I WAS SUCCESSFUL in using this product to self-remove moles and skin tags. (My insurance won’t cover the liquid-nitrogen treatments at the dermatologist anymore.) THIS PRODUCT IS MORE THAN COLD ENOUGH TO DO THE JOB. And, unlike, some of the other freeze sprays, is it NOT flammable nor is it toxic. And it was the cheapest can on Amazon. And unlike the MG-Chemicals freeze sprays, there were zero complaints about busted trigger nozzles.

Here is how I successfully used it.

First, I used some duct tape to attach a ‘bendy/elbow’ drinking straw to the end of really-skinny straw that comes with the can itself. That actually provides MORE control of the spray; the skinny straw is SO skinny that the spray comes out too fast & too forceful, tending to go everywhere. Also the straw’s elbow allowed me to aim the spray in a variety of directions, even though the can only sprays when held upright.

Second, I did NOT apply the spray directly to the tag/mole out of the can, so as not to risk damaging any ‘good skin’ around the tag/mole. By trial & error, following the suggestions of others as well as trying quite a few ideas of my own, I discovered that certain types of dense white foam WILL hold the full cold temperature of the spray extremely well for about 20-30 seconds.

(I found that Q-Tips did NOT hold the cold. I also tried some stainless steel tweezers with big oval gripping paddles on the ends and found the steel, surprisingly, did NOT hold the cold well at all. I also tried shielding the skin area around the tag/mole using Dr. Scholl’s corn cushions, then sticking the straw into the hole in the middle of the corn cushion, but the corn cushion is of a foam that would take-on the cold.)

The foam that worked for me costs less than $2. Up&Up (Target-brand) Cosmetic Wedges. There are 32 of these triangular foam wedges in a pack; they are for ladies to use to pat-on makeup & foundation. I trimmed down the sides of the thinner end of the wedge with scissors until I was left with just a small ‘pointy-pointer’ on that end for precision application. I gripped the wedge firmly using the thick end, the cold will not progress up to that end. Then I just sprayed the freeze spray directly onto the pointy-pointer. (I found I could also spray the freeze into a small stainless steel liquor jigger and the liquid would remain there for a minute or two and I could use it for ‘dipping’ the pointer.) I immediately touched the foam to the tag/mole and held it there until was no longer cold. Then I immediately repeated this process about 3 times, meaning I kept the tag/mole cold for about 90 seconds continuous. I found that if it wasn’t doing some stinging, it wasn’t cold enough. Also, I found that after about 3 or 4 uses, the foam did not work as well anymore at holding the cold. But hey, I had a pack of 32 for $1.59, so I just threw one away and used another.

[UPDATE:] Something I found that was even MORE effective in some cases. I cut a small notch in the center of the thin-end of the foam. Then, after freezing the foam, I put the skin tag into the notch … and ‘pinch’ the frozen foam shut on it! That gets the freeze right to where it needs to be and helps keep from touching the good skin around it. Plus I bought some thimble-like silicone finger covers here on Amazon for like $5 and they insulate my fingers from any freeze I accidentally let get to the part of the foam from where my fingers are doing the pinching.

I am going to experiment with those little speculums sold here toward this purpose (actually they are made for ear-doctors to use to look in your ear) … but it will be difficult to use them under-arm since that will require one hand for the speculum and another for the spray can. We’ll see. [UPDATE: The speculum IS going to require a free hand to hold it in place. I could not find a way to position it otherwise. I couldn’t duct-tape it correctly either to the skin or the freeze spray can/tube. PLUS, in order for it to hold the liquid freeze spray without spilling out, the speculum is going to have to be held with the larger-end pointing straight-up. And, without a close-up pair of eyes, it’s impossible to see if the tag/mole has actually been slipped up inside the speculum. Bottom line is you’ll need a second person to help in order to use the speculum.]

Your mileage, of course, may vary. Proceed with caution and good sense.

As long as I am here about all this, I will describe that I discovered that the different brands of freeze sprays generally employ one of three chemicals.

Some freeze sprays, but not this one, use 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (also known as HFC134a, R-134a, norflurane or Freon 134a). It is non-flammable and non-toxic unless ‘huffed.’ It has minimal ozone and environmental impact. 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane is the original replacement for Freon-12 (also known as ichlorodifluoromethane or R-12) refrigerant — that has basically been banned due to significant ozone & environmental impact. Freon-12 is the Freon that was originally banned from use in automobile A/C systems back in the 1990s.

Yet other freeze sprays, but not this one, use 1,1-Difluoroethane (also known as DFE, R-152a, HFC152a or HFC-152a). This refrigerant has zero ozone impact, very low environmental impact and short atmospheric lifetime. However it is less frequently used as a replacement refrigerant BECAUSE IT IS FLAMMABLE. It is ALSO is an intoxicant and precipitates FATAL cardiac arrhythmia if excessively inhaled. (So sayeth Wikipedia.)

Other freeze sprays, INCLUDING THIS PRODUCT, use 1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (also known as HFO-1234ze). It is a refrigerant that that has ZERO ozone impact and lower global-warming ability than carbon dioxide. Which is why it is now being used to slowly phase-out 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane. Again, it is non-flammable. And I found a research paper that concluded that it is essentially entirely non-toxic.

Despite any hype by a particular brand, all of these chemicals apparently chill-down quickly to around -60 to -65 degrees Fahrenheit, though it appears that 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane is the (slightly) ‘chilliest’ of the bunch.

So, in theory, the chemical contained in THIS PRODUCT, 1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene, would likely be the best choice. And, in theory, any freeze spray employing 1,1-Difluoroethane, given its flammability and lethality, would be the worst choice.