Q. I have several little skin tags in my armpits. Is there anything that can be put on them so they will go away? I do not want to pay a doctor to cut them off.
A. Dermatologists can easily remove skin tags (small benign fleshy skin growths), but it will cost you something for this procedure. Readers of this column have offered several suggestions for getting rid of skin tags:
“Band-Aid makes a product called Clear Spots–50 tiny square pads with adhesive around all 4 sides. I cover the skin tag tightly with a Clear Spot and after a week to 10 days, it shrivels up and falls off.”
Another reader tried New-Skin liquid bandage: “I have a variety of sizes of skin tags on my neck and chest. The smallest ones shriveled up and fell off after just a couple of days of applying New-Skin twice a day. It was amazing!”
Another approach requires some fortitude: “I am a nurse and for years I have tied a piece of thread around the tag at the base, pulled it tight, made a tight knot and cut off the long ends. (It stings at first, then it’s all right.) After three or four days the tag turns black and falls off, similar to bobbing a lamb’s tail. It strangles the blood supply and works every time. It helps to have someone do it for you.”
