One Less Use for Duct Tape
Duct tape made headlines a few years ago when it was reported that the tape was more effective in removing warts than traditional cryotherapy. Welcome news for parents whose children presumably could be spared an expensive and painful procedure at the pediatrician’s office.
Not so according to new findings from a study reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Duct tape, say health-care experts at the AAP, had a “modest but non-significant effect on wart resolution when compared with placebo, according to a six-week randomized study of 103 children ages 4 to 12 years.”
It is estimated that one in five school-age children have warts, skin infections caused by viruses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. Like other viruses, warts are contagious. Approximately 25 percent of warts disappear without treatment within six months; others linger up to three years without treatment.
If your child develops one or more warts, don’t reach for the duct tape. It’s best to talk with your family physician or pediatrician to identify the wart type and discuss treatment options. Inexpensive and painless over-the-counter treatments are available for many kinds of warts.
