External genital warts are caused by the Human Papilomavirus
(HPV) when this microscopic virus particle infects
the skin. When external genital warts appear, they
usually occur as small growths on the genital areas.
However even though infection may have taken place,
such external genital warts may not appear for weeks,
months or even years. They may even never appear.
Although the virus itself stays in the skin and cannot
be cured, there is external genital warts treatment
available.
In women, external genital warts can grow on the
lips of the vulva, around the clitoris, around the
urethra and on the area between the vagina and the
anus. We tend to give them all the name of vaginal
warts. In women, the main genital warts symptoms
are the appearance of small red or white bumps on
the genitalia. Sometimes these external genital warts
grow alone, other times in cauliflower like clusters.
They may even be flat and barely visible. These female
external genital warts are not usually painful but
may well be itchy or uncomfortable.
In men, external genital warts can appear on the
tip of the penis, on the shaft of the penis, on the
scrotum and on the area around the anus. In men, the
genital wart symptoms can be tiny warts or they can
also accumulate into large masses on the genital tissue.
They can have rough or smooth surfaces and are typically
flesh colored. Left untreated, these external genital
warts symptoms may disappear but on the other hand,
they can grow and multiply so that they eventually
develop a fleshy small raised growth that looks like
a cauliflower.
Human Papilloma Virus is a sexually transmitted disease
and like many other STDs, often does not have any
signs and symptoms that you are able to see or feel.
Medical studies reveal that almost half of all women
infected with HPV have no obvious HPV
symptoms while an even higher proportion of men
are not aware that they are carrying the virus because
there no signs and symptoms of HPV and it is not possible
to test for this virus in men.
External genital warts treatment
If you have been diagnosed with external genital
warts, you will want to know what external genital
warts treatment is available. Health professionals
often recommend medication applied to external genital
warts as the first choice of HPV
treatment and there are several different methods
available
Home treatments:
o A natural healing product made from essential oils
which eliminates all strains of the wart
virus without skin irritation or scarring.
o Imiquimod which is a prescription treatment that
induces the body to produce proteins that act against
the HPV and boost the immune system locally.
o Podofilox which is a prescription lotion or gel
for home use which stops the growth of wart cells.
Treatments carried out by a health professional:
o Podofyn which is a plant extract that is applied
every 1 to 2 weeks.
o Interferon injections which are injected into the
wart to help the body’s immune system fight
the virus that is causing the wart.
o Trichloroacetic acid which is applied weekly until
the warts have gone.
o Fluorouracil which is a cream applied weekly.
o Cryotherapy which involves freezing the warts.
o Laser treatment which is used for vaporizing warts.
o Electrocutery which is used to destroy the wart
tissue with heat from an electric current.
o Excision which is where the warts are cut away during
a surgical procedure.
As you can see, there are plenty of external genital
wart treatment options for you to choose from and
your doctor will advise you on the different methods.
The important thing is to treat those external genital
warts as soon as possible for your health sake.
Go
to our Genital Warts Treatment page
