Hello, my name is Simon. I am a 59-year-old man who lives alone in downtown Perth. I am pleased to say that I have never had to spend a night in a hospital. This is because I know how to take care of myself. When I was growing up my grandpa often used to tell me that if you eat well and exercise, you will live a long life. He died aged 95, so he must have known something. However, it was only when I became friends with a doctor, that I discovered all the other things I could do to stay healthy. I decided to start this blog to encourage others to look after their health.
Skin tags are usually harmless; however, they can cause some problems. If you have skin tags on visible areas of your body, like your neck, then you may feel self-conscious. Tags can also catch on things you wear; if this damages the tags, then they may bleed and be a little sore.
If you have a bothersome or unsightly skin tag, then you may want to remove it. You may have heard that you can use dental floss to do this at home. How does this work and is this kind of DIY removal a good idea?
How Can Dental Floss Remove a Skin Tag?
Dental floss basically removes skin tags by cutting off their blood supply. This makes them dry up and, ultimately, fall off.
To do this, you start by tying a piece of floss around the base of the skin tag. This needs to be as close to your skin as you can get it so that you target as much of the tag as possible.
Then, you wait. If the floss restricts blood flow enough, the skin tag will die and fall off the skin naturally, taking the floss with it.
Should You Use Dental Floss to Remove a Skin Tag?
If you cut off a skin tag's blood supply, then it will come off. So, if you use it right, dental floss will work. However, this fix has a couple of downsides.
For example, if you don't manage to get the floss in the right place, you may lose some but not all of the tag. The floss may also make the skin tag hurt a little, or the floss may feel tight when you tie it on. It may also be a bit irritating to have the floss in place until it works. This is not an immediate fix as you have to wait for the tag to die.
Plus, you may not want to use dental floss on a skin tag that is very visible. For example, if you use this fix on a tag on your neck, then you may need to wear clothing that covers the tag until it falls off. Otherwise, you may be embarrassed walking around with a piece of floss hanging on your neck.
Finally, this fix typically works best on small tags. Dental floss does the same job on larger tags, but they may bleed a fair bit when they fall off.
If you have one or more skin tags that are bothering you, contact your GP. They can recommend quicker, safer and simpler ways to get rid of the tags and may do this for you in the clinic.
Share1 August 2019
