Soft growth occurring on the genitals are known as Genital Warts. Genital warts are infections that are transmitted through physical intimacy (STI). These are caused by certain behaviours of the human papillomavirus (HPV). These growths on the skin cause discomfort, pain and itching. They are particularly harmful for women since certain types of HPV might also cause cancer of the vulva and cervix. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Due to this, sexually active people are most vulnerable to various health complications, including genital warts. Prevention of this infection requires essential protection and treatment.

Symptoms:

Transmission of genital warts occurs through sexual activity. Development of warts occurs several weeks after the infection. Sometimes, it is not possible to view them with the naked eye. The top of the growths might resemble a cauliflower and might feel slightly bumpy or smooth while touching. The person who is infected may have a single wart or a cluster of warts.

In males, the genital warts may appear in the following regions.

Groin
Scrotum
Penis
Thighs
Inside or around the anus
In females, they might occur in:

Cervix
Outside the vagina or anus
Inside the vagina or anus
In a case where the person has had oral sexual contact with the infected person, the genital warts might appear on the mouth, lips, throat or tongue of the person. In case the genital warts are not visible, the other related symptoms include:

Itching
Vaginal Discharge
Bleeding
Burning
Treatment

Even though the genital warts disappear with time, it is not possible to eliminate the virus once it is in the bloodstream. This would result in several outbreaks during the entire course of life. This is a vital reason why the symptoms should be managed so that transmission of the disease is prevented. Treatment is possible only for relieving symptoms that are painful or for minimizing their appearance. Some topical wart treatments prescribed by the doctor may include:

Podofilox and Podophyllin (Condylox)
Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA)
Imiquimod (Aldara)
Some surgeries that the physician might conduct to remove genital warts that do not disappear with time include:

Interferon injections
Laser treatments
Cryosurgery, or freezing warts
Electrocautery, or burning warts with electric currents
Excision, or cutting off warts
Periodic Pap smears after the initial treatment is recommended for women with genital warts to monitor changes in the cervix.

Genital Warts - Can They be Treated? 

HPV refers to Human Papillomavirus. This is a common virus, which has got more than 100 different types and over 40 of these types are transmitted sexually. This virus may cause cervical cancer and cases of genital warts. It is likely to occur in people who are sexually active to contract genital HPV, and it is not accompanied by any signs or symptoms. The virus is transmitted via skin to skin contact and is severely infectious in nature. Using condoms may reduce the risk of spreading of this virus, but is not always successful.

There are two major vaccines for HPV. 

Gardasil: This vaccine prevents the most common HPVs which are associated with genital and anal cancer, and also warts of both genital and anal type.
Cervarix: This type of vaccine prevents HPV associated with the occurrence of cervical cancer.
Reasons for vaccination against HPV

HPV vaccines are recommended to girls between 11 and 12 years. It is also given to girls and women between the age of 13 and 26 years, who have never been vaccinated against HPC before. These vaccines should be given to females before they start being active sexually and get exposed to the HPV virus. Sexually active females benefit from these vaccines as well, but the effect is less.

Here are three reasons why you should vaccinate against HPV:

All types of HPV vaccine help in the elimination of the viruses which cause cervical cancer. Viruses causing cancer in the vulva, vagina or anus are also targeted by these HPV vaccines. The HPV vaccines also protect against genital or anal warts. HPV vaccines work effectively in the prevention of cancers caused by HPC viruses and also curb the common health problems which are accompanied.
The effect of HPV vaccines is quite long lasting in an individual who is vaccinated against HPV. Usually it lasts for ten years or more without having any related disorders or cancers. The protection does not weaken over time and remains stable.
HPV vaccines are licensed by the FDA to be completely safe and efficient to use. Extensive studies have been carried out globally, and no safety concerns have ever arisen. The side effects of HPV vaccines are usually quite mild. However, a little amount of pain, dizziness and nausea are involved.
HPV vaccines are a series of effective vaccines, which prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer and other cancers which are sexually transmitted. They are generally given to women before getting sexually active to prevent transmission of HPV viruses. Some HPV vaccines are prescribed to males as well.

