Wart Removal via Duct Tape?

Updated on August 07, 2010
A.C. asks from Sterling Heights, MI
22 answers

My four year old has a very large wart on her thumb near the cuticle. We've tried two different painless topical treatments at the dermatologist and neither have worked. The over-the-counter acylic acid kind hurts (at least she cries a lot and says it does - though it never hurt me when I used it - maybe i't's because it's near the cuticle).

SO, I was wondering if anyone ever had success using duct tape? I have heard it works but I can't really take the time to try it if it's not going to work (the wart is really big and shouldn't be allowed to grow any bigger lest more painful treatments be even more painful than necessary due to the large surface area. In fact, the doctor said we really need to shrink it on our own as much as possible before they can remove it for that reason.)

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S.M.

answers from Saginaw on

This was on Dr. Oz recently. He said if you smother the wart with duct tape for a few days it cuts off the air and kills it.

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B.H.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Hi A.!

Here is my opinion - I do think duct tape works!!! My sister had a huge wart on the bottom of her foot and used duct tape and it is gone!!! Also, my son had warts (a lot of them) on his hands and I was told by a friend to use Mediplast. As far as I know you can only get it at Meijers at the Pharmacy counter. You do not need a presciption for it - just ask for it. It is very inexpensive ($3.00)?? It looks like a large bandage, and you just take a scissors and cut off a piece the size of the wart and stick it right on the wart. You may want to put tape around it to keep it there. After baths, just put a new one on. Be patient and keep doing this til its gone!! It may have taken us about 2-3 weeks, but it worked!! And that was after all the dermatology visits that didn't work. Use duct tape the same way. It's the cheapest way to go and it works!!!! Hope you have a great weekend!

B. Hooyer
bhooyer.usana.com
____@____.com

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C.M.

answers from Detroit on

It really does work! My granddaughter had a wart on her foot. Duct tape did the trick. I believe it only took about a week of very diligent coverage. There is even purple duct tape...how cool is that!

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C.A.

answers from Atlanta on

Actually a homeopathic doctor told me once a bannana peel believe it or not and someone was actually there that swore it worked. It's an all-natural alternative and I would imagine less painful for the dear child.

Rub the inside of a little piece of a banana peel on a wart every night. You should see results within one to two weeks.

It even works on plantar warts too supposedly. I don't know because I personally have never had a wart. My husband used to but had them burned off at the dermatologist office and they never came back. I didn't know about the banana peel back then.....

You can google it because people have come up with several ways to do the application. Some say newer is better than older. Some say to scrape the peel and place a bandage over it blah blah blah. The point is as long as you get the peel on the wart it should do the job.

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H.S.

answers from Detroit on

Use the wart remover that comes on a pad, you may have to use more than one if the war it big. Then put a small piece or duct tape over that and leave it on overnight the next day soak the wart and reapply. It will take a couple weeks but it will go away.

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi A.,

Warts are usually viral so make sure you don't cut it or break it open. It could possibly spread. I don't know about the duct tape but my daughter had several on her toes when she was little and we used melaleuca alternafolia oil. One of it's qualities is antiviral. It took a little longer than having it burned off, but the oil actually absorbs deep into the tissue and gets to the root of the problem.

M.

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A.R.

answers from Dallas on

Apple cider vinegar. Soak a cotton ball in it and bandage it over her wart at night, take it off during the day. In a week or so the wart should dry up and fall off. Worked for multiple warts on both my kids.

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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

ummm ripping it off with duct tape.......... NOT a good idea, that stuff is strong, you could also rip skin off.. I say don't do it..
what about the doctor FREEZING it.. that doesn't hurt.. plus, they can put numbing cream on it beforehand...
definitely, don't rip it off with tape..it could also get infected..
best of luck to you

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C.S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Hi A.,

My daughter had plantar warts on her foot a couple years ago and we tried everything...even the duct tape, but the tape kept falling off and didn't seem to work. Our doctor told us to try Mediplast. Curad is a brand that carries them (very inexpensve, too). It's a bandaid type thing, but completely sticky on one whole side and it's medicated. You just cut the size you need and stick it on. I also used bandaids or medical tape over it to keep it in place. As soon as it falls off, put another one on. It worked for us! Good luck!

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L.A.

answers from Minneapolis on

It does work. We have used compound W covered with duct tape for the wart on my sons foot every night. It does take awhile for it to go away.

