Duct Tape Occlusion Therapy

Duct tape occlusion therapy is a method of treating warts by covering them with duct tape for a prolonged period. How the tape works is unclear; it may create a macerating, keratolytic environment that stimulates an immune response, with the type of adhesive likely mattering because adhesive leeching into the skin may drive the response. Clinical evidence for its effectiveness is mixed: a 2012 trial found no statistically significant difference between clear duct tape and a placebo, while no equivalent trial has tested the more common grey duct tape, which uses a different adhesive, and health information sources variously describe it as having mixed evidence, no good evidence, or as alternative medicine, though its simplicity and limited side effects keep some researchers reluctant to dismiss it.