Genital warts removal is a topic few of us want to talk about. It involves a skin condition we tend to be embarrassed about at the best of times, and located in a part of our bodies we prefer not to mention.

That said, genital warts are incredibly common. No one is immune to them. If you have never had them, that does not make you especially virtuous, and if you do have them, that does not make you especially bad!

So, what are genital warts, and what can we do to help ourselves if we contract them?

To start off, these are simply common or garden variety warts, but located on the genital or anal regions. Like all warts, they are caused by the HPV or human papillomavirus. They are passed from person to person on contact; in this case, by sexual contact. Genital warts are very, very contagious, are not nice to look at, and are a cause of profound embarrassment. But remember that no one ever died of a wart, and you won’t either.

A few key health warnings are in order, however.

1) Pregnant women with genital warts must get prompt treatment. Because of the high contagion factor, babies can contract the HPV virus during labor, so expectant mothers who think they have HPV should do the right thing and get treated.

2) If you think you may have genital warts, do not try to treat them yourself. The problem here is that you may be mistaken in your self-diagnosis. Warts on the genital region are not dissimilar to other STD’s which may be more serious. So don’t wait until it may be too late. If you think it’s a wart on the genital or anal region, go straight to your doctor.

3) One more fact is worthy of consideration. By their nature and location, genital warts are difficult for you to examine on your own body. Let your doctor do his or her job and do the looking for you. If you are diagnosed with an HPV infection, consider yourself in luck, for it is quite treatable!

Now, assuming you really do have genital warts, what can you do?

Your doctor can try out a range of drugs which are known to have a good track record. They come in cream and/or lotion forms, and are fairly powerful. Space does not permit a long rundown of these drugs, but, for your own research, try Googling these terms: imiquimod, podophyllin, podofilox, and trichloroacetic acid. All are used for wart treatment.

Another well-known drug you may come across is called fluorouracil. Depending on where you live and the local drug legislation, you may or may not be prescribed this. It is normally prescribed as an anti-cancer drug, and is fairly powerful and rather toxic. It is less used now for genital wart treatment, but it does not hurt to be aware of it.

Finally, some of the standard wart treatments work perfectly well for many genital HPV cases. These include laser therapy and cryotherapy. Laser treatment is the use of intense light energy to burn off the wart; cryotherapy uses intense cold.

One more thing: use common sense. Every intelligent person knows that the best way to avoid STD’s of any description is, of course, total abstinence. Failing that, use your head, and practice safe sex, and do not jump from partner to partner in rapid succession. Prevention is the best treatment!

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