How to Safely Remove Genital Warts

Genital warts are a type of sexually transmitted disease. They are small bumps that appear in the moist genital area and can multiply into clusters. HPV, or human papillomavirus, the virus linked to cervical cancer, can cause genital warts. The condition can be painful, and a woman with genital warts can pass the infection to her child during labor.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask your physician if podophyllin or podofilox would be suitable for your genital warts. These are solutions that the doctor applies to the genital area. Podofilox can be applied at home, but podophyllin must be applied by the doctor. These substances destroy the tissues of the warts. This treatment is not appropriate for those who are pregnant.

• 2

  Consider having your doctor apply a chemical treatment to burn off the warts, such as trichloroacetic acid.

• 3

  Consult with your physician about surgical procedures to remove the genital warts. The warts can be removed by freezing the area with liquid nitrogen. Electrocautery uses electrical currents that burn off the warts. Laser treatments remove the warts by an intense beam of light, and surgical excision involves the doctor cutting off the wart.