There are almost as many ways to get rid of moles, warts, and skin tags as there are reasons to remove them. Some require surgery, some use over-the-counter creams and other preparations, and some can be prepared at home.

A lot of these really do work, and they work pretty well, but the problem is deciding what works best for you.

From now on I will refer only to moles, but when it comes to DermaTend, you can substitute warts or skin tags as appropriate.

Before we take a closer look at DermaTend, let’s take a quick look at surgical ways to remove moles. One of the main advantages is that a doctor or dermatologist will check your moles and make sure that cancerous moles or similar skin cancers or melanomas are removed correctly. Even if you’re determined to remove moles at home, you should get tested first, as the consequences of identifying a melanoma as a mole and treating it yourself can be very serious, even life-threatening.

Ok, now you know that your moles are normal and harmless. Perhaps the idea of ​​the inconvenience and cost of surgery puts you off having your moles removed by a doctor, and cheaper and more convenient treatments that you can do yourself are appealing.

And you’re in luck, because several over-the-counter products do a very good job of removing moles quickly and safely, and they’re not that expensive.

One of the good ones is DermaTend. It’s one of a group of treatments where the active ingredient is the somewhat corrosive sap of a plant that, when applied to a mole, essentially eats away at it. DermaTend has several active ingredients, but the main one is bloodroot.

It is very easy to use, but you must follow the instructions exactly to get the best results.

Basically, what you do is…

• Scrape the skin with a nail file or needle, but not to the point of bleeding.
• Clean with warm soapy water.
• Dry.
• Apply DermaTend to the entire surface of the mole, but not to the surrounding skin.
• Leave on for 20 – 30 minutes.
• Gently wash and apply a Band-Aid to protect the scab that should have formed.

It sounds pretty simple.

However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First of all, expect some stinging for 5 to 10 minutes after you have applied the cream. If you don’t feel a little pain, you may need to repeat the rough part of the prep and reapply DermaTend.

Second, it is important to restrict the cream to the mole itself and not let it come in contact with the surrounding skin. Vaseline or the healing cream that comes with most Dermatend packages can be smeared around the mole to prevent this from happening.

The only thing to remember is to leave the scab alone and let it fall off naturally. A band-aid will protect it from accidental bumps. If the scab is allowed to fall off naturally, the chance of scarring is minimal. You may see some redness around where the mole was, and maybe even a slight depression in the skin, but both will go away pretty quickly.

That is all. Used with care, DermaTend has been a very effective mole remover for many people.

But it may not be for everyone. Some of you may have heard bad reports about bloodroot as an active ingredient. These reports arose when it was used for home treatment of skin cancers, or taken internally. It is just one of a group of caustic plants used to remove moles, warts, and skin tags, and it appears to be no better or worse than the others.

However, if you are concerned about the ingredients, you can try the similar Wart Mole Vanish.

And if the idea of ​​using caustic creams on moles is a concern, there are a number of non-caustic vegetable oil-based preparations you can try, as well as many home treatments. Many of these require regular applications and can take weeks or more to take effect.

But DermaTend has a good track record and comes with a 60-day guarantee. But where can you get it?

It’s not available in stores, but they do have a website. Even better, and sometimes cheaper, is Amazon, where you will also find many reviews of this effective product. While most of the reviews are very favorable, some are not, but it is obvious that in many of them the cream has not been applied correctly, and that is really important.