Simple remedies to eliminate warts and skin tags

Warts and skin tags are usually problematic. While warts occur prominently on the face, neck, hands and chest, skin tags are seen more on the underarms, eyelids, and groin folds.

Both are painless but it is best to do away with them at the earliest. Removing warts is mandatory as they are a virus infection. However, getting rid of skin tags is purely for cosmetic purpose.

Get rid of it

Home remedies

While some warts resolve over time due to the person’s immune system, others may require extensive treatment.

Skin tags can be cut off with a sharp knife just above the area where the skin tag connects to the skin with expert consultation. Another remedy is to knot a piece of thread around the base of a skin tag, which cuts off blood circulation to the tissue and causes it to fall off within few days. However, it is best to consult a doctor and take treatment under professional guidance only.

Chemical cure

Using these chemical agents in the form of ointments can help relieve warts and skin tags:

• Keratolytic agents like salicylic acid, which dissolve the skin protein [keratin].
• Chemical cauterisation using trichloracetic acid [TCA], which has an instant coagulant action causing necrosis [premature death of cells and living tissue] of the skin.
• Cytotoxic agents like podophyllin and 5-FU for wart treatment.

Other options

• Laser treatment is usually done with a carbon dioxide [CO2] laser. They are expensive, require local anaesthesia and can cause scarring. Treatment may take1 – 4 sessions.
• Cryotherapy [freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen] creates a blister between the wart and epidermal layer, following which the wart and surrounding dead skin falls off by itself. This takes about 3 – 4 treatment sessions.
• Electrosurgery involves electric current to burn the wart or skin tag.

Keep it small

Moles [acquired melanocytic naevi] first appear in childhood and increase during adolescence or pregnancy. Most moles are brown-to-black pigmented lesions and can be flat or raised. Moles should be neglected unless they increase in size rapidly or show malignant transformation.

Treatment of moles is often initiated for cosmetic purposes. You can also try some home remedies such as applying honey, garlic, baking soda, juice of unripe walnut and grape fruit to the mole.

Surgical excision or electrocauterisation [process of destroying tissue using heat conduction] is recommended in case of large-sized moles and malignant transformation. Nowadays, treatments such as Ruby laser, Nd-YAG laser and carbon dioxide laser also are used for the same.