Genital warts can vary in size from 2 mm to 5-6 cm. Their number can range from a few to several hundred. They are soft, moist, skin-colored or brown lesions that tend to spread in clusters.
Because warts are often mistaken for moles and do not cause any symptoms, patients may delay seeking medical attention. Today, the link between HPV infections and genital cancers, especially in women, has been definitively established. Therefore, all genital HPV infections require treatment and follow-up.
Pap smear tests should be mandatory for women. Rectoscopy is necessary for recurrent anal warts. In addition, other sexually transmitted diseases should be investigated in patients with condylomas.
Condyloma is a sexually transmitted disease caused by HPV viruses. The disease can appear 3 weeks to 8 months after contact with an infected person. After infection, HPV can remain latent in skin and mucous membrane cells and warts may not develop. Warts particularly prefer warm and moist areas. They can be observed on the penis and groin in men, and inside the vagina and vulva in women, and around the anus in both sexes.
Genital wart treatment methods;
• Burning process using electrocauterization or radiofrequency methods,
• Cryotherapy (freezing with liquid nitrogen at minus 200 degrees Celsius),
• Podophyllin and podophyllotoxin (for topical application, depending on concentration level, in the doctor's office or at home),
• TCA (trichloroacetic acid)
• Imiquimod cream (Aldara®)
• Ablative laser methods: CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser
• Fluorouracil 5%
Do genital warts recur?
The disease can recur after treatment, but the likelihood of recurrence decreases over time. Therefore, post-treatment check-ups are important. In patients with recurrence, a 5% acetic acid test is performed to detect HPV-infected areas that are not visible to the naked eye. Areas that turn white after the test are treated.
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