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How Does Removing Skin Tags with Nail Polish Work?

Removing skin tags with nail polish is intended to make the most of the things that you already own. It’s ideal if you’re on a tight budget because it provides an opportunity to save you money. Patience is a virtue with this treatment, but does it work? How does it work? Is it safe?

We’ll be providing easy-to-follow instructions on how to apply nail polish for skin tags. We’ll discuss whether it’s likely to work for you and outline some of the best alternative treatments. Skin tags may be benign (harmless), but they aren’t attractive.

About 85% of skin tags are flesh-colored growths, but they can vary by a few shades. They’re soft flaps of skin that hang from the body by a thin stalk (known as a peduncle). They’re easy to distinguish from other skin conditions, especially if you’ve had them previously.

If you’re in any way unsure about the diagnosis, we strongly advise you to talk to a doctor before attempting to remove skin tags. Before treating any skin tags, the condition needs to be diagnosed correctly. You need to rule out other issues before removing skin tags at home.

  • Important: Nail polish is a toxic substance that is NOT recommended by medical doctors.

It’s an unproven home remedy that some people claim has worked for them. Under no circumstances should pregnant women put clear nail polish on skin tags. It should also be avoided if you have an infected skin tag or you have one in an area that is highly sensitive. If you have sensitive skin, it should also be avoided.

You can find out about over-the-counter skin tag removal methods that work in this post.

Using Nail Polish to Remove Skin Tags at Home

Nail polish for skin tags is a cheap and easy-to-use option, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Using this ‘treatment’ may lead to an allergic reaction (or a type of skin reaction, anyway). Any evidence that it works is purely anecdotal.

Skin tags are medically classified as a cosmetic problem (they’re just a benign tumor), so any treatment that you do receive will need to be paid for privately.

Standard health insurance policies rarely cover the cost of getting treated. That why home remedies have become so popular. While it’s understandable that you want to get rid of skin tags fast, your priority should always be selecting the safest method.

Areas to avoid include the face, eyelids, anus, groin, and genital area. And you should explore other options for large skin tag removal. You need to be 100% certain that you aren’t allergic to it by applying it to a test area as well.

Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Skin Tags with Nail Polish

  1. Make sure that you thoroughly clean the area with antibacterial soap. This is important because you’ll be covering up the skin tag and you need to avoid any additional risk of developing an infection.
  2. First thing in the morning, apply clear nail polish directly to the skin tag, being careful not to get it on any of the surrounding healthy skin. Place a band-aid over the area to further inhibit the flow of oxygenated blood.
  3. Before bed, apply a second coat. Again, cover the skin tag with a fresh band-aid. This will give it a chance to be absorbed and start to work while you sleep at night.
  4. The next morning, use nail polish remover to get rid of the first two coatings. This ensures that the subsequent application will be more effective because there won’t be any build-up underneath the band-aid. If there are lots of different layers covering the skin tag, the new application won’t reach the area you intend to target.
  5. Repeat this process morning and night for two weeks, or until the skin tag has gone. Be prepared to continue this process, even when it’s inconvenient, for as long as it takes.
  6. If you notice that the skin becomes overly irritated, you should cease application immediately.

The objective is to prevent the skin tag from receiving a stable supply of oxygen and blood. Without a steady supply, a skin tag is unable to survive. Should it work, the area will start to darken, and the skin tag will dry up.

How to use nail polish remover for skin tags

Does Removing Skin Tags with Nail Polish Work?

Getting rid of skin tags with nail polish appears to have worked for some people, but not for everyone. If you find that it doesn’t work after many weeks of continuous application, without missing either of the two daily treatments, it’s probably not going to work.

If you find that your skin becomes overly red, you should cease treatment without delay. Wait until the area clears up before trying an alternative method that we do recommend.

The only way you can find out if any treatment is suitable is through trial and error because everyone responds differently to remedies. We do NOT recommend nail polish as a treatment.

If it works, you’ll typically find that the skin tag turns black overnight. This means that the skin tag has dried up and will fall off. It most certainly isn’t a quick way to remove skin tags from your body.

Removing skin tags with nail polish is popular because it’s a free option. While we all want to save money, there are proven OTC treatments available, such as tea tree oil for skin tags. We’ve found it to be an effective method, but it takes time to work.

You’re better off just using nail polish on your nails. We don’t deem it to be a safe or effective home remedy. In fact, it could quickly lead to skin irritation and further medical problems.

If you want to get rid of skin tags at home in just over a week, we recommend the TagBand device. This link will take you to our in-depth review. It’s a single-application treatment that will get results without you having to do anything else. It’s also safe and sterile.

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