Jonathan Hatch
How to Get Rid of Genital Warts (HPV)
Well, I'm sure you've heard the buzz about HPVs (Genital Warts) and the threat of cervical cancer. Fortunately, most cases of HPV go away by themselves. This HPV/Cervical Cancer link is not as deadly as the media is making it out to be, unless you think .0001% of the population of the U.S. is a lot of dead people--4,000 actually, which is a tragedy, but it's not an epidemic. That's not to say HPV isn't a problem, almost 1 out of every 10 people is, or has been, infected with one of the 100 different types of genital warts, only 30 of which are passed through sexual contact.
Natural Treatments:
Genital Wart Symptoms and Treatment
So you think you have genital warts and you're wondering how to get rid of them? The truth is, you can't. Though most cases of HPV go away by themselves without causing any significant damage, the only way to ensure a genital wart free lifestyle is to prevent an infection in the first place, and that can be tough. Here's why:
Condoms, despite what some morons will tell you, are not enough to prevent an HPV infection. Although HPV cases are reportedly lower in groups that use condoms regularly, HPV can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact.
The only sure way to prevent an HPV infection is to abstain from sex. Oh dear. I know. I know what you are thinking, and I hate it too, but you can't just bring every person home that you want to sleep with. If you think about it, you're taking a 7% chance of getting infected with HPV each time you sleep someone.
If you're a woman, go to your gynecologist and get a Pap Test for HPV done. Most women have had this done before if they've been to a gynecologist, but essentially they scrape some cells off the cervix with a swab and test those for potentially life threatening strains of HPV. There is no "approved" test for men yet.
Topical Treatments for genital wart outbreaks are available. Usually your doctor will attempt a TCA treatment (it's a type of acid) to slowly burn and remove the warts. If this doesn't work, they might try Podophyllin treatment, which is similar to the acid treatment, and can sometimes be done at home without a doctor.
Surgical treatments of genital wart infections are rare. Since serious outbreaks of HPV are not a common occurrence, it is rare that a doctor will refer you to a surgeon, but if he/she does, you will probably undergo cryotherapy (similar to the freezing of warts on feet and hands) and then laser surgery if cryotherapy fails.
Important Genital Wart Information:
Surgery and medical treatment of genital warts does not cure you of HPV. There is no cure for HPV. In most instances, a genital wart infection (and the virus causing it) will go away.
It is important for women who have or have had multiple sexual partners to get tested for HPV. This is particularly true for women because some types of the virus that causes genital warts may also cause cervical cancer.
Condoms and a lack of visible genital warts will not protect you from getting infected with HPV. Human Papillomaviruses (genital warts) are extremely contagious, and can be transmitted by contact of genital areas that can't be protected by a condom. Also, many men do not exhibit the signs of an HPV infection, and therefore to say that "if there are no warts you're safe" is plain nonsense.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.