How to Get Rid of Genital Warts

Genital warts are a type of venereal disease that is most commonly seen in people between 17-33 years of age. It is caused due to a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). Among the hundred types of HPV viruses, type 6 and 11 are considered to be the main culprits that cause genital warts. In women, they appear on the vagina, cervix, anal area and on the thighs, while in men they are usually seen in the scrotum, penis, upper thighs, urethra and anus. Genital warts look like a tint gray colored swelling in the genitals or sometimes they also look like clusters in the form of a cauliflower. In many cases, people do not even know that they have genital warts and sometimes it goes away without treatment. However, there have been cases where the genital warts have led to cervical, penile or anal cancer. Let us know more about the causes, symptoms, and information about how to remove genital warts.

Causes of Genital Warts
People who indulge in unprotected sex with an unknown partner or multiple partners are at a huge risk of having genital warts through the transmission of HPV by an infected person. Other than this, some of the other reasons for this condition is overdose of alcohol and tobacco. Sometimes, this can even develop due to some stressful situations. Consumption of birth control pills also increases the risk of genital warts in women. Sometimes, even pregnant women are at high risk of getting affected by genital warts.

Symptoms of Genital Warts
Usually, genital warts do not have any overt symptoms. People come to know about this when they go to the physician for a physical examination. However, some of the symptoms that could be experienced by a person having genital warts include -

• difficulty in swallowing food
• burning or itching sensation around the sex organs
• vaginal discharge
• headache, fever and backache
• vaginal bleeding after indulging in intercourse

How to Cure Genital Warts?
Genital warts treatment would depend on three factors, namely the location, appearance, and the number of warts present. Along with wart removal, the specialist would also focus on lessening the presence of viruses in the body. Here are the possible treatments for removing genital warts.

Topical Medication: The doctor will recommend some kind of cream or liquid to the patient, which he or she has to apply at the infected area for some weeks. With this treatment measure, it could take a few days to completely cure genital warts.

Cryotherapy: In this type of treatment, the physician freezes the warts by applying liquid nitrogen. Due to this blisters appear on that part and after the wart heals, new skin comes on that area. This is said to be a very common treatment measure among people due to the minimum side effects caused by the treatment.

Electrocautery: During this treatment, the patient is given anesthesia and the wart is removed with the help of electric current. However, there are chances of the person catching some kind of infection due to this.

Laser Treatment: Laser treatment is given to people who have recurrent bouts of genital warts. During the treatment, the person may be given a local anesthetic and the affected area is treated by exposing it to a light beam of high intensity.

Surgery: Genital warts can also be treated with the help of surgery. The surgeon gives local anesthesia to the patient and removes the wart by cutting it out.

Sometimes, people with genital warts are treated not just by a single treatment measure, but rather by a combination of two or more treatments. There are also certain home remedies for wart removal that one can try.

How to Cure Genital Warts at Home?

• Vitamin E oil is said to be very beneficial in treating genital warts. After applying the oil on the affected area, one has to place a crushed garlic on it and wrap it with an adhesive tape. It is said that the wart will disappear in a week, if one does this regularly.
• Another method is by using some juices on the infected area. You have to make onion juice made of onion slices that were kept in salt coating for a night. One can either apply this or apple cider vinegar with a cotton ball to get rid of genital warts.
• Following a strict diet made of foods containing fruits and vegetables like tomato, radish, green leafy vegetables, mango, etc. are also said to be an effective method or removing warts at home.

Getting rid of genital warts is not a problem these days, however a wrong treatment option might cause more harm than good. One thing everyone must remember is that before trying any treatment measures at home, it is necessary to consult the family doctor. During treatment, people who are diagnosed with genital warts should abstain from sexual intercourse, till they have fully recovered, to avoid spreading it.