Facts About Genital Warts

Genital warts, also known as condyloma, or condylomata acuminata, is a highly contagious sexually transmitted infection. It is spread during oral, genital, or anal sex with an infected partner. Genital warts are the most easily recognised sign of genital HPV infection. 

Genital warts often occur in clusters and can be very tiny or can spread into large masses in the genital or anal area. In women the warts occur on the outside and inside of the vagina, on the cervix, uterus or around the anus. While genital warts are approximately as prevalent in men, the symptoms of the disease may be less obvious. When present, they usually are seen on the tip of the penis. They also may be found on the shaft of the penis, on the scrotum, or around the anus. Rarely, genital warts also can develop in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sex with an infected person.

Genital warts often disappear even without treatment. In other cases, they eventually may develop a fleshy, small raised growth that looks like wadi. There is no way to predict whether the warts will grow or disappear. Therefore, if you suspect you have genital warts, you should be examined and treated, if necessary.

Depending on factors such as the size and location of the genital warts, a doctor will offer you one of several ways to treat them.

* Imiquimod, a topical immune response cream which you can apply to the affected area

* A 20% podophyllin anti-mitotic solution, which you can apply to the affected area and later wash off

* A 0.5% podofilox solution, applied to the affected area but shouldn’t be washed off 

* A 5% 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) cream 

* Trichloroacetic acid (TCA)

* Pulsed dye laser

* Liquid nitrogen cryosurgery

If you are pregnant, you should not use podophyllin or podofilox because they are absorbed by the skin and may cause birth defects in your baby. In addition, you should not use 5-fluorouracil cream if you are trying to become pregnant or if there is a possibility that you could be pregnant.

If you have small warts, the doctor can remove them by freezing them, burning them or with laser treatment. Occasionally, the doctor will have to use surgery to remove large warts that have not responded to other treatment.

Some doctors use the antiviral drug interferon-alpha, which they inject directly into the warts, to treat warts that have returned after removal by traditional means. The drug is expensive, however, and does not reduce the rate that the genital warts return.

Although treatments can get rid of the warts, they do not get rid of the HPV virus, so warts can recur after treatment. However, the body's immune system typically clears the virus anywhere from 6 months to a year. There is even some suggestion that effective treatment of the wart may aid the body's immune response.

The virus that causes genital warts is spread by skin-skin contact. Condoms do not adequately protect against genital warts, because the infected spot may not be covered by a condom. The only reliable prevention is to have no skin contact with potentially infected tissue.

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Information About Warts

Warts can be a particularly annoying condition to afflict any person. That is because it leads to a good deal of embarrassment and discomfort, disrupting normal life to varying extents. Like the old saying goes, Prevention is better than cure, it is always wiser to try and prevent a genital warts infection rather than falling prey to it and then seeking treatment. 

The good news is that genital warts prevention is easier than most people think it is. It is just necessary to know how the virus spreads, and then it is not that difficult to keep the infection at bay. It is highly contagious in nature, and the virus which causes the problem (Human Papillomavirus or HPV) is spread through skin-to-skin contact. As a first step it is important to know the symptoms and then maintain a distance from anyone in whom these symptoms are visible.

Genital warts, as the name suggests, affects the genitals and the areas around them, in both men and women. The area of occurrence of genital warts clearly establishes the fact that the infection primarily spreads through careless or unprotected sexual activities. Condoms, while offering a modest degree of protection, are not foolproof as they do not offer complete protection. Oral guards used while indulging in oral sex with an infected partner are not that secured as well. But condoms and other protections should still be used as they substantially enhance the genital warts protection level. In the final analysis, the only reliable genital warts prevention is to stay away from all sexual activity if any of the partners has been infected.

If there has been a detection, adopt a responsible attitude and don't have sex till it is fully cured. One should also bear in mind that non-sexual contact of the genitals (or the affected areas) also promotes the spread of the virus. So remember to exercise appropriate caution before indulging in any such contact. In recent times medicines has been found to protect women from the strains of HPV that cause 70% of all cervical cancers and 90% of all genital warts. Medicines are now prescribed to women ranging in age from 9 to 26. Vaccines are also being researched to administer them before an actual contamination. Currently research is underway to bring out a version of the vaccine that can be used in males as well.

