Genital warts are a type of sexually transmitted disease that appears as small bumps around the genital areas. This is transmitted through sexual contact and is caused by the HPV virus or human paillomavirus, and this is one of the most common STDs. Genital warts are contagious, meaning that it is possible to catch this from another infected person. Coming into contact with an infected person sexually can cause you to have genital warts anywhere from a few weeks later to months later depending on how strong your immune system is. Not everyone who comes into contact with genital warts will develop them.
Symptoms
In females, genital warts are found in an around the vagina, anus and even the cervix. On males, the thigh, scrotum and groin as well as the penis are common sites for the blisters or warts to show up. These warts can be flat or raised and vary in size. They can be clustered together to look like cauliflower, but most times appear flesh colored and cause no pain. Normally there is no pain associated with genital warts when they first develop, so infection could be overlooked for weeks.
Prevention
There is a vaccination available for females age 9-26 called Gardisil, to prevent the HPV infection that causes genital warts and many cervical cancers. This vaccine is given as 3 separate injections over a 6 month time frame, but does not protect those who have already been infected. Sexual contact with condoms will help to prevent the infection, but considering the virus is spread through skin to skin contact, if genitals that are not covered by a condom are infected and are contacted, the virus can still be spread.
Treatments
There is no cure at this time for an HPV infection that causes genital warts. The HPV will lie dormant in the body, so reoccurrences of the warts are inevitable. Anyone with an outbreak can spread to others, and therefore treatment is essential to controlling the virus. Podofilox is a gel that is applied directly to the warts twice a day for 3 days and then 4 days of no medication. This treatment can be repeated for up to 4 weeks as needed, and can be done at home by the patient. Treatments by a physician include cryotherapy, podophyllin resin or trichloroacetic acid or TCA. Cryotherapy involves liquid nitrogen being placed on the warts and repeated every 2 weeks in office. The Podophyllin resin should be applied to warts in office and let air dry. This can be repeated weekly if needed, but cannot be used on open lesions or wounds. The TCA is applied to the warts and then air dried, that will more or less eat away at the warts. The last resort of any physician that is reserved for the worst cases of genital warts includes surgical removal by cutting, excising or electro surgery. Laser surgery is available for those who request it, and is less painful and has a shorter recovery time than electro surgery.
Waldon Bioresearch - About the Author:
Genital Warts and Genital Herpes Treatment. New Breakthrough Treatments for genital warts, genital herpes and HPV from Waldon Bioresearch. For details visit http://www.warttreatment.co.uk
