Treating Genital Warts Can be Difficult but Possible

Once genital warts have been diagnosed beyond doubt, their treatment must be initiated. Their elimination can be made easier by the quickness of treatment. There are many methods to cure them, apart from creams. Of course, awareness and prevention are the best possible cures.

Genital warts can happen to both men and women. Transferred through sexual contact, these hideous blister-looking bumps can appear on vagina's, penises and anuses - making them officially recognized as sexually transmitted infections. Caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV, they are gray or flesh-colored growths that may have deep roots in the body, depending largely on how long they have been festering. As such, once diagnosed, treating genital warts must be a priority.

The treatment of genital warts may include some highly private things like one's sexual habits, preferences and hygiene which are shared with the doctor. The patient may well get embarrassed as genital wart occurrence is due to one of the following problems -

1. No condom was used at the moment of the sexual encounter

2. Both persons in the act were not familiar with each other - the infection was transferred during a possible one night stand or both parties had just met each other

3. No proper check on the other person's sexual history was initiated or either party was lying about their prior partners

4. The patient's spouse or life partner had cheated on them

Genital warts are different from other STDs as they are difficult to diagnose - in some cases there may be no manifestation of the viral infection. But such people are capable of infecting their sexual partners unwittingly. Do remember that genital warts are very contagious and spread via sexual contact.

Of all the available methods of treatment for genital warts, any may be chosen as they all function on the same general aims:

-To rid the area of genital warts

- To ensure they do not have their 'roots' left behind

- To have consistent, effective follow-up to guarantee a genital wart-free environment permanently

It is a long term process to treat genital warts - it may take up to a few months to get rid of them and to ensure that there is no recurrence some permanent lifestyle changes may also have to be taken up. If the warts cover a large area, application of drastic methods of treatment may be necessary.

A first step method of treating genital warts is usually Cryotherapy. As the name means, it deals with freezing the warts using liquid nitrogen. It is safe and efficacious and has little or no side effects. For the first time sufferers it is a good method.

Laser treatment is also used in getting rid of genital warts. Depending on how expansive the area and exact location of the warts, local or general anesthetic is used while precise laser beams target and destroy the blisters. Some scarring is to be expected, of course, and recovery will be slower - as is natural for surgery of any kind.

Another method to go for is Electrodessication, in which the viral warts are electrocuted. Like all electrocutions, there is profuse smoking after the process. It utilizes a local anesthetic and it burns without surgery.

Alternatively, genital warts cream can be applied on if the before mentioned procedures sound absolutely traumatizing. As always with any medication, do consult with a doctor before resorting to any of these.

If the genital warts are too spread out, go to a doctor and apply the cream there. This is so because the more effective creams are strong and can harm the genitals.

Less dangerous medication for treating genital warts can be done from home, with some warning of possible side effects. These include podofilox, which has a high success rate of curing genital warts and prevention. Another genital warts cream is the Efudex, which is a cream for long term use and may unfortunately cause some side effects for most people. It also has a slight burning sensation when applied.

A new genital warts cream introduced is imiquimod or Aldara. While effective, it has been reported that there will be some skin irritation after application.

Given the unattractive scenario that comes after a genital warts diagnosis, it comes as no wonder that prevention is the best cure. A change of lifestyle will help prevent genital warts from recurring. Each time there is the temptation to throw caution to the wind, remind yourself of the hideous lesions that a result of contracting the HPV. That, in itself, should be enough to deter you from falling by the wayside.