is that simple!

4. Lemon Juice

The citric acid in lemons is a powerful astringent, and works to remove skin tags by decomposing the skin cells that they are made of. By simply rubbing lemon juice on skin tags three times a day, they will disappear in as little as 2-3 weeks.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

There isn’t much that apple cider vinegar can’t do, including treating skin tags, moles, warts, and acne. All you have to do is wash and dry the area of your body where you have skin tags, and apply some apple cider vinegar with a cotton ball three times a day.

You might experience a tingling sensation when using apple cider vinegar, so if you have sensitive skin you may want to dilute the vinegar with a few drops of water.

6. Pineapple Juice

Easily the most delicious treatment for skin tags is pineapple juice. The same acidic qualities that make lemons and apple cider vinegar so effective work with pineapples too. Just apply some fresh pineapple juice to skin tags and they will wither up and fall off.

7. Garlic

Garlic is another powerful antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial natural compound. All you have to do is crush a clove of garlic into a paste. put a small drop of the paste on the skin tag, cover with a bandage, and leave it on overnight.

8. Castor Oil

Castor oil has been a staple of traditional folk remedies for generations. It is especially popular with grandmothers who are convinced that it will cure anything, and they aren’t entirely incorrect. You can apply castor oil directly to a skin tag three to five times a day. You can also mix castor oil with baking soda to make a paste, apply to the skin, and warp with a bandage overnight.

9. Onion Juice

Those same compounds that make you tear up when slicing an onion are effective at treating skin tags as well. Next time you are slicing onions, take a few slices and coat them with salt, and let them sit overnight. The next day squeeze the juice from the onions and apply it to a skin tag, cover it with a bandage, and let it sit overnight.

10. Banana Peels

Believe it or not, banana peels are great for removing skin tags. All you have to do is cut the banana peel into a “bandage” that will cover your skin tag(s), use a bandage or first aid tape to hold the peel against your skin (yellow side out) and leave it on overnight.

No matter why you have skin tags, you can easily remove them at home with simple, natural ingredients that you probably already have.