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Duct Tape Wart
Removal
Warts are infections of the skin
caused by the human papilloma
virus (HPV), and whilst they can
disappear of their own accord,
it may take months or even years
before they’re gone. One of the
simplest and most effective wart
removal home remedies is to use
duct tape, which can be found in
most hardware or grocery
stores.
Duct tape not only
stops the world from falling
apart it can also eradicate
those irritating lumps and bumps
that can appear anywhere on your
body.
In fact a study by Dr. Dean
Focht from the Children’s
Hospital Medical Center in
Cincinnati concluded that it was
more effective than cryotherapy,
which is the freezing of the
wart by liquid nitrogen. Of the
51 patients who completed the
study twenty-two patients (85%)
who used duct tape versus
fifteen (60%) who were given
cryotherapy saw their warts
completely disappear, often
within the first month of
treatment (Dean R. Focht III;
Carole Spicer; Mary P. Fairchock.
The Efficacy of Duct Tape vs
Cryotherapy in the Treatment of
Verruca Vulgaris (the Common
Wart). Arch Pediatr Adolesc
Med, Oct 2002; 156: 971-974).
A further study in 2006 saw a
more modest outcome. The duct
tape was only effective in 16%
of cases compared to a 6%
success rate of those trial
subjects who were given a
placebo (Marloes de Haen, et al.
Efficacy of Duct Tape vs Placebo
in the Treatment of Verruca
Vulgaris (Warts) in Primary
School Children. Arch Pediatr
Adolesc Med 2006; 160:
1121-1126).
How to Remove a Wart with Duct
Tape
A person should apply gray
(original) duct tape
so that it completely covers the
wart (not covering the skin
around the wart), and leave it in place for
six days. Remove the tape and
then soak the affected area in
warm water and then scrub with
an emery board or pumice stone. Then
put another piece of duct tape
on the wart and repeat the
process. After two months the
wart should have disappeared.
There is another duct tape
wart removal method which involves
applying warts with salicylic
acid before going to bed. Let
it dry and then cover with duct
tape. In the morning peel off
the duct tape. Warts should
get smaller each day. Repeat the
process every nighttime until
the wart disappears.
Reasons Duct Tape Might Be
Effective
A wart needs air to thrive and
survive but smothering it with
duct tape effectively suffocates
the annoying growth. It is also
thought that the duct tape may induce
the immune system to attack the
wart and virus, although this
hasn’t be proven by scientific
research yet.
The duct tape
irritates the wart to a point
where an elevated immune
response occurs at the site of
the wart. The immune
system fights the human papillomavirus
at the site of the wart and
destroys the virus much faster
than just letting the wart go
away on its own. Another theory as
to why the application of duct
tape might be effective is that
the sticky substance removes
dead skin cells that harbor the
virus.
Pros and Cons of Duct Tape
The advantages of duct tape
wart remover are that it
is cheap, painless, and has
proved to be effective.
Duct tape wart
removal usually takes
approximately 2 months to
effectively remove the wart
compared to 1 to 2 years if left
alone.
A major
disadvantage is that it can
cause the skin under the tape to
become red and soggy. If this
happens the medical advice is to
suspend the treatment for a few
days to let the skin breath, dry
out, and recover.
More About Warts
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