Genital warts are the result of a sexually transmitted virus called the human papilloma virus (HPV) and it is important to deal with the problem as soon as you realize it exists. This is because HPV can sometimes lead onto either cervical cancer in women or cancer of the penis or anus in men. This is by no means a definite but it is always a good idea to have yourself checked out by a professional if you believe you have it. Once diagnosed, the next step is to consider the method of treatment and removal of the warts.

Treatments

The virus itself cannot be treated and in most cases the body’s immune system deals with it over a matter of months but the viral symptom of genital warts may be treated either at home or at the doctors.

Most use a topical medication first of all in the form of a gel or cream. Some are particularly strong and may only be applied by a medical professional while others such as podofilox and imiquimod can be safely used at home. These are painless to use yet require daily applications for a number of weeks – it is also important to note that these should not be used if you are pregnant as they are absorbed by the skin and may damage the baby.

If you are looking for a quicker method, then you may consider a type of removal.

Removal

If the warts are very large and hard to remove then they may need to be surgically dealt with through laser surgery. This is the most expensive removal method and needs a trained specialist.

For smaller genital warts, doctors have three options – all of which they can perform in their own surgeries:

1. Cryosurgery – this is the freezing of abnormal cells. A chemical such as nitrous oxide is applied to the wart and it destroys the diseased tissue. This is the most popular method as it is usually painless; it has a high success rate and is the least expensive option.
2. Electrocautery is the opposite of cryosurgery. Instead of freezing the warts, it burns them off with a low voltage electrical probe. Patients with only a few warts may receive a local anesthetic to deal with the accompanying pain while those with larger or more frequent warts may need a general anesthetic. There is a risk of some infection with electrocautery so antibiotics may be administered after the procedure and scarring can be evident. As well as this, it can take up to four weeks for the tissue to heal and during that time the affected area may be red, sore and swollen.
3. Trichloracetic Acid (TCA). This is applied to the wart once a week and works by destroying the proteins in the cells. It must be used very carefully as it will destroy any tissue it is in contact with. It takes about six to ten weeks but studies have shown it has about an 88% success rate. TCA is most effective on small moist areas of warts.

It must be remembered that the removal of genital warts only relieves the symptoms and does not deal with the actual HPV so there is always the chance the warts will recur.

© Megan Jackson

Megan is a teacher who likes to help people with genital warts issues. She is also a platinum-level expert author on EzineArticles.com which is the world’s largest article directory. Megan recommends using natural and homeopathic approaches such as Wartrol. For a special discount, just click here.