Deciding on how to treat genital warts can be a very hard decision.
It is strongly recommended, however, to take action as soon as it's discovered that you have genital warts.
Why? Because they are an infection.
And all infections need to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Not doing so risks the infection to grow, get worse and take longer or maybe even impossible to remove all together.
The top six treatment options are sorted from least invasive to most invasive.
The degree of harshness on the treatment is directly dependent on how severe your case is.
That is why ignoring this skin condition is the worst option available and therefore not on the list.
1.
Topical solutions These are available with a prescription.
They can be found in the form of podofilox (.
5%) and podophyllum and trichloroacetic acid (80-90% solution) They are various forms of an ointment and can be applied yourself.
2.
Homeopathic remedies There are popular applications under the homeopathy category that are available without a prescription.
These solutions are taken orally, typically under the tongue, and as directed.
These products boost your body's natural immunity against the HPV virus and, depending on the quality on the product, can bring powerful results.
The last 4 options mentioned here are treatment options while at a doctor's office and under local anesthetic if the area is large enough.
In severe cases, general anesthetic is applied which would mean you would be asleep during the treatment.
3.
Cryotherapy This is a method of freezing with the use of liquid nitrogen.
This method is also called cryosurgery.
The doctor applies liquid nitrogen at the site of the wart.
The skin becomes frozen, then thaws.
It may be frozen again if necessary.
The repetition of this process depends on the characteristics of the wart such as size and thickness and also from the doctor's discretion.
There may be some burning sensation during this treatment.
After the treatment there may be some mild pain and soreness and healing will take 1-3 weeks in most cases.
4.
Laser Removal This treatment option has become more popular over the years as technology has advanced.
Laser surgery will destroy warts off the body and studies have shown this treatment to be 40% effective.
This treatment should be tried if some others have proven ineffective.
In rare cases, more warts have spawned from after this surgery, but in most cases the warts were cleared up better than before treatment.
5.
Electrocautery This is similar to laser removal but in it requires some sort of physical burning of the wart.
Local anesthetic is typically used and this method required a low voltage probe that is electrified.
If the case is severe enough, general anesthetic is used which will cause he patient to be unconscious during the procedure.
Again, there may be pain and swelling following treatment and healing takes 2-4 weeks.
But this treatment has shown to be over 80% effective in removing warts and preventing them from coming back over a 6 month period of time.
Also, there is typically a very low amount of bleeding with this method.
6 Surgical Excision.
This means the warts will be cut of with a scalpel.
There will be some local numbing applied tot he area and stitches will likely be done following the procedure.
This is typically done last as it has more risk of infection and may cause more pain then the other methods of treatment.
The doctor may prescribe antibiotics following the surgical procedures to reduce the risk of infection.
With all of these treatments, your results may vary.
The quality of your results and largely dependent on your own body, your quality of health, and mostly, the severity of your current condition.
With all infections, treatment is better began sooner rather than later so you can avoid the more drastic, risky and painful methods that can be prescribed.
So what is your best treatment option? As always, check with your doctor and have a good sense with how severe your case may be.
But treatment should be done to suppress the symptoms as quickly as they are identified to prevent long-term issues.
I hope you have found this article to be informative and helpful.