What Are Genital Warts
- A genital wart is a contagious wart that is often transmitted at the time of sexual activity. It is caused by a type of Human Papilloma Virus – HPV.
- The virus manifests itself as a rough blister like growth in the genital area.
- The virus can affect both men and women without much differentiation.
- Not everyone who has the virus will develop warts. But the virus can be transmitted to another person even when there is no visible genital wart.
- The type of HPV that is highly responsible for genital warts are the types 6 and 11. Warts that are formed because of these types of virus are almost always benign and have a low risk of progressing to cancers.
The problem with genital warts is that they might be considered unseemly and persons with genital warts fear acceptance from the partners. Also, it is contagious and making any contact with the warts is to be avoided.
How To Prevent / Treat Genital Warts
Even though the condition itself is not high risk, it might lead to redness and itchiness. Anal warts are particularly itchy and might leave the person with the wart embarrassed. In addition to the treatment solutions and topical creams available for treating genital warts, there are prevention methods in place thanks to scientific advancement. According to the food and drug administration site, Gardasil is a vaccine that is approved by the FDA which is supposed to prevent HPV types 6 and 11 that cause genital warts.
Once the virus is transmitted to your body, the vaccines would not be of much use. There are various treatment options available for genital warts. Physically removing warts by excision or surgery will be performed by experienced doctors. Another option for removal of genital warts is through cryosurgery. In this method, the warts are frozen using liquid nitrogen and then removed by blistering. Laser treatments are also possible for removal of genital warts but may be more expensive and time-consuming. Podofilox which is a pure form of podophyllin can be applied topically for treatment of genital warts.
Wartrol & Wart Removal
Wartrol is a popular wart remover on the market. It is a homeopathic drug and is useful for treating different kind of warts like common wart, flat wart and plantar warts. However, it is not recommended for use on the face or genital warts. The chief active ingredient in wartrol is salicylic acid. The concentration of salicylic acid is about 17% in this preparation. Salicylic acid is approved by the FDA and it is highly effective in the treatment of warts. It increases the moisture in the skin and makes it easier for the skin cells to fall off. You should remember that the preparations using this acid do not work towards eradicating the virus and only towards removing existing warts.
Precautions To Remember When Using Wart Removal Products
At a higher concentration salicylic acid can irritate or damage the healthy skin, you should take care when applying the drugs like wartrol. The recent news from FDA suggests that most of the wart removal products are highly flammable and you should store it carefully in a cool dark place and use it with care.
Image source: wikipedia.org