Genital Warts - Info

How can genital warts be prevented?

2008-01-06T06:17:00.001-08:00

Skin Care - 5 Tips In Banishing The Unsightly Warts

2008-01-06T05:16:00.000-08:00

Now you see them, now you don’t. No, I’m not referring to any magic tricks but to warts! Yes, you heard me right – warts. If there is one skin condition that is shrouded with mystery, warts can definitely vie for the top spot! Warts may come and go as they please with no scientific explanation as to why or how this happens. Why warts behave this way, nobody knows for sure.
Most of us may have had a wart at one point of our lives. Warts are those rough irregular skin growths that can appear in the face, hands, forearms, feet and genital areas. The human papilloma virus, or HPV, causes warts and they can be very contagious!

All warts are not created equal. In fact, there are several kinds of warts – the common warts, the flat warts, the plantar warts and the genital warts. The common warts are rough looking and are commonly found on our hands and fingers. Flat warts are much smaller, have smoother surfaces and can be found on the hands and on the face. Plantar warts are those found on the soles of the feet while genital warts are those found on the genitals and the anal area.

Warts are so mysterious that up until now, an effective solution to end this problem is yet to be discovered! If you have these unsightly bumps troubling you at present, you only have two options in having them removed. You can either seek medical help or try a few skin care tricks at home. Read on to learn some tips in banishing those warts!

Is it really a wart? If you seriously want to remove those unsightly bumps and have a clearer and fresh-looking skin, you have to make sure that it is indeed a wart. You must know how to differentiate a wart from a mole, a corn and a callus or skin cancer. When in doubt, see your doctor. He or she may help you in establishing if it is indeed a wart.

No touching, please! As much as possible, avoid touching your warts. This is the ultimate skin care tip in case of warts. Frequent touching will only aggravate the condition. It can spread the virus all over your skin and you may even accidentally transfer it to another person. To avoid this, wash your hands immediately in hot water to prevent further contamination.

Castor oil to the rescue! Applying castor oil to the warts twice a day may help in eliminating those ugly skin imperfections. Castor oil is mildly acidic and has the power to irritate the warts. Do this continuously and your warts will disappear!

Try Vitamin C - Another great skin care tip in eliminating warts is to use vitamin C. Like castor oil, vitamin C is also mildly acidic in nature and can make those warts say goodbye to your skin for good! To explore the power of vitamin C, crush several vitamin C tablets and mix it with enough water to make a paste. Apply the resulting paste directly on the wart and cover it with a piece of clean gauze. Secure the gauze in place using several layers of tape and soon, your wart will just drop off!

Use heat to remove warts - Soaking the warts in very hot water may soften its surface and will hopefully kill the virus that lurks beneath it. However, this method can only be applied for plantar warts. Also, make sure you do not use boiling water so that you don’t accidentally burn yourself in the process.

Cyrotherapy - Freezing Genital Warts

2008-01-06T04:14:00.000-08:00

One of the most effective treatments for genital warts is cyrotherapy, or freezing genital warts. This treatment can only be done at the doctor's office. Although you can get the chemicals needed to freeze your warts at home, it is strongly advised that you let a doctor do it. The procedure can be extremely painful and dangerous if it is done the wrong way.

The chemical used is liquid nitrogen. After nitrogen is sprayed on the wart, a blister forms around it. In a few days, the skin heals. The old skin, including the blister and wart, falls off. Often it takes a few freezing sessions before the warts fall off completely. This form of treatment is effective in treating women who have warts on their cervix. The side effects of cyrotherapy include scarring and mild skin irritation.

Freezing genital warts is very effective. Often, the warts are gone in just days. If the freezing doesn't work, your doctor will have to try another treatment. Depending on the size and number of warts, freezing may not be the best option.

Another way to freeze off warts is to inject them with interferon. Interferon is an anti-viral medication, and it must be shot directly into the warts. This is used in more extreme cases. It is an expensive procedure and must be done under the care of a doctor. Interferon is often used when the warts continue to reappear after regular treatment was successful. It will get rid of the warts, but there is no guarantee that they will not come back.

When you are considering treatment for genital warts, keep in mind that there is no cure for the virus that causes them. Freezing genital warts removes that external warts, but it will not cure you. In the future, you may experience genital wart outbreaks periodically.

