![]() While the participants in the initial Focht study reported some trouble keeping tape attached (mostly on their hands), the participants of the other two studies experienced significant troubles keeping their tape engaged. It may also have something to do with the adhesiveness of the tapes used. Since researchers aren’t certain the mechanism by which duct tape may help with warts (although they theorize that its due to the skin beneath the tape breaking down and stimulating an immune response) we cannot rule out the idea that the type of adhesive plays a role. The other two studies, however, in an attempt to blind participants to what they were using, used transparent duct tape.Īs it turns out, transparent duct tape (as well as corn pads and moleskin) use acrylic-based glues as their adhesive, while traditional duct tape uses a rubber-based adhesive. You see, the initial, pretty successful study used your run-of-the-mill silver duct tape. What happened? Was the first study a fluke? The answer may lie in the type of tape used in these studies. Similarly, in 2007, Wenner tested duct tape against a control of moleskin in 80 immunocompromised adults and found that only 21% of tape-treated warts resolved versus 22% of moleskin-treated ones. They found that only 16% of warts resolved after 6 weeks of duct tape therapy, versus 6% in the placebo group. ![]() However, instead of comparing duct tape to cryotherapy, they used corn pads worn only one night a week as the placebo control. In 2006, de Haen attempted a similar study, using 103 school children from the Netherlands. ![]() study used seems fine to evaluate the efficacy of cryotherapy. With this in mind, the 10-20 seconds that the Focht et. They also found that 64% of those receiving 10 second freezes reported ill effects like pain or blistering, with 5 even withdrawing from the study. However, this study found that what they called a “more aggressive cryotherapy” of 10 seconds to be effective in 64% of patients. ![]() At least one doctor stated that “a 10-second application… is only useful to treat very thin lesions”. In the less valid category are concerns that the liquid nitrogen in this study wasn’t applied for long enough. Since roughly 65% of pediatric warts clear up on their own, and the average age of participants was 9, it could be that many of the studies warts went away regardless of the treatment they received. There are also valuable concerns about the ages of the participants. 51 patients isn’t nothing, but with more patients comes more certainty. In the more valid category, there are concerns about sample sizes. There have been some more, and less, valid criticisms levied at this study. I’m done writing this now, you’re done reading it, and we can both go take a nice bath or have a pint and watch Netflix. So that solves it right? Duct tape works. They found that 85% of patients who used duct tape saw their wart resolve, compared to 60% of patients who received cryotherapy, and concluded that duct tape was a better method for treating warts than cryotherapy. To this they compared traditional cryotherapy of warts, wherein liquid nitrogen was applied to a wart using a Q-Tip for 10-20 seconds, every 2-3 weeks, for a maximum of 6 applications. They used the same duct tape you probably have in your home right now and instructed patients to leave it on for 6 days at a time, for up to two months. al. compared duct tape to cryotherapy in 51 patients under 22 years of age. ![]() There are only four studies that have attempted to test this method, so let’s start with the oldest. So let’s see what the studies have to say on the veracity of this therapy. But, as we always say, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. No scarring, minimal pain, low cost, and you may not even need to see a doctor. The process is repeated until the wart resolves.īesides the potential cramp in your style caused by trying to accessorize some duct tape, this method seems almost too easy. Congrats, you have a wart! Now what? Head to the pharmacy for one of the at-home kits? Head to the doctor’s office for cryotherapy or some other treatment? What if I told you to head to the hardware store instead?ĭuct tape occlusion therapy for warts was first written about by Litt in 1978 and involves, well, basically what you think it does: Covering a wart with duct tape for about 6 days before removing the tape, soaking the wart in warm water for 5 minutes, and gently rubbing it with a pumice stone. ![]()
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