I received an Email from Dr. Michael Greger with a link to a video he did reviewing the literature on using duct tape for treating warts. He referenced my letter to the editor on this topic and he did a wonderful job summarizing the failures in major medial studies attempting to assess the value of using duct tape in treating warts. Please take a look at his video by clicking on the PLAY BUTTON below…
As he noted in his video, the authors of these major blinded studies used clear duct tape with an acrylic adhesive which is not the same product used by Focht, et al in their initial study. Thus, you can not compare the outcomes of these studies in meta-analysis. A more recent study, shown at the end of Dr. Gregor’s video demonstrates 80% improvement with traditional duct tape vs 60% for cryotherapy–it should be noted that the duck tape was secured in place by using super glues, cyanoacrylate adhesives. To read this article click HERE. Not a bad idea, but I’m not sure how much of a therapeutic response can be attributed to the super glue, but by using it the duct tape remained in contact with the wart for longer periods. There is no literature on treating warts with cyanoacrylate adhesives. I firmly believe that there is something in the rubber-based adhesive in duct tape that aids in inducing an immune response. I was unaware of this excellent video until he sent it to me. Thanks for sharing Dr. Gregor! To see more articles on treating warts with duct tape click HERE and HERE. To see more of my blogs on warts click HERE and HERE.