Even if the warts are frozen and fall off, you may experience another outbreak. HPV, the virus that causes genital warts, can be in the body and produce no symptoms at all for long periods of time. If you have had genital warts once, you are carrying the virus, and it can be passed on to your sexual partner. In women, the HPV virus that causes genital warts may lead to serious health complications like cervical cancer.

Keep in mind that the process of freezing genital warts involves very strong chemicals. You should never try to do it yourself. If you experience an outbreak of genital warts, talk to your doctor to see what they think the appropriate treatment should be. Cyrotherapy may or may not be the best treatment for you.

Three Ways to Boost Your Immune System to Get Rid of Warts

2008-01-06T02:45:00.000-08:00

Finding ways to remove warts and keep them off can be as frustrating as finding a needle in a haystack. Though there are many ways to remove warts, there are only a few of them that can give you the kind of peace of mind that you truly need because they can keep coming back.
Keep in mind that they are caused by a virus called Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). They have the ability to replicate on the body. So one approach is to try and boost your immune system to get rid of warts.

One way is to apply vitamin A to the wart.

Vitamin A is an essential human nutrient. Meaning, the Vitamin required for normal body functioning but cannot be produced by the body. We must be obtain Vitamin A from a dietary source.

Natural vitamin A from fish oil or fish-liver oil is used as an excellent way to prevent skin conditions. However, it also can even get rid of warts. This vitamin stops the occurrence of dry rough skin, which is very common among individuals suffering from warts.

Vitamin A can help boost your immune system so you can remove plantar warts-any other wart, for that matter-much faster and more effectively. Vitamin A, moreover, when used for the removal of facial warts, isn't hard to use. You simply apply it every day to the affected area. The only downside of this is you have to ensure that you regularly use (on a daily basis) it to truly get rid of warts. Depending on the type of wart you have, you can get rid of them in a matter of months.

You can use Imiquimod to get rid of genital warts

Imiquimod is topical cream prescribed by your doctor and boosts your immune system to help your body fight skin diseases. ImiquiMod has been known be especially useful for external genital warts. It is sold as a cream format by major drug companies. Just like Vitamin A, it can also boost your immune system. When the cream is applied to the skin your immune cells are activated and target the area where the HPV is.

Another great advantage of the drug is its effect is more long-lasting than regular creams rich in vitamin A. Nevertheless, despite its efficiency for genital warts removal, you shouldn't be too complacent about it. There are known side effects that include redness and swelling.
Also, please keep in mind that Imiquimod's not a cure for warts. In fact new warts can develop while you're treating your current ones. nUse natural ingredients to boost your immune system and get rid of warts of good.

There's definitely a good reason why our ancestors looked so healthy and happy. It's because they relied on natural ingredients and time tested methods to cure certain ailments. They used these methods to remove warts.

Believe it or not, there are products you can use around the house that are very gentle to the skin, so you will not experience any allergic reactions to them. If this wasn't enough, warts respond positively to them and stay away forever. The best way to use natural methods to remove warts is to make sure you have a step by step plan to use. Otherwise you won't be effective in getting rid of them. However, when done correctly the pay off is most beneficial to warts sufferers.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. The information in this article is not a substitute for specific medical advice. It is recommended you seek a physician for medical advisement.

If The Symptoms Of Genital Warts Are Not Treated Early, It Could Lead To Cervical Cancer

2007-12-24T04:00:00.001-08:00

Symptoms of genital warts - If spotted early enough and treated, can reduce the chances of developing cancer of the cervix.

Symptoms of genital warts can be many and varied and can even be mistaken for another disease. This is especially true hpv genital condition hasn't manifested itself in the form of physical warts. It must be noted that even though HPV is not curable as of yet, it is easy to find a cure for genital warts.

What Are The Symptoms of Genital Warts?Like many other STDs, HPV infection often does not cause symptoms. One study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported that nearly half of all women with HPV had no noticeable symptoms. However, in many cases, small, hard spots (easily visible to the eye) can develop within three weeks to three months after exposure.

In women, these warts can occur on the lips of the vagina, inside the vagina or even around the anus. Anogenital warts may cause itching. Women also develop cervical warts, which are flat lesions unseen in their early stages.

