A Month of Serum, Sticky Notes and Second Thoughts: My 30-Day Skin Tag Diary

Let me be upfront: I'm sceptical by nature and skint by circumstance. So when I decided to test a month-long at-home skin tag care routine, I did it with a notebook, a phone camera, and zero expectations of a miracle.

Here's how it actually went.

Week One: Enthusiasm and Mild Confusion

Day one, I photographed three skin tags — one on my neck, two under my arm — plus a small mole on my shoulder I'd had since school. The routine itself was simple: cleanse the area, apply the serum twice daily, keep it dry between applications.

Honestly? The first few days felt anticlimactic. Nothing tingled, nothing changed, and I spent £18.99 wondering if I'd just bought expensive water. If you're starting something similar, my advice is this: take your 'before' photos in good light. Mine were rubbish and made week three comparisons harder.

Week Two: The Awkward Middle

This is where most people quit, and I nearly did too. One skin tag looked slightly darker at the edges, which the instructions said was expected, but which Google immediately told me was a melanoma. Classic.

I rang my local Boots pharmacy instead of spiralling — the pharmacist took two minutes to look and reassured me it looked like normal topical response. That phone call cost nothing and was worth more than the serum.

What I learned in week two: patience is the actual product. If a routine promises visible results in 48 hours, walk away.

Week Three: The First Real Change

Around day nineteen, the smallest neck tag visibly shrunk and dried out. Not gone — but noticeably smaller. I photographed it from three angles like a proud parent.

The shoulder mole, however, hadn't budged, and I don't think it ever would have. Moles are simply a different beast to skin tags, and no over-the-counter product should really be touching a mole that's been stable for years. That's GP territory, full stop.

Week Four: The Verdict

By day thirty:

• One skin tag had essentially dried and dropped off
• One had shrunk by maybe half
• One under my arm showed no change whatsoever
• The mole: untouched, as expected

Total spend: £18.99 for the serum, plus a few quid in cotton pads and a lot of stubbornness.

Was It Worth It?

For skin tags, cautiously yes — with realistic expectations and a proper routine. For moles, no, and I'd urge anyone to stop before they start on that front.

My honest rules after thirty days:

1. Give any topical routine four full weeks before judging it
2. Photograph everything, weekly, in the same light
3. See a pharmacist early — they're free, fast and brilliantly no-nonsense
4. Anything bleeding, growing or changing? Ditch the DIY entirely and book a GP

A month is a reasonable investment in your skin. So is knowing when you've reached the limits of what a bottle can do.