Warts Warrant a Sticky Solution

So much for the wonders of modern medicine - the best treatment for common warts can be found right in your toolbox. Recently doctors at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash, treated 61 children and teens with warts with either liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy) or with all-purpose duct tape. Patients in the cryotherapy group received a standard application of liquid nitrogen to the wart for 10 seconds every 2-3 weeks up to a maximum of six treatments.

Those in the duct tape group placed a small piece of tape on the wart for six days. On the seventh day, they removed the tape, soaked the area in water, and then gently rubbed the wart with an emery board or pumice stone. The tape was left off overnight and was reapplied the following morning. This cycle was continued for a maximum of two months.

The results might surprise you: 85% of the duct tape users reported their warts disappeared completely versus only 60% in the liquid nitrogen group.