Some other symptoms may include:

Cauliflower-like appearing growths around the anus or genitals

Increased dampness or moisture in the area of the growths

Itching of the penis, scrotum, anal area, or a vulvar itch

Increased vaginal discharge

Abnormal vaginal bleeding (not associated with a menstrual period) after sexual intercourseYou may have all the symptoms of genital warts but still not have any physically on your genitals. One possible reason that symptoms of genital warts are mistaken for something else is that the warts can be almost invisible to the naked eye.

In these circumstances, your physician will take your symptoms into account and use a number of methods to determine whether you have genital warts. One of the most common is to dab a small amount of acetic acid (vinegar) on the suspected area infected with warts.

The symptoms of genital warts may also be missed if they occur within the vaginal walls. In this case, the symptoms could be of another disorder called yeast infection. That's why it's a good idea to seek immediate professional help when the signs of genital warts are detected.

Getting the most accurate diagnosis for the symptoms you are displaying is vital, the last thing you want is self diagnosing yourself, and the likelihood of you being wrong is high, and then treating yourself for a completely different condition. This can have further repercussions, in that using the wrong medication to treat a disorder can let your body become used that medication, rendering it useless when you will need it the most.

The flipside would be to ignore the symptoms of genital warts and leaving the condition untreated, leading to even more serious conditions such as cancer of the cervix. An even more worrying possibility is that if you have recurring genital warts symptoms, it could be a sign of cervical cancer or even HIV- AIDS.

Therefore the seriousness and the urgency of a proper checkup when you display any of these symptoms is paramount. You will then be able to receive the correct treatment needed to help you get rid of genital warts.

What Do Genital Warts Look Like and What Are the Dangers When Left Unnoticed?

2007-12-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

Looking down there at those tiny white spots that appeared over night you may wonder what do genital warts look like. Would you die out of cancer or AIDS first, or could you get off with your penis falling off gracefully?

In this two-parted article I'll describe the common signs and symptoms associated with genital warts and hopefully clear up some of the common misconceptions associated with condyloma disease.

Genital warts are the visible manifestations of Human Papilloma Virus infection. Not everyone, though, who is infected with HPV will develop warts on their genitals. It is estimated that 30% or more of the population is already infected with HPV yet only a small minority develops genital warts. If your immune system and genetics is up to par, the virus level wouldn't exceed the threshold needed for wart formulation. Otherwise, genital warts will appear within 3 weeks to one year after infection. Let's start with describing what do genital warts look like.

What do early symptoms of genital warts look like?

Even when you know what genital warts look like it's not easy to identify them. Genital wart signs differ from person to person, and especially at the beginning, they may be similar to other skin conditions. What early symptoms of genital warts look like depends on the sexes as well. The female body is more prone to hide genital wart signs for long after infection. Even when warts appear, they tend to be smaller, more sporadic and more resistant to treatment.

Genital warts usually show up on the more moist areas of the skin as individual bumps or slight emergences. Early symptoms of genital warts look like other, more harmless skin conditions and may remain unnoticed for quite a long time. A well known test to check skin conditions for HPV is to drop acetic acid on them. If they turn white they are likely warts.

In men genital warts look like pink, red, brown or gray bumps. These small genital warts get replaced by more complex clusters as the condyloma disease develops and slowly propagates toward the anus and the opening of the penis. Clusters around the anus grow into hard, finger like protuberances, whereas those that appear on the top of penis usually remain soft and flat.

On women genital warts are usually smaller and more simple in appearance at the beginning. They start out as small, flesh colored lumps, or painless swellings growing around the vaginal opening. They are more sporadic and closer in color to the surrounding skin's tone. They can even be so small that won't be noticed without closer inspection. They may hide inside the vaginal canal, or the anal cavity or grow unnoticed on the cervix.

These internal warts, however, almost always accompanied by the appearance of external warts around the vagina as more obvious signs of HPV infection. If you can get some good quality pictures to compare your own symptoms with you should be left without doubt what do genital warts look like.

How To Get Rid Of Genital Warts

2007-12-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

Often when someone is diagnosed with genital warts the first reaction is to ignore it and wish it away. However life?s problems are never that simple. At some point or the other the patient needs to do something about his condition. It is time to try to get rid of genital warts if they become painful, bleed or change shape and color.

Wart tissue is often destroyed by the use of acids. However, this method of getting rid of genital warts is best supervised by a health care provider. Combinations of salicylic and lactic acids are often used. Creams with this solution on them are widely available and can be an effective solution.

