Effective Plantar Wart / Verruca Cure Using Duct Tape Occlusion Therapy (DTOT)

Intro: Effective Plantar Wart / Verruca Cure Using Duct Tape Occlusion Therapy (DTOT)

Over 8 years I tried many ways to get rid of an increasing large verruca (plantar wart) on my heel. Nothing worked until I tried Duct Tape. I'm quite a scientific person so was pleased to find several academic studies supporting the successful use of Duct Tape in treating verrucas. There is obviously a huge pharmaceutical industry motivated to sell all kinds of expensive treatments and I'm sure they don't like the idea that a few cents worth of Duct Tape is all you really need. OK, so this really did work for me but I'm just a sample size of n=1 so it is worth reading what the academics found too.

In the picture above I have drawn a red blob on my foot where the Verruca used to be, showing roughly how big it was. If you google verruca you will see some horrific pictures - this is one that looked like mine (though mine was bigger).

Caution
Before you read further, please be aware that my verruca was on my foot and didn't hurt much at all. If you verruca is somewhere more serious, or where the skin is softer, like your face, hands or genitals, don't follow this advice at all before speaking with a proper doctor.

You might like to know that I do indeed have an allergy to plasters and I had no problem at all with the tape on my foot for 6 days at a time.


Background
I had a verruca (plantar wart) on my foot for YEARS. I think I picked it up swimming. As a regular swimmer i tried hard to treat it so I didn't spread it to my friends but I never managed to get rid of it until I tried the Duct Tape.

Here's what I tried over 8 years:
- Salicylic Acid - looked promising at first but never solved it despite weeks of trying;
- waiting 8 years - a Doctor told me they went away naturally in 2 years (rubbish) 
- expensive spray freeze kit - not very effective at all
- dry ice administered from the doctor - this hurt so much that i had to use a walking stick for a week afterwards and it ultimately didn't work and seemed to make it bigger.

The last thing I tried hurt so much I had to use a walking stick because my limping was hurting my back so much. I was actually quite surprised this didn't work (especially since it hurt so much).

It was around this time that we were having kids and my partner was pretty clear that she didn't want the kids catching my verruca. I heard rumours of this Duct Tape Occlusion Therapy (DTOT) and thought I would try it. It worked like a dream!

STEP 1: You Will Need

1. Verucca on your foot

2. Salicylic Acid

3. Duct Tape

4. Pumice Stone, Emery Board or similar skin scraper

5. Convincing references (see below)


References
Duct tape occlusion therapy (wikipedia). This tells us that Duct Tape is not conclusively proven to be a more effective treatment

The efficacy of duct tape vs cryotherapy in the treatment of verruca vulgaris (the common wart) Focht et al 2002. This study found that in 85% of cases, duct tape treatments cured the wart, compared with 60% in the cryotherapy group.

Efficacy of Duct Tape vs Placebo in the Treatment of Verruca Vulgaris (Warts) in Primary School Children Haen et al 2006. This study found no significant difference between duct tape and a placebo but I note that they did not use actual duct tape and indeed suggested that the tape they used lacked stickiness.

STEP 2: Method

This method is derived from the Focht (2002) paper referenced previously but has the additional step of using Salicylic Acid 

1. Apply Salicylic Acid to Verruca (as directed) and let it dry [this step is optional but may speed things up]

2. Cut a piece of Duct Tape that is a bit larger than the Verruca and apply it.

3. Wash your hands - you don't want to be spreading that thing, so clean up!

4. Leave the Duct Tape on the wart for 6 days straight (in the unlikely event of it falling off, immediately replace it with another piece). I managed to do several swim sessions a week and the Duct Tape stayed stuck to my foot the whole time.

5. After 6 days remove the tape. You will see some pretty dead and smelly skin under there (see new picture - it's pretty Yuk, there is some leftover sticky stuff from the tape on my foot but this is how you want it to look). Don't be alarmed. Give it a soak and a wash, then use a pumice stone or emery board on it. Leave the tape off overnight and then follow steps 1 to 3 above in the morning to re-cover it for another 6 days.

