Genital warts treatment options

Genital warts are warts on and around the genitalia, that is caused by a strand of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, which can't be cured unfortunately but even though the actual virus will remain in your body, you can certainly get rid of genital warts. What are the treatment options for genital warts?

Medications

There are various creams available that have to be topically applied to the genital warts of a patient. Examples of these medications are Aldara and Condylox. Some medications for genital warts are applied by your healthcare provider at the doctor's office, while others can be used by the patient, at home. All medications for genital warts require a prescription. Genital warts need to be diagnosed by a doctor of course; you can't self-diagnose, because you may actually have a mole or something!

Surgical treatments

A more quick method of getting rid of your genital warts is a surgical procedure. These are only minimally invasive procedures that are done at your gynecologist. There are several options when it comes to this, including cryosurgery (freezing), laser surgery, electro surgery, and removing the warts by traditional surgery; by cutting. Surgical methods are especially suitable for those who have large amounts of genital warts, which are big. Such procedures can be over and done with very quickly, and local anesthesia will be applied before the treatment. They are outpatient procedures so you will be able to leave the doctor's office immediately after your warts are removed.

A note about treatment...

Even after treatment, HPV remains with you. This also means that genital warts may return at any time in the future. Some healthcare providers even advise expectant management a "wait and see" approach because genital warts can also go away by themselves in some cases. Be especially cautious if you are pregnant and have genital warts. You may like to read about genital warts and pregnancy complications in that case.