When home remedies fail to work as they often do, one can always turn to a medical practitioner for help. Large exterior genital warts can be removed surgically. Topical applications of certain medicated creams are advised for warts in more sensitive regions where surgery cannot be performed.

This kind of treatment is also supported by medication to control infections if any.
If nothing else works try this one. It has been reported that this method has worked for 20 to 50 percent of those who tried it. No medicines, just pure mind power. The remedy is the use of hypnotic suggestions to get rid of genital warts. Those in the know say that the patient should be able to vividly visualize the warts flaking off, growing smaller and finally vanishing altogether.

There are various methods that can be tried to get rid of genital warts. However, opting for treatment by a licensed medical practitioner is the most practical way of achieving this goal.

How can genital warts be prevented?

2007-11-20T17:06:00.001-08:00

The only way you can prevent getting an HPV infection is to avoid direct contact with the virus, which is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. If you or your sexual partner has warts that are visible in the genital area, you should avoid any sexual contact until the warts are treated.Research studies have not confirmed that male latex condoms prevent transmission of HPV, but studies do suggest that using condoms may reduce your risk of developing diseases linked to HPV, such as genital warts and cervical cancer. Unfortunately, many people who don’t have symptoms don’t know that they can spread the virus to an uninfected partner.

What are some of the complications from genital warts?

2007-11-20T17:05:00.002-08:00

Some types of HPV can cause cervical cancer. Other types are associated with vulvar cancer, anal cancer, and cancer of the penis (a rare cancer).Most HPV infections do not progress to cervical cancer. If you are a woman with abnormal cervical cells, a Pap test will detect them. If you have abnormal cervical cells, it is particularly important for you to have regular pelvic exams and Pap tests so you can be treated early, if necessary.Pregnancy and ChildbirthGenital warts may cause a number of problems during pregnancy. Sometimes they get larger during pregnancy, making it difficult to urinate. If the warts are in the vagina, they can make the vagina less elastic and cause obstruction during delivery.Rarely, infants born to women with genital warts develop warts in their throats (laryngeal papillomatosis). Although uncommon, it is a potentially life-threatening condition for the child, requiring frequent laser surgery to prevent obstruction of the breathing passages. Research on the use of interferon therapy with laser surgery indicates that this drug may show promise in slowing the course of the disease.

How are genital warts and HPV treated?

2007-11-20T17:05:00.001-08:00

There is no permanent cure for either genital warts or the HPV virus. Doctors do provide several symptomatic treatments that successfully remove genital warts. However, there is no guarantee that they will not recur. And as it so happens, once a patient has suffered from genital warts, despite treatment, they do recur from time to time.The very first kind of treatment that people opt for is topical medications. These are available in cream or gel form. These medications work by attacking and breaking down wart tissue. Genital warts can be treated at home using prescription medications. Doctors generally prescribe medications like podofilox (Condylox) or imiquimod (Aldara) which patients can apply by themselves at home.It is always better to get prescription topical medications for genital warts. Topical applications available for other kinds of warts may prove to be harmful for the highly sensitive genital area.Genital warts can also be removed by doctors. The methods usually adopted for removal of genital warts are cryosurgery, electrocautery and the use of trichloroacetic acid. The procedure known as cryosurgery involves freezing off the warts. This procedure needs to be performed in a doctor?s clinic. Electrocautery is procedurally directly opposed to cryosurgery and involves burning off the warts. Another method that is used for the treatment of genital warts is to use trichloroacetic acid to wear down the wart tissue.Laser surgery is adopted for treatment of genital warts that are larger in size. This kind of surgical removal of genital warts will need the services of a trained specialist. This method is one of the most expensive ones for treatment of genital warts.Some people opt for natural cures for treatment of genital warts. At times these cures do prove to be effective, but there are no guarantees that they will work every time. Certain home remedies are also very popular and are used by many.

How are genital warts diagnosed?