3 Reasons To Vaccinate Against HPV

Anal herpes and anal warts are sexually transmitted diseases. These both diseases affect the genitals. As these are sexually transmitted diseases, these are transmitted through sexual contact.

Anal Herpes:

It is an infection caused by herpes virus, which is caused by the sore or blisters formed around the anus. This infection is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 or 2 viruses.
The symptoms of anal herpes include red bumps or white blisters, itching and pain around the anal area, development of ulcer at the site of blisters, a coating that covers the ulcers ruptures or is bleeding, any change in the bowel habit.
Treatment

Antiviral therapy is one of the primary treatment for anal herpes. The virus responsible mainly for herpes is herpes simplex virus type II. Antiviral medications are given to patients, these medicines fight the virus. The symptoms of herpes are reduced with this therapy.
Regular use of antiviral medication is referred to as suppressive therapy. As the name suggests, people on suppressive therapy, reduce the risk of passing the infection to their sexual partner.
In severe anal herpes, the doctor might give intravenous antiviral therapy to control the infection.However, the herpes virus cannot be cured as it is considered a lifelong infection. The virus stays in the nerve cells for lifelong and is inactive for long periods of time. It only outbreaks when it is triggered by an externalfactor such as illness, stress, or sun exposure.
Prevention
As anal herpes is transmitted through sexual contact, one can lower the risk of this disease. Safety measures can be used are:

Wear a condom or use barrier protection during every sexual intercourse, including anal or oral sex.
Reduce the number of sexual partners.
If one maintains monogamy, the risk is minimal for transmitting anal herpes.
One should abstain from sex altogether, if possible.
Anal Warts:
Anal warts are small warts that occur around the anus. Another name for anal wart is condyloma acuminate. In many cases, anal warts don t cause any pain or discomfort. But, they cause irritation when they grow in size and might be itchy and/or bleed. However, if there are no symptoms seen, people suffering from anal wart might not even know that they have warts. Anal warts might occur only at a spot or even spread to different parts of the genitals such as buttocks, anus, and inner thighs over a period of time.

Symptoms
The anal warts are small bumps initially, a size of the head of a pin, which is not even noticed. However, as they grow, they can develop to a size of a cauliflower-likean appearance, when several warts are clustered together to form a huge lump. These warts are peach colored and the color may vary from yellow, light brown, or pink and it might even blend with the skin color. Usually the anal warts are without any pain or discomfort, however, other rare occurring symptoms are itching, discharge from the anus, or bleeding. Anal warts in women might appear on vagina, vulva, or at the cervix, whereas in men it can develop on penis, scrotum, groin area, or thighs.

Treatment
Topical medication can be used to treat anal warts, such as imiquimod, podofilox, podophyllum, etc. Another treatment of anal wart that depends upon the location and severity of the condition:

Cryotherapy
Electrocautery
Laser treatments
Surgery can be recommended for larger warts that do not respond to medications.

Anal Herpes & Warts - Possible Ways They Can Be Treated!

What are Warts?

Warts are infectious outgrowths that may appear on any part of the body. For example, the most common warts occur on fingers. They are caused by virus, most typically the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and several of its subtypes. They appear as dense painless rounded nodules of about 0.3- 1 cm in diameter. The mode of transmission of this virus is usually by contact. You can also contract warts by sharing objects like razors, towels or other personal items. They can be sexually transmitted if the warts are present on genitals.

Usually, they are benign outgrowths but sometimes, they may be cancerous if present on genitals.

How To Prevent Warts?

Earlier, the only way to prevent contracting warts was avoiding contact with infected people. But now-a-days, vaccines against HPV are present that are given in teen years to prevent genital warts and cancer caused by them.

How are they diagnosed?

Your doctor can easily tell if the outgrowth is a wart just by having a look at it. If it is not clear, your doctor may take a sample of your skin and look at it under the microscope to ensure that it is a wart.

Treating Warts-

CAUTERIZATION

Cauterization is a medical procedure wherein a part of the body is burnt in order to damage some tissue in order to prevent an outgrowth. Cauterization can be done by medicine, cryotherapy (using localised or general low temperatures to treat benign or malignant tissues), radio frequency cauterization or laser. The method applied depends on size and location of the outgrowth or the choice of you dermatologist as well.

