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Duct Tape on Warts
- Does it Really Work?
As a
pharmacist, I hear from clients
asking if putting duct tape on warts would help get rid of them on
their children's hands and feet. The answer? Possibly.
The Research
Studies...
 In
a 2002 study, duct tape applied to the warts was shown to be effective
in making the warts go away. It was shown to be even more effective
than using the freezing method (cryotherapy)!
This published
study was reported to the media and it immediately created attention.
The general public caught on and began talking all about it.
Because of all the attention, more researchers got very
interested
resulting in two additional research studies, one done in 2006 and
another one in 2007.
Unfortunately, these two newer studies
both which were designed much better, showed no benefit in
using duct tape on warts. This was a big blow and the negative results
seemed to
contradict the positive results from the original study in 2002.
However...
There are two things that were different in the newer studies compared
to
the older one that was done in 2002.
The first one was that the newer studies used
transparent duct tape. The second was that the volunteers in the study
were older adults.
Would these two differences matter?
Yes,
indeed it can make a huge difference!
It
was discovered afterwards that the transparent duct tape does
not contain
the same rubber-type adhesive as in the original gray duct tape. In
theory, the rubber-type material could stimulate the immune system and
irritate the warts differently.
The researchers choose the transparent duct tape so that the volunteers
and the researchers could not tell who got which treatment. This is a
fundamental reasearch design called double-blinding.
It is to avoid the placebo
effect.
Moreover, the original 2002
study was done on children while the newer 2007 study had mostly adults
(indeed the average age of the volunteers were 54). Younger children's
immune system works differently than in adults.
That means
gray duct tape could still work!
Correct. The new studies were not exactly the same as the original
study and
therefore, they do not contradict the results from the original study.
Moreover, there's little risk is trying this technique.
How
to Use Duct Tape on Warts
-
 Apply
a small piece of duct tape covering the wart and leave it one for 1
week. Cover the duct tape with a bandage.
-
Remove the bandage and duct tape after the
seventh day.
-
On the eighth day, soak the wart in water and
use an emery board to scrape off the wart lightly.
-
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for up to 2 months or
until the wart is gone.
If
the skin becomes irritated, you can stop the treatment for several days
allowing the skin to return to normal. Then start the procedure over
again.
See our article Warts if
you want to get answers to commonly asked questions such as "Does duct
tape remove warts?" and many others.
As well, there are many other natural remedies for
warts that can be quite effective for wart removal. Several
of these remedies are supported by scientific studies too!
Related
Articles and Resources for Duct Tape on Warts Removal
Natural Remedies for Warts - What
can I Use?
Get Answers to Your Questions on
Warts
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