| 4 June |
Information on genital warts |
One of the most disturbing areas of sexual health problems in recent years is the prevalence of genital warts that affect both male and female sex organs; they can also be found around the anus as well. The unfortunate fact is that those found around the male and female genitalia are only transmitted through acts of a sexual nature and that includes oral sex; they are actually a virus called the human papillomavirus or HPV for short. Many carriers (especially women) are unaware they carry the genital warts virus and can pass it on without knowing even if their partner is wearing a condom; which makes prevention difficult.
Worryingly is the length of time it can take for the infection to form them; sometimes it can be a few months or even many years.This means the person who was infected starts infecting others as well. To date more than 100 human papillomavirus viruses have been discovered but the one that causes ano-genital warts is called human papillomavirus 6 (HPV6). Although outer warts can be easily seen, women who develop them inside their genitalia may not be seen until a doctor examines the site.
In the area near the genital warts growth, can be damper and women may have more discharge because the genital area is moist and warm, the HPV virus multiplies there very fast once they start to develop. One of the safest methods of wart removal is the application of very cold liquid nitrogen by a doctor or dermatologist; however it often takes a few applications before the skin and its tissue are destroyed. Whether liquid nitrogen is used is for the doctor or dermatologist to decide as it is not suitable for all locations even though it is quite painless.
Other methods are available to medicine today, there is the older cauterizing the wart using electricity or the fairly new laser treatment. Eradicating them is not completely assured as they can return after treatment and every method available to remove them is still reliant on the area they are located. Imiquimod liquid is used topically to treat genital warts (and anal) as it helps the body’s immune system to fight the virus and to get rid of them but it does not kill the virus and new infections can still appear when imiquimod is being used.
Before using imiquimod it is a good idea to consult with the doctor first because there are instances where it cannot be used as a treatment, including when a woman is pregnant,this is also the case when the skin around the area is inflamed and in particular, internally. This is a strong substance that has side-effects like many medications so someone using imiquimod needs to look out for coughs, blistering, aches all over and an itching in the genital region; a doctor would be able to elaborate on this. The information on genital warts supplied here is not intended to replace professional medical advice so please consult your doctor if you have any medical concerns and only follow advice given in this article after consulting your doctor.