Moles, known by the medical term melanocytic nevi, form on your skin due to a collection of cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes create pigment, or melanin, the substance that colors your skin.
You can look better by getting rid of moles on your body or face naturally. Learn how to remove a mole using safe and gentle methods. DIY mole removal should never involve cutting, puncturing, or trimming moles.
Babies grow moles at birth or during infancy. Moles may continue to form during adolescence and early adulthood, until age 35. Moles may darken or lighten through the years, and these color changes are usually harmless. Genetics, hormones and sun exposure influence the number of moles you have on your skin.
Some adults develop freckles, skin tags, lentigines, seborrheic keratoses, or liver spots later in life. Go to your doctor if you notice a new mole form after the age of 35, especially if it has an irregular shape. Moles appearing in adults may be abnormal or indicate early melanoma.
Removing moles prevents later occurrences of skin cancer and improves your appearance. A stray mole here and then might be considered attractive, depending on its size and placement, but moles on the face, neck or other regularly exposed skin may make you feel self-conscious.
If you have red hair or a light complexion, you may have lots of freckles or beauty marks. Don’t try home mole removal on more than one small but prominent birthmark. Trying to use DIY methods on large groups of freckles or beauty marks can damage your skin.
You can safely remove a mole without a doctor visit. First, you need to ascertain if the mole is harmless or if it may be cancerous.
Before you decide how to remove a mole naturally, determine if the dark pigmentation is a mole, a freckle or an age spot. You should also know how to remove skin tags naturally. Read the list below to learn more about the differences between these small dark areas on your skin
You may have a combination of freckles, moles, skin tags, and liver spots. Consider these differences between moles and related areas of darker skin pigmentation before thinking about natural mole removal.
Moles and freckles are darker than the surrounding skin. Freckles may be caused by sun exposure or may be permanent from birth. Flat, pale brown freckles are more common in light-skinned people and sometimes appear in clusters.
Moles are brown or brown/black, and not associated with sun exposure. Moles, also more common in light-skinned individuals, may be larger than freckles, and either flat or raised. The average adult has ten to forty moles, though some people have lots more.
Skin tag removal requires a slightly different process than mole removal. Skin tags, caused by fabric rubbing against skin, have the same color as your skin. These benign, hanging bits of excess skin may have a stalk or peduncle. Unlike moles, skin tags are harmless.
You may find skin tags on your neck skin, groin, under your arms, breasts, or on eyelids. More common in overweight and obese people, skin tag removal involves applying aspirin or other substances on the peduncle.
Age spots, also called liver spots or solar lentigines, resemble dark-colored freckles. Most common in people over 50, younger individuals who spend a lot of time in the sun can also get them.
Lighten liver spots with home remedies or over-the-counter products. Since most people develop these spots when they get older, it’s easy to tell them from moles or freckles.
Here are some tips on how to remove a mole naturally. Most of the methods use items you already have in your home or can easily obtain. You don’t need to do much with these methods, except have patience.
Fading and drying up the mole may take close to a week, and you’ll need to apply and reapply some solutions more than once a day.
For obvious reasons, you need to be more careful when removing small moles on your face. Use safer, more conservative methods to avoid developing a scar on the delicate facial skin.
More people use apple cider vinegar to remove moles than any other at-home method. Apple cider vinegar remains a natural remedy for many health concerns, including killing bacteria, lowering blood sugar and preventing cancer. Taking apple cider vinegar can even help you lose weight.
The acidic content of apple cider vinegar will dry up the mole. After a few days of applying the vinegar, the mole will form a scab and fall off your skin.
Get a cotton ball and dip it in apple cider vinegar. Wring out the excess cider. Put the cider-covered cotton ball on the mole, then cover it with a band-aid. Every six to eight hours, replace the cotton ball with one freshly soaked in apple cider vinegar and secure it again.
Fill a warm bath with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Soak for 20 minutes. (Be sure the water covers the body part containing the mole.) Bathe with your regular soap or body wash. Repeat this two times a day for six days.
Mix equal parts baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Apply the paste on the mole and leave it there for 20 minutes. Rinse it off and pat dry with a towel. Repeat this twice daily for a few days.
Mix equal parts honey and apple cider vinegar. Apply the mixture on the mole and let it stay for 20 minutes. Rinse it off and pat dry. Do this twice daily for a few days.
Castor oil, a discutient, dissolves growths on the skin. It takes a lot of time to work as it removes the mole one layer at a time, but it will not leave a scar in most cases.
Mix a few drops of castor oil and a pinch of baking soda. You can also add a pinch of ground aspirin. (Water and aspirin paste can also be used for skin tag removal.) Rub the castor oil and baking soda paste on your mole, and leave it there for a few hours until it dries. Repeat this twice a day for four weeks.
Banana peel contains enzymes, oxalic acid, and ascorbic acid to eradicate moles. Place a small piece of the banana peel on the mole. The inside of the peel should face the mole. Secure the banana skin with tape or a band-aid. Leave it on overnight, and repeat until the mole dissipates.