Till then, we may just have to keep on using plain common sense to save ourselves from HPV. General risk factors, if avoided, will help in genital warts prevention. These include smoking, having multiple sexual partners, practicing unprotected sex and exposure to the other sexually transmitted infections. Weakened immune systems also pose a great risk and quickly invite infection. This underlines yet another benefit of having a healthy lifestyle. Stay healthy, practice safe sex and avoid unnecessary contact. By following these simple guidelines, genital warts prevention can become surprisingly easy. Warts do not have to slow you down one bit, treat them today so that you can feel better tomorrow.

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Information About Genital Warts And Herpes

There are many diseases and conditions in this world, and some are subject to a lot of enthusiasm, others in a low voice with a stealthy look or two over the shoulder to make sure no one has been heard. And one of those socially taboo topics is herpes and genital warts.

Herpes and genital warts are classified as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and are both contagious. Most of the time, you will contract herpes and genital warts while having sex with an infected person. It means by oral sex, anal sex and vaginal sex.

In some cases, however, it has been noted that you may also contract herpes and genital warts through contact with the personal belongings of an infected person, such as clothing, especially those that come into contact with the infected area, and even the towels.

This is why it is always wise to separate the clothes, towels and sheets that infected people use. These items should also be washed separately, until the infection is over and then about a week or two later. These are of course only precautionary measures and may not work fully to keep the infection at bay.

It has also been noted that herpes and genital warts may have a connection. Some people with herpes will also be more likely to contract genital warts. This is not a given, but a link has been established.

In most cases, however, you can tell the difference between herpes and genital warts because the signs and symptoms differ greatly. For example, the symptoms of herpes cause the appearance of sores or blisters in the genital area, while genital warts cause the appearance of warts in and around the genital area.

Herpes and genital warts, however, have some things in common. Depending on the particular strain of each virus and the person's general health condition, among other considerations, the signs and symptoms of herpes and genital warts may not always appear in an infected person.

In this case, it may be difficult to diagnose a patient, but other signs and symptoms of herpes and genital warts will also be taken into account. These other signs and symptoms will not necessarily be obvious or even noticed by a person, so they could not be treated.

In the case of the herpes virus, this will not be a problem, because the outbreak of blisters will take its course and dry up. But genital warts, if left untreated, can lead to the formation of cancer cells where they are.

In addition, herpes viruses and genital warts can not be cured. The symptoms of each virus can, but not the virus itself. The best thing you can do for yourself and your partner would be to get an appropriate medical examination and receive a correct diagnosis. In this way, you will receive the necessary treatment.

Information About Genital Warts

Warts can be a particularly annoying condition to afflict anyone. Indeed, it generates a lot of discomfort and embarrassment, disrupting normal life to varying degrees. As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure, it is always wiser to try to prevent genital warts infection rather than fall prey to it and then seek treatment.

The good news is that preventing genital warts is easier than most people think. It is simply necessary to know how the virus spreads and it is not so difficult to control the infection. It is highly contagious and the virus causing the problem (human papillomavirus or HPV) is spread through skin-to-skin contact. As a first step, it is important to know the symptoms and then stay away from anyone with these symptoms. Genital warts, as their name suggests, affect the genitals and surrounding areas, in men as in women.

The extent of occurrence of genital warts clearly establishes that the infection is spread primarily through negligent or unprotected sexual activity. Condoms, even if they offer a modest degree of protection, are not infallible because they do not offer complete protection. Oral protectors used during oral sex with an infected partner are not as secure. But condoms and other protections should always be used because they significantly improve the level of protection of genital warts. In the final analysis, the only reliable prevention of genital warts is to stay away from sexual activity if one of the partners has been infected.

If there has been detection, take a responsible attitude and avoid sex until it is completely cured. It should also be kept in mind that non-sexual contact of the genitals (or affected areas) also promotes the spread of the virus. Do not forget to exercise caution before engaging in such contact. Recently, drugs have been found to protect women from HPV strains that cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. Medications are now prescribed to women aged 9 to 26 years. Research is also underway on vaccines to administer them before actual contamination. Research is underway to develop a version of the vaccine that can also be used in men.

Until then, we may have to continue using common sense to protect ourselves from HPV. General risk factors, if avoided, will help prevent genital warts. These include smoking, multiple sexual partners, unprotected sex, and exposure to other sexually transmitted infections. Impaired immune systems also pose a significant risk and quickly promote infection. This highlights another benefit of having a healthy lifestyle. Stay healthy, practice safe sex and avoid unnecessary contact. By following these simple guidelines, the prevention of genital warts can become surprisingly easy. Warts should not slow you down a bit, treat them today so you can feel better tomorrow.