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

what worked with my kids was a couple different treatments. One was switching back and forth between garlic and onion. Apply to the wart and cover with a band aid. Next day/night, use the other. This worked on my one son.
Another is go to Homecure.com. You'll look for SilvaSolutions salve. Apply that. That worked for another of my kids.
The salasylic acid doesn't always work and it smells and stings. Freezing it off like the dermatologist will do doesn't always work either, no matter how many repeat treatments you get.
Raw onion, minced garlic. And there's enough liquid with the garlic to be able to use that on the band aid.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Duct tape does work, but it takes a while of keeping it on.
My son got a really big wart on his foot and we used duct tape. His dad didn't think it was working so he took him to the doctor to have it burned off and that didn't work at all.
So, we went back to the duct tape.

I haven't personally tried this, but I have also heard that putting clear fingernail polish on a wart will get rid of it. I guess it kind of seeps down and helps clog off the oxygen supply. And, it's said not to burn like regular wart remover.
Put on a coat. Make sure it has a chance to dry. Keep your daughter's thumb out of her mouth. Reapply after a bath or washing her hands.

Like I said, I've never tried it, my son's wart went away.
Just a suggestion.
Might be something to it.

Best wishes!

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K.M.

answers from Detroit on

Warts are a pain in the behind. They can take 6months or more to get rid of. When using something from the dermatologist or over the counter you need to wrap with duct tape. if you wrap it with duct tape the duct tape sufficates it and makes it shrink. If I can remmeber clearly from between the sermatologist and the pediatrician I think they said its a virus running the body too. I know the dermatologist when we went in just kept scraping it off than he would treat it with something three times before we left and when he used the medication my son and him both said it burned. But than we left came home and wrapped it in duct tape for ten days till we seen him again. It eventually went away but it was along time. The dermatologist could only do so much so after his treatments i used the over the counter stuff too. you really need to do that to after using that you need to wrap it in duct tape.

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T.S.

answers from Sacramento on

I haven't tried it but it's what our pediatrician recommends and what worked for my friend's son (same doctor). Don't put it on and off a bunch, just cut a piece to size, stick it on and leave it there for like a week or until it falls off on it's own.

Good luck.

T.

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C.G.

answers from Davenport on

yes it works, but it takes a lot longer to work.

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A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

I am currently using it since I'm pregnant. My doctor assures me it will shrink the wart, even if it doesn't get rid of it.

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M.P.

answers from Detroit on

Warts are viruses. She needs to eat fresh veggies and fruit,, drink water (half her weight in ounces), and take a whole food multivitamin, vitamin C and vitamin E. This will help with her immune system.

Hope this helps.

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P.W.

answers from Detroit on

When I was around 10 I had planters warts on my hands. The doctor froze them they came back, cut them out they came back and burned them out and they still came back. My Grandmothe told my mom to put iodine on them and cover them with a band aid till they fell out. That is the only treatment that worked. They have never came back and that has been 30 plus years ago. It doesn't hurt after the first application, the first stings a little like it would when you put iodine on a cut. The hardest part is keeping the band aid on 24 hours a day. My nephew had the same problem a few years ago and it worked for him also. It is the cheepest and most effective way to remove warts. Even the doctor was amazed by it. Good luck

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B.T.

answers from Detroit on

Duct tape can work on some warts but it can take months. Salicyclic acids shouldn't hurt unless it is getting into broken skin?

Freezing really stings, I probably would only do it if the wart is very bothersome. Warts will eventually go away but that also could take years.

Apply the duct tape and leave it on. Then every few days use a pumice stone to shave it down, then reapply the tape.

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C.D.

answers from Grand Rapids on

We used banana peel for a stubbern wart on my son. Every night we'd rub the inside of the peel on the wart and tape it on with duct tape. In the morning we'd take it off and wash it. His wart was gone within 3 weeks and has not come back 1 1/2 years later. It worked great!

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M.W.

answers from Detroit on

I just had a wart frozen yesterday and they told me to complete the treatment by putting duct tape on it each night before going to bed - only while in bed - something with the adhesive. They did tell me that it takes a long time though. Good luck and I hope it works - who would have thought, eh, it fixes Everything!

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P.T.

answers from Atlanta on

I just had a friend tell me today what worked for her 5 yr old grandson.
If you have a CVS Pharmacy, ask the pharmacist for the stick with sylistic acid and castor oil. It looks like a lip balm. She said she tried and so did the Mother, try EVERYTHING... this was the ONLY stuff that worked...

I've never heard of using duct tape...

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