6. Keep an eye on your skin. If you see any irritation, stop doing this immediately. In any case, the original Focht paper suggested doing this for no more than 2 months or until the Verruca is gone. That is probably good advice.

Conclusion

Nobody was more surprised than me when this worked. I suspect the Salicylic Acid helped with the effectiveness of this approach but also, critically, the extra stickiness of the Duct Tape let me live my normal life, swimming 3 times a week, without the tape falling off.

Good luck with yours!

Comments

[CRM99]

This worked for me in only 3 weeks, before I even got to my appointment with my podiatrist. Much better than the painful treatments I have had in the past. I found that small (dime-sized) pieces of tape stayed on longer than large ones.

[Richard78]

I removed my Plantar warts using a natural remedy I found HERE.

[SatiyaA]

MUST READ,

HOW I GOT CURED FROM WARTS VIRUS

5 years ago I had warts, I was treated with some liquid applied to the warts they continued to grow and spread... The next 2 doctors did laser surgery to remove them. 1 year after the surgery, they grew back close to where the 1st ones were' so I was finally told it was hpv. I have had it for very long time, I contract it from my cheated boyfriend and I found out he was also infected and I end up the relationship between us. the warts was so embarrasses because it started spreading all over I have be dealing with this things for very long time the last treatment I take was About 2 years ago I applied natural treatment from Dr odede herbal temple, a week after applying the treatment all the warts was gone. it's now 2 years and some months I don't have single wart or any symptoms of hpv. wow"" it's great, Dr odede has finally cured me. Anyone living with hpv contact Dr odede for natural treatment.

His email address: [e-mail]? or call him on [phone]

[mandeee]

I had embarrassing Plantar warts for years, they just kept multiplying. I don't usually get on forums and post things, but I have to share this to help others as I know how annoying, resilient and ugly these warts are. I tried doing nothing (waiting for them to go on their own), getting a doctor to freeze them off (multiple times), freezing them off at home, using salicylic acid treatments from the chemist, cutting them out, apple cider vinegar (soaks every day for months), duct tape, nail polish, and tea tree oil. Oh I hated them sooooo much, they just kept multiplying and it was really getting me down, I started getting jealous of people with bare feet ( as silly as that sounds). I thought I could never be barefoot again in my life and they would just keep multiplying. I booked in to see a podiatrist, but the thought of of showing someone else my foot just embarrassed me so much that I cancelled the appointment (when I went and saw the doctor years prior, there were only a couple and it wasn't as embarrassing). I wanted laser treatment as I thought it was the only way, but then I read horror stories of them returning bigger and stronger after that. Oh my gosh these are the worst. But I read on some forum somewhere (I can't remember) to try oregano oil. I'd try anything. You have to search a bit for this stuff, its not that common. I bought 100% PURE OREGANO OIL online and I am so glad that i did. It works!!! and quickly!!!! PEOPLE THIS IS THE CURE!!! It is strong stuff. Wear gloves when applying as the oil burns the skin on your fingertips (not so much on your tough foot skin). The smell is so strong too if you get it on your hands it doesn't wash off. What I did was cut of the top tough skin layer of my warts with a pocket knife, you can't feel it its all callused, I just didn't want to scrub forever with a pumice. Then (with disposable gloves on) put the oil on a q-tip and then apply to the warts. I then put a sock on and went to bed. I repeat, it is so strong you don't want the oil touching anything. Or to do this in the morning and smell like oregano all day. I did this for like five days in a row. Then a cluster of warts disappeared. I did it again and the rest disappeared. They just disappear! OREGANO OIL!! Don't waste your time doing anything else!!

[gracefulstumbles]

Is there a website or store you bought oregano oil from?

