Genital Wart Treatment

November 2, 2009 by admin 

Genital Warts are small warts that develop around the anus, vagina, penis and groin area after contact with the HPV virus that causes the warts. This is a sexually transmitted disease or STD that is transmitted strictly through sexual contact. There is no cure for Genital Warts, but many treatments are available.No TreatmentIt is thought that up to 30% of Genital Warts will actually go away on their own without treatment. This could be the case for a patient if there is no discomfort, and then treatment is not needed. If itching, burning or pain is causing any discomfort, treatment may be sought.Imiquimod or AldaraAldara is a cream that boosts the immune system’s capabilities of fighting the genital warts. While applying this cream twice a day for 3 days and then no cream for 4 days, you should avoid any sexual contact. This can weaken the protection that condoms and diaphragms offer, and will irritate a partner’s skin if contact is made. Podophyllin or Podofilox Both of these medications are also known as condylox, and they are plant based resins that actually kill the genital wart tissues. These medications are applied by a physician in office, and have recommendations of no sexual contact while using. These creams are to be air dried on the skin of the warts, but should not be used on surrounding skin. This is to be applied only on the warts as it can have serious side effects if placed on unaffected skin. This should not be used during pregnancy, as side effects to the fetus have been noted.Tricholoracetic Acid or TCATCA is a chemical treatment that is used to burn off the genital warts, and is always applied in office by a doctor. It may take a few treatments over a monthly period to completely remove all warts with this method.SurgeryCryotherapy is a type of surgery that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the blisters to form around the warts. The skin then heals and sloughs off the lesions, therefore killing off the warts and allowing new skin to emerge. This can take many treatments to completely rid the skin of current wartsElectrocautery and Surgical ExcisionElectrocautery involves using an electric current to burn off the warts, while surgical excision actually uses specific tools to cut the warts off. This procedure requires local anesthesia for pain dulling effects, and is normally complete after one treatment for all active warts on the skin at the time of the procedure. Laser TreatmentsLasers or intense beams of light are used to burn off and cut off warts, but is very expensive and time consuming. This is normally only used for very hard to treat warts, and therefore is not used often. Although many treatments exist for genital warts, more than one can be used at a time for specific cases. Medications for other genital STDs can be used in conjunction with these treatments if your physician sees an improvement.

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