2007-11-20T17:04:00.002-08:00

Medical practitioners can diagnose genital warts by direct visual examination. It is common medical practice to test female patients with genital warts, for possible HPV infection of the cervix. Cervical examination is done with the use of a Pap smear test. This test is a thorough and detailed examination of the cells scraped from the uterine cervix. If medical practitioners detect any abnormality in the test results, they send the patients for further tests to determine the exact cause and nature of the abnormality.A physical examination for the diagnosis of genital warts involves a thorough examination of the pelvic region and the thighs. These warts may also develop in the mouth or throat, however such cases are rare.To the naked eye these warts may appear as raised or flat bumps on the skin. These warts may be either large or small. They occur both in groups and in clumps. Sometimes these warts resemble the head of a cauliflower. This is in fact the most distinctive feature that pinpoints a wart as a genital wart.These warts are generally flesh colored or a bit lighter than the skin color of the patient. Genital warts are mostly painless though patients have reported some instances of itching, pain and bleeding.Genital warts begin as soft fleshy growths that vary in size. Being painless, they are often ignored by patients. As the HPV virus that causes these warts has an indeterminably long incubation period, doctors who suspect the presence of the virus, prescribe tests. These tests may either confirm or rule out the presence of the HPV virus.Timely diagnosis of genital warts is very essential. Untreated genital warts may lead to cancer in certain organs in the pelvic region. Regular medical check ups are the best way to get a timely diagnosis done.

What are the signs and symptoms of genial warts?

2007-11-20T17:04:00.001-08:00

Most people who have a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected. The virus lives in the skin or mucous membranes and usually causes no symptoms. Some people get visible genital warts, or have pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, vulva, anus, or penis. Very rarely, HPV infection results in anal or genital cancers.Genital warts usually appear as soft, moist, pink, or flesh-colored swellings, usually in the genital area. They can be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large, and sometimes cauliflower shaped. They can appear on the vulva, in or around the vagina or anus, on the cervix, and on the penis, scrotum, groin, or thigh. After sexual contact with an infected person, warts may appear within weeks or months, or not at all

How are genital warts spread?

2007-11-20T17:03:00.000-08:00

Genital warts are contagious and they are spread during sexual activity. The virus that causes genital warts is the human papillomavirus. There are 100 types of HPV and 40 of them are spread through sexual contact.Genital warts can spread during oral, vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner. About two thirds of people who have sexual contact with a partner who has genital warts will develop warts, usually within three months of contact.The only way to prevent genital warts from spreading is to avoid direct contact with the virus, which is transmitted by skin to skin contact. If you or your sexual partner has warts that are visible in the genital areas, you should avoid any skin to skin contact to avoid spreading genital warts.Unfortunately, many people who have HPV but who have no symptoms don’t know that they can spread the genital warts virus to an uninfected partner. At any given time only a small percentage of people who have genital warts have warts that are easily seen. A recent study by the National Institute of Health reported that almost half of women who are infected with HPV had no obvious symptoms. Some people have reported reduced incidence of genital warts when a condom is used but there is not formal scientific evidence to support that theory.Pregnant women who are infected with HPV and suffer from genital warts are likely to be concerned about passing this extremely common sexually transmitted disease on to their child. Although it is not curable, genital warts do not generally spread to the newborn and are not a major threat to your child’s health during pregnancy.In some cases pregnant women have genital warts so large that they block the birth canal and make a vaginal birth impossible. There is also the risk that the warts may begin to bleed as the baby passes through the birth canal. In some instances, it may be necessary for a woman to have a cesarean section either if the warts completely block the birth canal or if the warts are at risk of bleeding excessively during birth.A good source of information about how genital warts can spread is the National Institute For Allergies and Infectious Diseases. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infections diseases. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health.Although there is no cure for HPV, considerable research has been performed regarding the prevention of the infection. In June of 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardisil, the first vaccine developed to prevent genital warts. Some states are considering making the vaccine mandatory for girls when they turn 13. There has been heated political debate over whether or not the vaccine should be mandatory. In any event, the focus on prevention could play a key role in reducing the spread of genital warts in this country.

What Are Genital Warts?

2007-11-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

Genital warts are skin growths. They can appear as tiny white blisters or in cauliflower shaped clusters. Men, typically are infected; on the shaft of the penis, groin areas, scrotum and around the anal area. Women's infections, generally appear on the cervix, the outside of the vagina, groin and anal areas. You can find some examples at this link:Genital Wart ImagesGenital warts are a sexually transmitted disease,(STD) spread through sexual activity. You become infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV). The genital wart viruses are different than the ones that cause planter warts and the other wart varieties. Once infected with genital warts, they usually spread, and can rapidly, if you have a weakened immune system or are diabetic.Genital warts can appear anywhere from three weeks to several years after the sexual contact. The virus can lie dormant in your system for years. The genital warts can disappear after a few months, with or with out treatment.