Online Genital Warts Treatment

Itching, burning and tenderness are recognized symptoms of genital warts. The growths sit on thin skin and rub against clothing, and the skin around them gets irritated. Do not reach for an over-the-counter wart remover, because those are made for hands and feet and should never go on genital skin. A doctor can prescribe a topical treatment that clears the warts and settles the itch with them.

A wart sitting in or near the urethra can change the flow of urine, and warts in that area can be sore. Burning when you pee is more often a sign of a different infection, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea or a urinary tract infection, which is one reason anyone diagnosed with genital warts is screened for other sexually transmitted infections. Describe the symptom to a doctor rather than assuming which one it is.

Yes. Molluscum contagiosum, skin tags, moles and the normal small bumps some people have on genital skin all get mistaken for warts. Photos and a description usually settle it, and Your Doctors Online can review yours within minutes, 24/7. A biopsy is only needed when a lesion is pigmented, ulcerated or otherwise unusual.

Warts on external skin usually respond within about three months of starting treatment. Left alone, roughly 65% of genital warts clear on their own within two years, in men and women alike. HPV itself can stay in the body after the skin looks clear, which is why warts come back for some people. That is a recurrence rather than a treatment failure, and it can be treated the same way again.

No. HPV can be passed on during vaginal, anal or oral sex, and warts usually take weeks to months to appear, sometimes longer than a year. You can pass the virus on during that time with nothing to see. If a partner has been diagnosed, it is worth having a doctor check you rather than waiting for a bump.

HPV passes easily during vaginal, anal or oral sex, and warts can spread to nearby skin as well. A partner diagnosis means you have been exposed, not that you will definitely get warts: about 90% of people who catch HPV never develop them, and only around 10% of infected people pass the virus on. Getting checked and treated early is still the way to stop the spread.

No. Over-the-counter wart removers are salicylic acid products designed for warts on hands and feet, and they can burn genital skin. Every treatment that works on genital warts needs a prescription, whether that is imiquimod, podofilox or sinecatechins, or a procedure done in a clinic.

None. Genital warts are caused by a virus, not bacteria, so antibiotics do nothing for them. The prescription creams used instead are not antivirals either: imiquimod works by prompting your immune system to attack the warts, podofilox destroys wart tissue directly, and sinecatechins is an extract of green tea catechins. A doctor picks between them based on where the warts are and how many there are.

Recurrence is common, because treatment clears the warts while HPV can remain in the skin. Some things make it harder for the body to clear the virus: smoking, a weakened immune system, another sexually transmitted infection at the same time, and a higher number of partners. Hygiene has nothing to do with it. If warts keep coming back, a doctor can switch the treatment or refer you for a procedure.

Untreated warts can grow larger, multiply and start to itch, bleed or hurt, and they stay contagious the whole time. HPV 6 and 11, the types behind almost all genital warts, very rarely turn into cancer. The reason to get assessed is that people who catch one HPV type often carry others, including the high-risk types linked to cervical and anal cancer, so a diagnosis is a prompt for STI screening and for keeping up with cervical screening.

The warts can be cleared, the virus cannot be cured. Prescription creams, cryotherapy, trichloroacetic acid and surgical removal all clear visible warts, and about 90% of HPV infections are cleared or suppressed by the immune system within two years. Because the virus can linger, warts sometimes return and are treated again. Vaccination protects against new infections with the types that cause most warts.

Vaccination is routine at ages 11 to 12 and can start at 9. Two doses 6 to 12 months apart are enough if the first dose comes before the 15th birthday. Anyone starting at 15 through 26 needs three doses over six months, as do people with a weakened immune system. Adults aged 27 to 45 are not routinely vaccinated, but can decide with a doctor whether it is worth it for their own risk of new HPV infection.

There is no treatment that removes HPV itself. For most people the immune system clears or suppresses the infection within about two years. What can be treated is what the virus causes, so a doctor can prescribe a cream for the warts, arrange STI screening, and point you to cervical screening where it applies. Vaccination prevents new infections but does not treat one you already have.