[mandeee]

Yes. I am in no way affiliated with them :)

http://www.evitamins.com/oregano-oil-now-34694

[nandar5]

Removing Our Moles, Warts, and Skin Tags Safely and Naturally. http://goo.gl/tZSIbs

[DestinyH1]

I hav had plantar warts to more than six years. My feet are really soft and sensitive. I can were socks wrong and the thread at the end of the sock will cause a blister on my foot by the end of a work day. My plantar warts however were really painful and the only thing I found to sooth it over the years was elbsom salt. I recently tried duck tape and noticed some good results. The pain decreased but the plantar wart was still there. I have three on my right foot and two on the left, and they were starting to spread to my toes. I believe the duck tape would have worked but I stumbled across something g that promised to cure it quickly, and prevent it from coming back. It worked for me and I had pretty bad case of it. I was so relieved to be able to walk straight again or jump up and down without worrying a out how I would land on my feet. Here's the site to the product that changed my life. Http:\\www.howtoremoveplantarwarts.org

[DestinyH1]

http://www.howtoremoveplantarwarts.org

[MikeD24]

[stevemadn]

I've had this annoying planter wart on my feet for the last few years, I'm so glad I came across this. I've been doing it for 2 weeks and can already see it working. Who would have though duct tape would help lol.

http://wartrolwartreviews.com/

[rimar2000]

When I was 16 (in the pleisthocene) I had a plantar wart like yours. I mentioned it casually to a cousin of mine, and she told me that she was going to cure "by word". I never believed in that stuff. She supposedly cured me, his father heard the whole conversation, and intervened saying "she does not know how to cure, I will heal you". Whether it was him or her, the fact is that a few days later the wart was gone, after years of pestering. And the funny thing was that along with it disappeared another, which we had not spoken. Believe it or not!

[hilga007]

It's people posting garbage like this that really takes away from the scientific aspect of treatments.

I know this person is talking about a "magic spell" to cure a wart and likening it to duct tape.

Now - the duct tape could be effective, or it could be placebo. Perhaps if this story has the slightest bit of merit, the "spell" was a great placebo and for some reason, his immune response was triggered.

[CowenL]

Good to see duct tape worked to remove your verruca.

As additional input just to share, indeed Nail Varnish is a home remedy that get rid of plantar wart in similar manner as duct tape approach, with a "Suffocation Theory” behind. Checkout below post with embedded presentation slides for details.

http://howtogetridofwartshome.com/how-to-get-rid-of-verrucas-with-nail-varnish/

[CassieT1]

Omg! I'm about 3 weeks into this treatment and my plantar wart is almost completely gone! I've had it for over 5 years and I had already tried everything else from those salicylic acid dots to dry ice from the doctor and NOTHING worked. My doctor told me the same thing that it would go away on its own, but once it started getting bigger I decided I wasn't just going to let it take over my whole foot!

I used the liquid salicylic acid first, let it dry, then put duct tape over it and left it on for about 4 days at a time (I'm impatient). Then I would wash, soak, and use a pumice stone on it. The first round of duct tape left a lot of flaky dead skin that I couldn't get off with the pumice stone so I (very carefully!) cut off the dead skin with cheap nail scissors.

I'm so amazed with how quickly I saw results with this! Thank you so so much for posting!!!

[hottor]

As per your recommendation, I have Gorilla Duct Tape covering the wart on my foot as I write this. However, I do not have salicylic acid in the house and was too eager to begin the treatment to take the time to go out and buy it. Instead I implemented another tip that I picked up along the long road to eradicating the enemy. I mixed old school aspirin, which is made of a derivative of salicylic acid, with water to make a paste and applied that to the wart before the tape.

[Attmos]

Interesting. I'll give it a try, anything to get rid of it. I've had one on my heel for YEARS as well. Thanks.

[carl.myhill]

it'd be good to know how you get on with it so we can build up a body of evidence!

[Ugifer]

I can attest to the effectiveness of this method.

My daughter had a verucca that was simply not responding to the normal salicylic acid method. We kept it taped for a week or so (although we changed the tape every day or two but replaced it immediately) and one night it just came out on the tape. A year or so later and it has not returned.