Genital Warts : Treatment and Symptoms of Genital Warts
The sexually transmitted condition of genital warts is most disturbing with both sexes affected both inside and outside their sexual organs including the anus; often giving the appearance of regular varieties. These belong to the same strain of human papilloma virus that result in other types but are easily passed from one person to another, even orally. It is better to prevent contracting genital warts than treating them but the problem is the one who passes on the virus that causes them may be unaware that they have the virus; so despite all precautions such as use of condoms you may still get them.
What makes it worse is they can lie dormant for years at a time and it may not be possible to know who infected you in the first place. This means the person who was infected starts infecting others as well. There are more than hundred HPV virus types but only the type HPV6 causes ano-genital warts. Although outer warts can be easily seen, women who develop them inside their genitalia may not be seen until a doctor examines the site.
The problem is made worse by the environment that genital warts use to multiply, damp and moist areas; and this is exactly what they find in and around a woman’s genitals, plus some discharge may be present. One of the safest methods of wart removal is the application of very cold liquid nitrogen by a doctor or dermatologist; however it often takes a few applications before the skin and its tissue are destroyed. Removal by liquid nitrogen is quite painless but even so it is not always possible to use this process owing to the area to be treated.
Two other methods which require professional medical attention is the use of electro-cautery or the emerging laser wart removal process. All the treatments depend upon the location of the infection and even after they are removed, there is no guarantee they will not come up again. Genital warts can be treated with imiquimod which is administered to aid the immune system kill them directly but it still can’t kill the virus that causes the infection and some may still form even when the liquid is being used.
It is best to get a doctors consent to use imiquimod as it cannot be used in every circumstance including pregnancy; this is also the case when the skin around the area is inflamed and in particular, internally. Like all medications, imiquimod has side effects and if these are experienced it should be stopped immediately but this is worth discussing with your doctor prior to using it. With such a serious subject, the information on genital warts provided here should not be viewed as complete or in-depth; further facts and advice should be sought by a doctor if you have personal concerns.