How to Get Rid of Ingrown Hairs, Toenail Fungus, and Other Nasty Conditions

Did you floss today? Not your teeth, but your skin tags, those dangling doohickeys that are usually caused by skin-to-skin friction. Tying off a tag strangles the blood supply, says Martha Simpson, D.O., an associate professor of family medicine at Ohio University.

DIY Tie several inches of floss tightly around the base of the growth. Snip off any excess floss and then cover the whole thing with a bandage. The tag should fall off in a few days.

Give your face a brewed awakening. Used coffee grounds slough off skin, which allows facial hairs to sprout up through the follicles instead of burrowing below the surface, says Los Angeles dermatologist Annie Chiu, M.D. And because caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, it can help ease exfoliation-induced inflammation, she adds.

DIY Mix a spoonful of cooled grounds with a dollop of facial moisturizer. Scrub your mug thoroughly and rinse with warm water. Repeat twice a week.

You’ve used duct tape to fix everything else, so why not your bumps? When you MacGyver warts this way, it causes irritation that tells your immune system to attack the HPV virus fueling the growth, says MH dermatology advisor Adnan Nasir, M.D.

DIY Apply a piece of gray duct tape that extends 1/4 inch past the wart’s edges. After six days remove the tape and soak the wart in warm water for 15 minutes. File it down with a pumice stone. Repeat for one month.

We know you aren’t the fool at the pool who skips the sunscreen. But if you missed a spot, buy yogurt and chamomile tea. The yogurt’s probiotics will help speed cellular renewal, while chamomile’s anti-inflammatory properties can calm the burn, says Dr. Chiu.

DIY Steep a tea bag in cold water for 15 minutes. Cut it open and mix the leaves with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. Apply the mixture for 10 minutes, three times a day, until the sunburn subsides.

Athlete’s foot is a minor-league infection compared to toenail fungus: A typical topical med has a cure rate of only 34 percent. Good thing researcher Richard Derby, M.D., found that Vicks VapoRub’s antifungal ingredients effectively treated toenail fungus in 83 percent of patients.

DIY Apply a pea-sized amount to the nail and beneath its ridge daily. You may see results in a month, but it could take up to a year to cure it.

These brown blotches are signs of sun damage, so first have your skin screened for cancer. All clear? Open a bottle (or barrel) of cider vinegar. It contains a natural form of alpha hydroxy acid that helps remove the outer skin layers where melanin is trapped, says Dr. Chiu.

DIY Dilute one part vinegar with two parts water. Use a cotton ball to swab your spots with the solution; don’t rinse. Repeat daily.

Sandal season means your feet can finally breathe! They can also develop skin fissures! To avoid an ugly, painful infection, heal your heels with Super Glue. A University of Washington study found that the class of adhesives used in Super Glue, cyanoacrylates, was effective at sealing split skin.

You can hide behind your sunglasses for only so long. A sleep deficit has caused the blood vessels beneath your orbs to dilate, leading to dark, puffy skin. To eliminate bags under your eyes, put tea bags on I them: The tannins in black tea can slow bloodflow to the area and temporarily tighten your swollen skin, says Dr. Chiu.

DIY Steep two tea bags in a cup of boiling water for two minutes. Cool them in the fridge and then place them on top of your closed eyes for five minutes. Do this a few times a week.