Venereal Warts Treatment
Several prescription medications can be used in the treatment of
venereal warts, including imiquimod cream, trichloroacetic acid, 0.5%
podofilox, and 20% podophyllin. Some of these medicines are applied at
the office by your healthcare provider, while others can be applied at
home. Certain medical procedures can also be used for treating venereal
warts, such as surgery, electrosurgery, laser surgery, and cryosurgery.Treatment of Venereal Warts: An Overview
Several different treatment options are available for venereal warts,
including medications and procedures. Your healthcare provider will
consider your wishes and the size, location, and number of warts before
recommending treatment.
Each of these treatments has different success rates, cost, and
possible side effects. Make sure to discuss your venereal wart
treatment options with your healthcare provider before deciding
together which is best for your situation.
Your healthcare provider may also recommend "watchful waiting"
because venereal warts can disappear on their own without treatment.
There are no over-the-counter treatments for venereal warts. If
you decide to have the warts removed, do not use over-the counter
medicines meant for other kinds of warts.
Venereal Warts Treatment Options: Medications
Several prescription medications are approved to treat venereal
warts. Some of these are applied at the office by your healthcare
provider; others can be applied at home.
"Home treatments" for venereal warts still require a prescription. They include:
- Imiquimod cream (Aldara®)
- 0.5% podofilox (Condylox®).
These medications can clear venereal warts in up to 80 percent of cases.
Medications your healthcare provider may use at the office include:
- 20% podophyllin resin
- Trichloroacetic acid (TCA).
They also have an up-to-80-percent success rate in removing venereal warts.
If you are pregnant, you should not use podophyllin or podofilox
because they are absorbed by your skin and may cause birth defects in
your baby. TCA is a good option for women who are pregnant. Procedures for Treating Venereal Warts
Several types of procedures are used for treating venereal warts. These include:
- Cryosurgery, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the warts off
- Laser surgery, which uses light to destroy warts
- Electrosurgery, which uses an electric current to burn off the warts
- Surgery to cut them out.
Small venereal warts are often treated with cryosurgery, laser
surgery, or electrosurgery. Surgery is also an option to treat venereal
warts, especially for larger warts, a large number of warts, or those
that do not respond to other treatments.
Other Treatments for Venereal Warts
Some healthcare providers use the antiviral drug alpha interferon,
which they inject directly into the warts, to treat warts that have
returned after being removed by traditional means. The drug is
expensive, however, and does not reduce the rate at which venereal
warts return.
Expected Results From Venereal Warts Treatment
Even after venereal warts are treated, the virus (genital HPV)
may remain and warts can return. This means that the venereal warts
that return within the first several months after treatment are usually
from recurrence and not reinfection. It is also not clear if treating
venereal warts lowers a person's chance of giving the virus to a sexual
partner or not.
Venereal warts do not always need treatment. If left untreated, venereal warts may:
- Go away on their own
- Remain unchanged
- Increase in size or number.
Venereal warts will not turn into cancer. It is not fully known
why low-risk HPV causes venereal warts in some cases and not in others.
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