New USe for Duct tape!

[mddolson]

I went to the Doctor yesterday, for an ear infection. Yes. Otitus Externa (an external ear infection)
I was negligent in using my ear rinse after a dive.

Any way that's not what this is about, but it's how I got to the doctor.

So I told the doctor I also had a wart on my foot. Not the end of the world but a real pain. It's on the ball of my foot, between my big and 2nd toes.

NOW Here's the good part !
He says I can have it frozen off with liquid nitrogen or put duct tape over it. (move over Red Green)
I'm to keep the duct tape inplace, for about a month, replacing it every week with a fresh peice. The tape suffocates the wart, and it dies, and our body takes care of the virus that caused the wart. He says there is about an 85% success rate with the duct tape, which is about the same as liquid nitrogen.

So anyway I'll let you know how it works out. I've now got a gray pice of duct tape over my wart!

MikeD
:blffish:

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

This information has been out for about a month and is correct. The tape is applied as previously stated. It is supposed to work for external warts and plantar warts (ingrown on the sole of the foot).

Er...this is NOT for genital warts..ouch!

I wonder how long it will take to get FDA approval!

Larry Stein

 

[DocVikingo]

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/issues/v156n10/rfull/poa20075.html

Enjoy.

DocVikingo

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

What do you suppose the going rate for this procedure will be...$500 bucks...and is it medical, surgical, or "other". I can't wait to see the medical code for this procedure and the UCR. Will we have to submit the claims from Home Depot?

This ranks right up there with red laser treatment of oral herpes. It works great but it comes under the heading of VooDoo!

Thanks for the link though. Think I'll tape my mouth shut tonight to cure my snoring. In a couple of weeks, my tongue and uvula will shrink so much that my wife will never complain again. A useful side effect will be the lack of the need to shave in the morning--kinda like waxing the mustache.

Actually, there is a down side to this treatment....some people are allergic to the adhesive so some care should be considered. Personally, I think a good coat of Aquaseal should be great too.

Regards,

Larry Stein

 

[Big O]

Had several plantar warts froze off my feet in the Marines 10 years ago, but one showed back up on my left foot about 2 months ago, and its to the point to cause me to limp.

Ya'll BSing me or what here?

Dave

 

[DocVikingo]

Articles from recognized, referred medical journals generally do not "BS" people.

You should be aware, however, that in this study the procedure was applied to common warts. These tend to grow on the fingers, be mounded & fleshy, and the bulk of the wart extends above the skin surface.

True plantar warts occur on the sole of the foot, tend to be hard & flat, and the bulk of the wart is under the skin surface.

Given this situation, the duct tape technique appears to much better lend itself to the treatment of common as opposed to plantar warts.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[The Iceni]

Interesting!

£300 for cryo! No wonder our NHS is falling apart at the seams. As a GP I am not allowed to charge my NHS patients for any medical or surgical procedure but do charge £15 per session for the liquid nitrogen (and it's storage) and even then eyebrows are raised by my PCO as I am suposed to do this for nothing (and pay for the previledge). It is quick and usually very effective, if very sore for a short time - it is iatrogenic frost-bite!

Politics apart, as far as I am aware the all a waterproof covering will do is prevent the spread of the virus (Human papilloma virus) to others (from the floor of the swimming pool tiles on which you have walked?) Most warts or veruccas resolve spontaneously within a year in any case.

Salicilic acid is frequently used and adhesive plasters impregnated with it are on sale from pharmacies over here. Unfortunately, in my experience, all these corrosive agents do is cause a very painful chemical burn and a nasty ulcer. In consequence many abandon the treatment prematurely, often leaving the "root" of the wart intact.

Cryotherapy does work, very quickly, but very occasionally overzealous use can cause blistering.

The problem with veruccas is the callus that forms arround the lesion. This is what causes the pain, similar to a small stone in one's shoe. Might I suggest that palliative chiropody is probably all that is required in most cases; shave excision of the callus tissue to remove the cause of the discomfort. I cannot imagine this will be anywhere near as expensive as a definitive medical or surgical procedure.

The usual exemptions apply. This is not a recommendation and readers are advised to seek qualified advice.

 

[seaangel]

I have seen another duct tape use on several dive trips that I have though comical. There are several of the more experienced or long time divers in our area that wrap each toe with duct tape, of course I would recommend surgical sport tape as an alternative, but they claim is duct tape is cheaper and works great. Works great for blisters that they get from their fins and booties. I have not yet gotten any blisters and will be getting the same amount of bottom time they are. My thoughts are they need better fitting booties and fins. But they deny that, just say I always get blisters so therefore use duct tape. Personnally I would rather not have either blisters or duct tape on all my toes.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Is there anything that man cannot do? Just another wonderful use for duct tape

 

[The Iceni]

DocVikingo once bubbled...
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/issues/v156n10/rfull/poa20075.html

"The current treatment of choice for warts in many pediatricians' offices is cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen. This method involves freezing a wart with liquid nitrogen for 10 to 20 seconds every 2 to 3 weeks"

DocVikingo

Hardly a major problem for adult divers but I do not use cryotherapy on children. The reasons are pretty obvious.

In my experience 10 - 20 seconds of treatment is almost homeopathic, particularly for veruccas. For each treatment I employ a Cryospray, using a minimum of three applications of spray of thirty seconds duration, each separated by a minute. All adults find this extremely unpleasant and I would not dream of using this on any child.

I have to accept the statistics, however. It would indeed seem duct tape is the treatment of choice for children!