Frankincense essential oil has astringent properties to dry out the mole until it forms a scab. (The oil will also tighten skin around the mole.) Apply one or two drops of frankincense oil on your mole and leave it there. Reapply the oil three or four times daily.
Use black salve ointment on your mole to dissolve it. Simply dab a little on the mole with a cotton swab. Cover the mole with a band-aid and leave it on for 12 hours. Throw away the band-aid and reapply ointment.
Cover it with a fresh bandage and leave it on for another 12 hours. Repeat this for a few days until the mole disappears. Black salve ointment, made from a substance called bloodroot, can be used to get rid of both moles and freckles.
Long-regarded as a home cure-all for many ills, garlic contains enzymes that break down moles. Garlic lightens dark pigment and limits melanin production. It ranks as one of the most highly-regarded skin mole removal techniques, along with apple cider vinegar.
Peel the fresh garlic clove and put it on the mole. Cover it with a band-aid or medical tape. Keep it covered for four or five hours. Remove the bandage and wipe off any excess garlic. Slice another garlic clove and repeat the process two or tree times a day until the mole dries up.
Use concentrated garlic oil to break down mole pigment. Apply a small amount of the oil on the mole with a cotton swab. Leave it on until it dries without covering it. Repeat two to three times daily.
The acidic nature of vinegar combines with garlic to remove dark pigmentation. Crush a garlic clove into a paste. Apply white, or apple cider vinegar along with garlic paste on the mole and leave the mixture alone for 30 minutes.
Rinse the area with water, pat dry and repeat. You can use this method two or three times a day.
A garlic/onion combination many not smell sweet, but it will fade dark spots and moles. Onion juice has acidic properties that will naturally fade and bleach moles.
Make equal parts onion juice and garlic juice using a juicer. Apply the combined juices on the mole with cotton balls or a swab. Let it dry. Rinse off and pat dry with a towel. Repeat two or three times a day.
This substance is different than most of the others. It’s purely medicinal and not found in your kitchen. Apply a tincture of iodine for two to three nights and your mole will gradually disappear.
Make sure you use this method on a benign mole. Slightly raised, thick brown moles react best to iodine treatment. The iodine may break down cells, and cause the raised mole to dry up and fall off the skin.
Tiny, flat freckle-like moles may not respond to iodine treatment. Use iodine on a mole that’s been accidentally cut or scraped, as iodine helps prevent bacteria from forming in a wound.
Buy topical iodine with a five percent concentration from the drugstore. A higher level may hurt sensitive skin. Coat the surrounding skin with petroleum jelly to prevent iodine from staining the skin around the mole. (Iodine will turn the mole a dark purple color.)
Soak the tip of a cotton swab with a small amount of iodine and cover the mole. Put an adhesive bandage over the mole. Make sure the white gauze center lies over the mole.
Let the iodine soak into the mole overnight, for eight to 12 hours. Remove the bandage and clean the area with mild soap or a facial cleansing pad. Pat the area dry.
Repeat this nightly procedure for seven days, or until the mole has faded. Don’t use iodine for more than ten days, even if the mole remains. Prolonged topical iodine use is dangerous.
Another mole removal home remedy, lemon juice has acidic properties like onion and apple cider vinegar. Lemon lightens skin over time, so its use in many over-the-counter beauty products makes sense.
How to remove a mole with lemon juice? Apply lemon juice to the mole with a cotton ball and place it on the mole. Use medical tape to hold it on the mole, and leave it there for 20 minutes. Then take off the tape and cotton ball. Do this once or twice a day.
The antioxidants in oregano oil heal skin and banish skin tags, moles, and warts. Mix one or two drops of oregano oil with one or two drops of castor oil. Blend the oils and apply directly on the mole and let the substance dry. Use this method two or three times daily.
Dip a cotton swab in tea tree oil and place it on the mole. Hold it in the area for as long as you can.
Do this two or three times a week for a few weeks. Tea tree oil has been used in folk medicine for centuries to treat moles and warts. It has astringent properties and reduces the chance of scarring.
White potatoes have bleaching compounds to lighten and fade moles. Rub a small piece of potato on the mole for a minute, and let the juice settle on the mole.
You can also slice a small potato piece, put it on top of the mole, and secure it with a bandage. Leave the potato on for four to seven days, or until it decomposes. The mole will slough off as the potato degrades.
Coconut oil improves the texture of skin and helps dry up the mole. Apply a drop or two of virgin coconut oil to your mole and leave it there. Repeat every morning and before bedtime.
Hydrogen peroxide lightens freckles, age spots, and moles, and disinfects the area. Apply a few drops of food-grade hydrogen peroxide to the mole with a cotton swab. Repeat the procedure three or for times daily.
Combine a teaspoon of this yellow-orange Indian spice with a crushed Vitamin C tablet and a few drops of honey. Apply the paste on your mole and let it dry or 20 minutes. Rinse it off with water.
Do this twice a day until the mole falls off your skin. The Vitamin C will loosen the mole, while the turmeric will heal skin and prevent a scar from forming.
This removal method, one of the slowest but safest, uses fresh aloe vera gel. Aloe vera has tannins, enzymes, minerals and vitamins to soothe the skin and nourish it while dissolving the mole.
