Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Genital Warts: How to Cure Them

By Lindelwa Maseko

There is serious concern amongst sexual health experts about the rise in cases of genital warts; affecting the genitalia of both sexes they can even infect the anus. Although some people would like to claim otherwise, both male and female forms are passed on through sex and are the result of one strain of the human papillomavirus family that they all belong too. 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.Once a person is infected, they too become a carrier, unwittingly promoting the virus. There is large number of viruses, over one hundred in fact but it is the HPV6 strain that is responsible for ano-genital warts. Although outer warts can be easily seen, women who develop them inside their genitalia may not be seen until a doctor examines the site.

The problem is made worse by the environment that genital warts use to multiply, damp and moist areas; and this is exactly what they find in and around a woman's genitals, plus some discharge may be present. 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. Using liquid nitrogen is a painless process but cannot be used on certain areas of the body which is why it is for the doctor or dermatologist to decide.

Two other methods which require professional medical attention is the use of electro-cautery or the emerging laser wart removal process. All the treatments depend upon the location of the infection and even after they are removed, there is no guarantee they will not come up again. A self administering treatment called imiquimod is designed to help the person's immune system fight the genital warts but this cannot destroy the virus and there are no guarantees more will not form even though it is being applied.

It is best to get a doctors consent to use imiquimod as it cannot be used in every circumstance including pregnancy. It also can't be used inside the genitals or inside the vagina nor on inflamed skin. Imiquimod can cause some unpleasant side effects which need to be watched for including blisters, aches all over the body, coughs and it can cause the genitals to itch but a doctor can provide more information abut this.

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. As with any information based on a medical problem, full information and options on genital warts should ideally be sought from a physician as this article is for general background only. - 15432

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