It is recommended to get warts removed at its earliest to prevent spreading of the disease.

Several myths are present in the market that state cure to warts by various homemade remedies but these can do more harm than good. Treating warts must be done by practised medical personnel. Incomplete removal of warts can cause recurrence of warts due to secondary infection.

Warts - How To Get Rid Of Them?

Genital warts refer to small (sometimes invisible), cauliflower shaped bumps, which form around the genital region and severely affect the moist tissues around the concerned region. Genital warts are more common in sexually active people and are one of the most commonly transmitted sexual diseases. The virus responsible for the disease, Human Papillomavirus can also cause other serious disorders such as genital cancers.

Genital warts can occur in both the genders. The virus generally spreads through sexual intercourse. In men, warts appear around the scrotum, the tip of the penis or the anus. In women, warts might form around the vaginal walls, the cervix or around the anal canal. If you had any form of oral contact with the genitals of an already infected person, genital warts can form around your throat or mouth.

The symptoms of genital warts are as follows:
1. Severe itchy sensation and discomfort around the genital areas.
2. Bleeding during sexual intercourse
3. Formation of numerous small, grey bumps around the genital region
Genital warts are caused by genital HPV s, which are transmitted, primarily through sexual contact. In most of the cases, the immune system is able to combat the virus and makes you less susceptible to this disorder.

However, you might be at an increased risk of developing genital warts because of the following reasons:
1. Engaging in unprotected sex, that too with different partners.
2. Past history of other sexually transmitted infection
3. Being sexually active from an early age
4. Having unprotected sexual intercourse without being aware of one s medical history

The treatment for genital warts depends on the severity of the condition. If the warts are causing significant pain and discomfort for you, your doctor might opt for one of the following procedures to get rid of the same:
1. Application of Imiquimod creams around the affected area might help treat the condition.
2. A regulated application of  Trichloroacetic  acid on the affected areas might help to burn off the genital warts.
3. Application of a solution of  Podophyllin  on the affected areas might help destroying the soft tissues around the genital areas.
4. If your warts are significantly large in size or do not respond well to medications, you can also opt for surgical excision or laser therapies to get rid of them

What Can be the Possible Reasons of Gential Warts

Have you been noticing bumps on your skin surface? Does the top of this growth resemble a cauliflower and feel bumpy or smooth when you touch it? These are the symptoms of a disease known as warts, which is caused by HPV or human papillomavirus. Generally, warts are not very dangerous, but they are ugly, contagious and may cause pain as well. Warts may be caused by more than 100 types of HPV viruses. A certain type of HPV causes warts around the genitals. In women, these are called genital warts and it is a severe disease.

Treatment
All warts do not require treatment and disappear on their own. This is because over time, the body s immune system can destroy the HPV virus which causes warts. A wart needs to be treated when it is painful, embarrassing, gets irritating easily, spreads to other parts of the body or spreads to other people. The goal of the treatment is to eliminate or remove the wart, avoiding a scar tissue. Creating a scar tissue would cause more pain than the wart. The treatment of warts depends upon the type, location and specific symptoms of the disease.

Self-treatment
Warts can be treated at home using salicylic acid and duct tape. Most warts do not require treatment, but in case the symptoms worsen and do not go away on their own, you require proper care.
Medical treatment

The medical treatment for warts prescribed by a doctor includes the following:

Cryotherapy
Certain medicated creams and ointments
Surgical methods such as electrosurgery or laser surgery
Chemical peels with certain acids
Excision or cutting of the warts
Before going for a treatment, it is important to detect the exact type of wart. Treatment for some types of warts may be quite painful with the chances of a scar tissue. Warts which lie beneath the skin are difficult to treat and the doctor might need to make an incision on the skin over the wart to let the medicine penetrate through it.

An HPV vaccine can be taken to protect men and women from the common warts caused by HPV viruses. This vaccine can be taken up to the age of 26. The vaccine should be taken before getting sexually active and is more effective when taken before being exposed to the HPV virus. In order to prevent transmission of the HPV virus, having protected sex is recommended. In case of any severe symptoms of warts, you must consult a doctor immediately.

Warts - Dermatological Treatments For It!

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