Clean the treatment area and put aloe vera on the mole. Cover it with a bandage, and let it stay or two to three hours. Repeat twice a day until the mole disappears.
Use flaxseed oil to remove a raised mole. The oil makes the mole softer and loosens it until it falls off the skin. Buy ground flaxseeds or grind whole ones in a coffee grinder.
Mix the ground seeds with honey and flaxseed oil until it becomes a paste. Apply it on the mole and leave it there, uncovered for an hour. Repeat this three times a day for two or three weeks.
Coriander works as an astringent that appears to cool the skin. However, coriander leaves become hot on the surface, and the combination causes moles to fall off the skin.
Take a quarter-cup of coriander leaves and grind them to make a paste. Put the paste on the mole and leave it there for ten minutes. Wash off the paste with water. Do this once a day for two weeks, and you should get results.
Purchase pure honey from your local health food store. Inexpensive, processed honey will be less likely to remove the mole. Clean and dry the mole and the skin around it.
Apply honey directly on the mole with a cotton swab. Put a band-aid over the mole. Perform this procedure in the morning, and then again at night. It usually takes three to six weeks for honey applications to dissolve the mole. Honey has anti-bacterial properties will keep the area clean during treatment.
The sap in dandelion root and its stem purifies moles, as well as sore, warts, and pimples. Take a piece of fresh dandelion root. Extract the milky liquid inside the root and rub it on the mole. The juice needs to stay on for one hour – then you can wash it off with water.
Use dried dandelion root paste or rub a dandelion stem on the mole if you don’t have fresh dandelion root. Perform these actions two to three times a day to get results.
The acids in onion juice will make your mole fall off your skin. Grate a quarter of an onion and extract the juice. Apply to the mole and leave it on for an hour. Wash the juice off your skin with water. Reapply the onion juice two or three times a day.
Remove mole at home with cauliflower. A healthy vegetable that contains Vitamin C, it can help dry out a mole. Take a few cauliflower pieces and extract juice from them, or use a juicer. Rub the juice on the mole, and leave it there for 30 minutes. Repeat this procedure two or three times a day.
Pineapple juice lightens moles, making them less conspicuous. This solution may be a good choice for removal mole on face. Soak a cotton ball in fresh pineapple juice, which has more citric acid than store-bought juice.
Leave the cotton ball on until in dries or overnight. (Cover it with medical tape or a band-aid overnight.) Repeat this two or three times a day until your mole lightens.
An astringent with antioxidants and Vitamin E, grapefruit seed extract will make a mole fall off, and Vitamin E and other antioxidants heal and soothe the skin. How to remove moles with grapefruit seed extract? Put the extract on the mole and cover it with a band-aid for an hour. Perform this task two or three times a day.
Juice from the stem of a fig works like an exfoliant to vanish unwanted moles. Use a cotton swab and piece of fig stem to perform this procedure. Extract juice from the stem and use the cotton swab to apply it to the mole. Leave the juice on for two to three hours, then wash it off with water.
Repeat three times a day until the mole dissolves. Extract and apply the fig sap with care, as it may cause dermatitis. Avoid getting the sap on the skin around the mole.
Many manufacturers of over-the-counter mole removal creams claim that they can safely get rid of moles. Some creams may even work for skin tag removal. Many of these creams do work, but non-prescription creams may leave a pit in your skin where the mole used to be.
Even if the scar falls off, you may end up with a scar or skin infection. Do the research, including talking to your doctor or dermatologist, before using this type of at home mole removal.
Some moles can be cancerous, while others are harmless (benign). Before attempting any at-home removal, make sure you have a regular mole. A benign and cancerous mole may look the same, so you must have a doctor examine you to know for sure.
Your doctor may recommend you see a dermatologist for further examination, a possible biopsy, and skin mole removal if they have specific concern about the appearance.
Moles often change appearance, and these changes don’t usually indicate cancer, but always be safe and go to your doctor if you notice any differences. Always contact a physician for mole and skin tag removal if you have any doubts about the health of your skin.
Doctors may remove a mole in one of the following ways:
Here’s what to look for – if a mole has any of these characteristics, see your doctor and avoid mole removal at home.
When a mole is asymmetrical, or not proportioned evenly, it may be cancerous.
When a mole has an imperfect or odd shaped border, it may indicate melanoma.
When a single mole has varying shades –black and brown in one mole, for instance, it may be cancerous.
While all unusual-looking moles may be cancerous, moles about the size of a pencil eraser are more likely to cause problems.
When you notice a mole you’ve had a long time has changed color or shape, see your doctor.
You’ve just taken in a lot of information. Moles are most often harmless annoyances that you can easily remove using non-surgical means.
However, as you now know, some moles are not harmless. If you have any concerns about your mole, do not hesitate to see a doctor. You should never try home removal methods on a mole that you are not sure is a mole.
Your health is of the utmost importance. Most moles are not harmful to your health, but all it takes is one cancerous one to cause an issue, so it is always best to get your moles checked by a doctor before you start trying our home remedies.
Once you know your moles are harmless, then please give our remedies a try. Let us know which ones you tried and what worked best for you in the comments.
