Genital Warts Treatment

Genital warts are a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that are easily spread through sexual contact. They appear on the skin around the penis, vagina, or anus as small, rough bumps. Some people may also experience itching, discomfort, or pain at the site of the warts.

Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are the most common viral STI in the UK. They can be passed on through sexual contact such as oral, vaginal, or anal sex or through sharing sex toys.

Not all types of HPV cause genital warts, and many people who have been infected with the virus do not know they have it as it doesn’t always cause symptoms, but they can still pass it on. HPV can affect both men and women but because most cases of cervical cancer in women are caused by HPV, women are encouraged to regularly test for HPV and attend their routine cervical screening appointments.

Genital warts may appear:

• on their own or in groups and may look like a cauliflower
• soft or firm
• skin coloured, red, white or darker than the surrounding skin

Genital warts don’t always cause symptoms but they may cause:

• soreness
• itchiness
• bleeding
• pain or discomfort during sex
• difficulty peeing

What are the early signs of genital warts?

The only signs of genital warts are the small bumps that appear on your skin. They can take weeks, months, or even years to appear after you have been infected. If you notice any growth around your genitals, you should speak to a doctor to get a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 100 different types of human papillomavirus and around 90% of all genital warts are caused by two strains, HPV 6 and HPV 11. Because genital warts are passed on through sexual skin-to-skin contact, the most common cause of genital warts is sex, but you do not need to have penetrative sex to catch them.

As genital warts are contagious and passed on via skin-to-skin contact, you should avoid having sex while you have genital warts.

Genital warts treatment isn’t always needed, sometimes they go away on their own within 6 months.

If treatment is needed, your doctor will recommend what is needed depending on where the warts are and how they look.

Treatments for genital warts include:

• topical creams, liquids, or ointments – these are usually applied by yourself directly onto the affected area.
• freezing (cryotherapy) – this type of treatment uses liquid nitrogen to freeze genital warts. It is often recommended for people who have small to moderate numbers of warts or can be used during pregnancy. Each genital wart needs to be frozen separately and treatment is usually repeated every 7 days. It can take 3 to 4 treatments to be successful. Studies show freezing is 79-88% effective at treating genital warts.
• surgery – genital warts are cut off under local anaesthetic and surgery is a more effective treatment than cryotherapy.

Superdrug Online Doctor offers the following genital warts treatments:

• Aldara
• Warticon

About Aldara

Aldara is a topical cream that is only available with a prescription to treat genital warts. It contains the active ingredient imiquimod. It works by boosting the immune system to fight the virus responsible for causing genital warts.

Studies have shown that treatment with imiquimod treatments resulted in a clearance rate of 60% in women. The average time it took for genital warts to disappear was 8 weeks.

You must always follow the instructions from your doctor when using Aldara.

• It usually comes in sachets so that you don’t use too much of it
• wash your hands before and after using it.
• Don’t reuse the sachets once you have opened them.
• Wash off the cream after 8-10 hours.
• If you do have sex, make sure you do not leave the cream on.

Aldara is only for external use. You must not let it come into contact with your bloodstream (e.g. through a cut, scrape or patch of inflammation) or mucous membrane (e.g. your mouth, anus, vagina).

About Condyline

Please note, Condyline has been discontinued as is no longer available for treating genital warts.

Condyline is a topical liquid solution that contains the active ingredient podophyllotoxin and is only available with a prescription. Podophyllotoxin is a natural plant extract that is more suitable for treating soft genital warts than hard ones. It works by penetrating the wart tissue and stopping the wart cells from dividing and multiplying. This causes the wart cells to die and new tissue to grow in their place. Condyline is recommended for treating genital warts, the types that appear on or around the genitals. Research shows that Condyline is up to 92% effective at treating genital warts.

Condyline is applied twice a day for 3 days directly onto the warts. This can be repeated for up to 5 weeks.

Warticon is a topical cream that contains the same active ingredient as Condyline, podophyllotoxin. It is used to treat genital warts in both men and women and works in the same way as Condyline. It requires a prescription from a doctor to get it.

These treatments often work within a few weeks but may take months to make genital warts disappear completely. If they are not effective, your doctor may recommend other treatments such as freezing or surgery.

Can genital warts come back after treatment?

Yes, even with treatment genital warts may come back. That’s because treating the warts doesn’t get rid of HPV which may have infected normal-looking skin in the genital area.

What’s the best treatment for genital warts?

The best treatment available for genital warts will depend on the size, appearance and location of the warts. If you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, this may affect the treatment options available to you as some may not be suitable. Your doctor will help you to decide the best treatment option for you.

The side effects of genital wart treatments include:

Very common

• skin redness
• flakiness
• hardness
• itchy sensation
• burning sensation

Common

• headache
• feeling sick
• erectile dysfunction
• pain during sex
• tiredness
• dizziness
• pins and needles
• difficulty sleeping
• loss of appetite
• flu-like symptoms

How long do side effects last?

Many of the side effects of topical treatments are caused by their local action on your skin. Most of these reactions are mild and usually disappear within 2 weeks of stopping treatment.

What to do if you get side effects?

If you experience side effects while using topical treatments, you should speak to your doctor for advice. They may recommend a more suitable treatment option for you. If you get local skin reactions, take a break from your treatment for the skin to heal. You should only ever apply treatment to warts themselves and try to avoid applying it to surrounding normal skin.

Genital warts treatment may not be suitable for everyone. You should discuss your treatment options with your doctor to find the most suitable for you.

You should let your doctor know if you:

• are under 18
• are allergic to any of the ingredients or any other medicines
• have tried the treatment or similar treatments before
• Take any other prescribed, over-the-counter or herbal medicines
• have an autoimmune disorder
• have had an organ transplant
• are pregnant or want to get pregnant
• already had surgery or received other treatments for genital warts

You can reduce the risk of catching genital warts or passing them on to other people by:

• using condoms – although you can still pass on genital warts as condoms do not cover all of the areas that can become infected
• limiting the number of sexual partners you have
• not sharing sex toys and washing them after every use
• avoiding sex if you have genital warts or are receiving treatment
• telling your sexual partners if you have genital warts or HPV
• testing yourself regularly for HPV
• attending your routine cervical screening appointments if you are a woman

In the UK, the NHS also offers an HPV vaccination programme that can prevent the occurrence of genital warts and protects women against cervical cancer. The HPV vaccination is also available at Superdrug Health Clinic.

Vaccines are offered to girls and boys aged 12 to 13 years old who were born after 1 September 2006. Anyone who is gay, bisexual or a man who has sex with men, up to the age of 45, is also entitled to the vaccine.

Your body may clear the virus that causes them from your body over time. Treatments, such as topical solutions and creams, are effective at treating genital warts and reducing their appearance and symptoms.

Genital warts can return after you have treated or got rid of them if you’re reinfected. This can happen weeks, months or years after the warts first appear.

You can help to prevent genital warts from recurring by keeping yourself as fit and healthy as possible. You can do this by eating healthily, exercising regularly, and giving up smoking (if you do). Smoking increases the risk of persistent HPV infection and, according to research, smokers are 23% more likely to get genital warts compared to non-smokers.