Why duct tape removes warts

Believe it or not, duct tape was originally described by the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics as a treatment for plantar warts on the feet. It works by stripping away the top layer of the wart and suffocates the aerobic virus, which needs air to survive. It may never go away completely with duct tape alone. Occasionally, it takes more professional treatment options to get rid of a plantar wart.

However, many report that it can take up to two months to get rid of a wart using the duct tape method. In those instances, we have plenty of treatment options for plantar warts. The most commonly used treatment is liquid nitrogen to bring the wart down to degrees Celsius, and then immediately rewarm the skin. It gets really cold —like putting your tongue on a flagpole in the winter — the quick transition from freezing to room temperature causes viral particles to lyse explode.

This treatment may cause a small blister afterwards, as the wart bubbles-up and falls off. It takes an average of three sessions to make most warts completely disappear. So, what can we conclude? Honestly, not that much. The evidence certainly seems to point to occlusion therapy being an effective method of treating warts in patients of all ages, provided the adhesive nature of the treatment is strong enough.

But there is always a but in science , none of these studies were truly double-blind and none of them were on very large groups of patients. Want to comment on this? View it here on our Facebook page! Enter your keywords. Sign-Up Here. If it works, duct tape occlusion therapy could offer a less painful, cheaper, easier alternative to traditional wart removal methods like cryotherapy and salicylic acid.

But does it work? Ada McVean B. Sadly, not quite. AdaMcVean Want to comment on this? Do Curfews Work? Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram. Warts, also known as common warts, are small bumps on your skin that are caused by a virus. Warts usually go away without treatment, but they can take several years to fully go away. However, some people might want to get rid of their warts faster. Keep reading to find out if you should use duct tape to get rid of a wart. It may take several weeks for this method to fully get rid of a wart.

Some doctors recommend using salicylic acid as an over-the-counter topical treatment for warts. You can find a wart removal treatment that contains salicylic acid at nearly any drugstore. Using a treatment like this in addition to duct tape could help your wart go away faster. Warts are a virus within the body. They can reoccur. Instead, covering a wart with duct tape prevents the virus from spreading further by stopping the wart from contacting other parts of your skin.

Duct tape is made of three layers: a strong, stretchy layer that resembles a fabric; a mesh layer; and an adhesive chemical layer. The combination of strength in the upper layers and chemical adhesion in the bottom layer might be a clue to what makes duct tape work to treat warts. The duct tape adheres to the top layer of the wart. When you tear the tape off, a layer of the wart will often come off with it. This may be less painful than remedies like freezing.