Genital warts

What are genital warts?
Genital warts are small lumps that develop on the genitals and/or around the anus (back passage). They are caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is passed on by sexual contact.

How do you get genital warts?
You need close skin to skin contact to pass on the virus. This means that you do not necessarily need to have penetrative sex to pass on infection. Sharing sex toys may also pass on infection. Very rarely, anogenital warts may be passed on from hand warts. They may also rarely be passed on to a baby when a woman gives birth.
It can take weeks or months to develop warts after being infected with HPV. Also, most people infected with HPV do not develop warts. You can be a carrier of the virus without realising it, and you may pass on the virus to others who then develop warts. It is also possible to pass on the virus after warts have been treated or gone.
Because it can take some time to develop warts after being infected with HPV, if you have just developed noticeable anogenital warts, it does not necessarily mean that either partner has been recently unfaithful. You may have had HPV for a long time without developing warts. Also, note that you may get anal warts even if you have not had anal sex.

What do genital warts look like?
They look like small, skin-coloured lumps on the skin. Their color may be pink, brown or dark brown as well. Warts that develop on skin that is warm, moist, and non-hairy (such as the vulva) tend to be soft. Warts that develop on skin that is dry and hairy (such as the shaft of the penis) tend to be firm.
The number of warts that develop varies from person to person. Some people have just a few that are barely noticeable. Some people have many around their genitals and anus.
In men, the warts usually develop on the outer skin of the penis. In women, the warts usually develop on the vulva, just outside the vagina. Warts may also develop on the skin around the anus, both in men and in women.
Sometimes warts develop inside the vagina, on the cervix, on the scrotum, inside the urethra (the tube that drains urine from the bladder to the outside) or inside the anus.

What is the best treatment option?
Radiofrequency removal of the genital warts is a fast, effective and painless method. There is no downtime required and the scarring is minimal or none.

How is radiofrequency removal of genital warts performed?
First the area is cleaned with sterile saline solution and injected a small amount of local anesthetic into the area surrounding the skin growth to minimize a procedure-related pain. The radiofrequency hand piece is applied to strategically remove layers of the growth.
This process is repeated until complete removal is accomplished.

Is anesthesia needed?
In most cases an anesthetic is injected underneath the skin growth. Sometimes an anesthetic cream or sprey are used prior to removal with radiofrequency.

How long does a treatment take?
Several seconds to a minute for every skin growth.

How may treatments are needed for full removal?
One.

How to take care of the treated areas?
Keep the treated area dry for at least 12 hours.
Apply an antibiotic cream on the treated area and 1 cm around it, 2 times a day for 10 days.
Do not pick the scab, it will fall off on its own in the upcoming days.
Avoid sexual contact till wounds are healed.

Can genital warts come back after treatment?
Even when warts are treated, the HPV virus may remain. This is why warts can come back after treatment. It isn’t clear if treating genital warts lowers a person's chance of giving HPV to a sex partner. It is not fully known why low-risk HPV causes genital warts in some cases and not in others.

How to protect yourself from HPV?
Using condoms may reduce the risk of getting genital warts and cervical cancer. But condoms don’t always protect you from HPV.
Infection risk is bigger if you have multiple sexual partners.

Can genital warts cause cancer?
HPV which cause genital warts do not cause cancer, however, some types of HPV cause cervical cancer in women. These types of HPV are called high-risk. Coinfections with low-risk and high-risk HPV may occur. Having high-risk HPV is not the same as having cervical cancer. If you have high-risk HPV, your gynecologist can look for changes on your cervix during Pap tests. Changes can be treated to try to prevent cervical cancer. Be sure to have regular Pap tests so changes can be found early.

Recommendation:

Genital warts are treated fast and effectively by radiofrequency. Make an appointment