Not all genital warts need to be removed. If they aren’t hurting you or interfering with your bodily functions, then it might be better just to leave the wart be. According to the Mayo Clinic , about 30% of genital warts will go away on their own. However, if the genital warts are interfering with your urinary or bowel tract, get caught in clothing or are just plain uncomfortable, then it’s time to make an appointment with the doctor to get them removed.
Although there are over the counter medications for treating other kinds of warts, don’t use them for genital warts. They could give you a very nasty burn. You are best off having a doctor check them out and decide of medication will be enough, or if surgery will be necessary.
Prescription medications for genital warts include a cream called imiquimod; a topical ointment with the rather hair-curling name of trichloroacetic acid that does act to burn the wart off; and two gels used in combination. The first, podophyllin, is put on by your doctor but the second, podofilox, you can put on yourself. Be sure to wash your hands after touching a wart just in case the wart virus got onto your hands.
These medications aren’t an option for some people due to health concerns or it they are pregnant. But if you can use them, do NOT get the stuff in your mouth and make sure it gets nowhere near your toothbrush. This is a quick way to get very sick at the most and get a very bad taste in the mouth at least. Also, you really should refrain from any sexual activities when on these medications.
Surgical Options
Depending on where the genital wart is, you may not need an overnight stay. Some doctors may be able to do some of the procedures in their offices. However, if the wart is in a really painful area or high up inside the genitals or anus, then things get more complicated and you may need sedation.
The most common means of removing a genital wart surgically is by freezing it off through cryotherapy. Your doctor paints the wart with liquid nitrogen. It cracks off by forming a blister first, which eventually peels off. It’s at times like this that make you wonder if you could write a horror story to rival any of Stephen King’s books.
Another means of surgically removing genital warts is by electrocautery, which basically means that an electric current burns it off. A similar operation is done by means of lasers.
And then there’s the old fashioned way of surgically removing genital warts by going under the knife. This would definitely require anesthesia and an overnight hospital stay. This is usually done for extreme cases where the wart is up inside of your body.
References:
Mayo Clinic. “Genital Warts.” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/genital-warts/DS00087
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “STD Treatment Guidelines 2006: Genital Warts.” http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/2006/genital-warts.htm
Cleveland Clinic. “Genital Warts.” http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/venereal_diseases/hic_genital_warts.aspx
