Genital Wart Treatment

You can find genital wart treatment in the form of medicines both over the counter and by prescription. Most doctors will tell you that over the counter genital wart treatment are to be avoided. These genital wart treatment medications often contain chemicals that can be abrasive or damaging to the skin.

The most common prescribed medications used for genital wart treatment are Podofilox, imiquimod and TCA. Podofilox is available as either a liquid or a gel. This medication works by killing the genital wart tissue. You can use it at home, and it has been effective in about 65% of the cases where it has been used as a genital wart treatment. Doctors often prescribe Podofilox because it's safe and easy to apply. However, in the case of a pregnant woman, genital wart treatment with Podofilox can be harmful and may be a factor in causing birth defects.

Sometimes doctors prescribe a cream that contains imiquimod. This is another genital wart treatment that you yourself can apply at home. Imiquimod medications often cost more than Podofilox, but they are safer. Imiquimod fights genital wart by lending a helping hand to your immune system. This type of genital wart treatment has been proven effective in about half of the cases where it has been used.

TCA, or trichloracetic acid, is a genital wart treatment remedy that must be used at the doctor's office. It is a caustic agent, and because it can be harmful to the skin, it cannot be used at home. The doctor puts TCA directly on the genital wart and it kills them. TCA is considered the most effective of the three genital wart treatment methods, but it is inconvenient and requires weekly trips to the doctor until the genital wart is gone.

There is also a medical procedure that can be used for genital wart treatment along with a prescription medicine. This is alpha interferon, an anti-viral that is injected into the genital wart tissue. This method of genital wart treatment is often not used because it is expensive and is not effective in preventing further wart outbreaks.

When considering genital wart treatment, remember that there is no cure. Genital warts are caused by a virus, and getting rid of the wart does not do anything against the virus itself. Even after a successful genital wart treatment, you may experience outbreaks again in the future. Your doctor will recommend what he or she thinks is best, depending on the nature of your genital wart outbreak.

For more information about genital wart treatment, consult NIAID, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a specialized part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAID works to research, prevent and treat sexually transmitted disease like Aids and HPV. You can find more detailed information on genital wart treatment by consulting their website.

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