Diagnosing genital warts

Genital warts are always embarrassing to any carrier that is why they often feel reluctant to see a doctor. Seeing a dermatologist can go a long way to give you peace of mind because it will be diagnosed properly and treated.

When you visit our dermatologist, careful examination will be carried on the affected area to diagnose genital warts. Our dermatologist may need to take samples of the wart for laboratory analysis to further confirm if you have genital warts.

Call us on 020 71833648 to get diagnosed.

Treating genital warts

It is possible for genital warts to clear up without treatment but treating wart is very important because:.

• It can relieve any pain and itching.
• It lowers the risk of spreading the virus
• Some people think genital wart is a sign of cancer.
• It helps to remove warts

Treating your genital warts starts with a visit to a dermatologist. You should not just get any over-the-counter wart medicine without a prescription. This is because the medicine you got might not be able to treat the type of warts you have.

Genital wart has different treatments; your dermatologist will consider several factors which will include the location of warts, number of warts, and your overall health before making treatment choice for you.

Treating genital wart, a dermatologist may prescribe some medications you can take and apply on the wart or carry out some procedures in the office when you visit.

Treating genital wart with medicine

Your dermatologist can prescribe some medicines that you can apply to genital warts at home to stop it from growing or spreading further.

Some of the prescription medicines used to treat genital warts include the following

• Podofilox to stop external warts from growing
• Imiquimod to boosts your immune system against HPV
• Sinecatechins for external warts and wart around the anus.

 Procedures: when you visit a dermatologist for wart treatment, he may perform one of the following procedures

• Excision (this cut out warts from the infected area).
• Electrocautery (this uses electric current to destroy warts).
• Cryosurgery (it freezes off warts with liquid nitrogen).
• Laser treatment (this destroys warts with laser light).

Other treatments may involve injecting warts with medicine such as interferon, an antiviral medicine. This treatment is used when other treatment options have failed.

Some treatment options may have some side effects, make sure you ask your dermatologist about possible side effects before taking any treatment.

Treatment outcome

Treating genital wart can make warts to disappear, but that does not mean the virus is gone completely. The wart can return if the virus remains and you can transmit it through sex.

It is advised that one who has had genital wart before should wear a condom during sex to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Managing genital wart

Prevention

HPV causes genital warts. Since HPV has no cure, it can be prevented to reduce the risk of getting HPV and genital warts. The risk of getting HPV can be reduced through vaccination. Taking HPV vaccine such as quadrivalent can protect you against 4 types of HPV.

The vaccine can be taken by people from ages 9 to 26; it prevents the HPV types that lead to most genital warts. Taking 3 shots of the vaccine is good to protect you from genital warts, causing HPV, and the vaccine is most effective if you can take all the 3 shots before your first sexual encounter. This HPV vaccine can also help protect women from most types of cervical cancer as well.

Other preventive measures include;

• Avoid multiple sexual partners. There is a high risk of getting HPV if you have many sexual partners. However, you can reduce the risk of getting HPV when you maintain a faithful relationship with one person. Celibacy is one way you can prevent HPV.
• Quit smoking. It is advisable that you quit smoking because smokers have a higher risk of getting genital warts.

Coping with genital warts

A dermatologist will recommend the following if you have or had genital wart before:

• Use medicine that your dermatologist prescribed for treating genital warts: Other types of medicine are meant for treating other types of wart. Make sure you use the exact medicine prescribed by your dermatologist. Some medicines for treating wart may not be for genital wart; some are for treating common warts or even foot warts.
• Wearing a condom during sex: Latex condom usage reduces the risk of getting genital warts but may not prevent HPV from spreading from an infected person since condoms do not cover all the skin in the genital area.
• Tell your partners that you have genital warts: You should tell your sexual partners you have genital wart so that they can seek medical advice.
• Women are advised to get Pap tests (smears). It is recommended that women who have received treatment for genital warts should get Pap tests (smears). Pap tests can prevent death from cervical cancer because it helps to diagnose early abnormal changes in the cervix.

You can visit us at Clearskin London to be treated for genital warts; our dermatologists can also give you a guide on how you can prevent HPV. Call 020 71833648 today to book an appointment with our dermatologist.