Genital Warts Detection

Since genital warts are not always visible, it is necessary that sexually active individuals undergo physical examinations from time to time.
Genital warts are skin bumps or skin growths, which can be raised or flat on the skin. These warts are caused by HPV viruses or human
papillomavirus.genital warts treatment Many people are concerned about genital warts but are not sure how to cure them.

The reason why these warts are not visible, nor are detectable, is that there are no symptoms for it.  They don’t cause skin itching or pain. They are almost the color of flesh, not to mention the fact that they are small in size and are found at the genital areas. It takes a physician to check with a magnifying glass to check if what a patient has are mere skin growths or genital warts.

It is important because when warts are left untreated, it can lead to cervical cancer for women and cancer of the penis for men.

Genital Warts…

* They can begin to retreat back into the skin until they vanish!

* They can begin to get mushy and dissolve away until there is no trace left

* They can simply dry up and flake off like a scab!

Everyone is in shock when they first discover their genital warts! The good news is that warts are very treatable. The most important thing with genital wart symptoms is to treat them as soon as you notice them. Seeking treatment should be your number 1 priority! Get rid of the embarassement! They may eventually go away on their own, but not before growing and spreading and becoming itchy and possibly bleeding.

Below is a home genital treatment guide based on all of the information we have collected and reports that GenitalWartsFAQ.com has online.

This is not medical advice, this is not to replace the treatments or directions of your doctor. This is something you can think about, maybe it’s midnight and your doctor isn’t open. We still do recommend that if you haven’t seen a doctor that you do so. We’ll start here.

What type of doctor should I see for Genital Wart / HPV treatment?
Depending on what area you’re in, the cheapest solution is to visit a clinic specializing in sexual transmittable diseases (STDs). Planned Parenthood is one such clinic.

Home Treatments that have in many cases reduce the spread or killed the genital warts
Before we cover the home treatments, we are going to make these recommendations that should go with any treatment that you choose.

* Quit Smoking
The carbon monoxide in smoke robs our body of oxygen, which is the most important part of the immune system. White Blood cells attack viruses and they require oxygen. Additionally, there are many other carcinogens and poisons in smoke that reduce the bodies ability to focus on it’s job – healing and preventing viruses and infections.

* Switch to cotton underwear
Genital warts thrive in dark and moist areas. Polyester and other materials do not breathe as well as cotton. Cotton will help prevent moisture from accumulating and keep the area more dry, which will keep the genital warts out of their ideal conditions.

* Get rest
Rest is important for the immune system. If you do not get rest, your body does not have the energy to perform all of it’s functions correctly.
“Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system leaving us more susceptible to other diseases and disorders like diabetes, cancer and even the common cold” – About.com Sleep Disorders

* Drink plenty of water
Sodas, particularly Diet sodas act as diuretics which remove more water from our body than they put in. We are 2/3 water, and water is how our body flushes toxins.

* Take a multi-vitamin
Most people are not meeting RDA requirements for vitamins. As well all know, vitamins are important to the function of all aspects of the body.

Vitamins to make sure you’re getting:

1. Vitamin C
“Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is required for at least three hundred metabolic functions in the body, including tissue growth and repair, adrenal gland function, and healthy gums. It also aids in the production of anti-stress hormones and interferon, an important immune system protein, and is needed for the metabolism of folic acid, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. Studies have shown that taking vitamin C can reduce symptoms of asthma. It protects against the harmful effects of pollution, helps to prevent cancer, protects against infection, and enhances immunity. Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron. It can combine with toxic substances, such as certain heavy metals, and render them harmless so that they can be eliminated from the body.” -

Prescription for Nutritional Healing

2. Zinc
“The immune system is adversely affected by even moderate degrees of zinc deficiency. Severe zinc deficiency depresses immune function. Zinc is required for the development and activation of T-lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell that helps fight infection (2, 28). When zinc supplements are given to individuals with low zinc levels, the numbers of T-cell lymphocytes circulating in the blood increase and the ability of lymphocytes to fight infection improves. Studies show that poor, malnourished children in India, Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia experience shorter courses of infectious diarrhea after taking zinc supplements (29). Amounts of zinc provided in these studies ranged from 4 mg a day up to 40 mg per day and were provided in a variety of forms (zinc acetate, zinc gluconate, or zinc sulfate) (29). Zinc supplements are often given to help heal skin ulcers or bed sores (30), but they do not increase rates of wound healing when zinc levels are normal.” – National Institute of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements

Apple Cider Vinegar
There are no clinical studies to support Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) as a genital wart treatment, however many people have tried it including members of GenitalWartsFAQ.com with success.

ACV can be purchased from you local drug or grocery store. To apply ACV, dip the tip of a cotton swap into the ACV then apply it to the wart and hold for up to 15 minutes. Repeat this process 3 times daily.

In one particular confirmed GenitalWartsFAQ.com member case, this killed several of the warts, and stopped the spreading allowing the smaller warts to also be treated without any new growth.

Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid has shown to be an effective treatment for warts. Salycylic acid is available at drug and grocery stores – it is the active ingredient in the swabs used for acne. Use this product as described and intended – the package does not state that it is for treatment of genital warts.
40% Salicylic Acid
Dr. Scholl’s Soft Salicylic Acid Corn Remover Pads - $2.85 to $5.39

17% Salicylic Acid
Wart-Off Maxiumum Strength - $7.49 - $8.80

2% Salicylic Acid
Nuetrogena Acne Rapid Clear Daily Pads - $8.49 - $12.34

Stridex Triple Action Acne Pads -  $4.29 - $6.49

Cryotherapy
This treatment is only available at a doctors office, however if you have warts in areas other than the genitals these are good solutions. These products available at your grocery store. These usually include a small can with an applicator tip. When the applicator tip is put on, and the bottom is pressed against the skin – the wart is frozen and dies.

Compound W Freeze Off Wart                  $23.00 - $27.00
Dr. Scholls Dual Action Freeze Away      $17.35 - $21.59
Wartner Wart Removal System                $23.09 - $24.19

Message from GenitalWartsFAQ.com
We cannot stress the importance enough of visiting a dermatologist or health clinic as soon as you notice symptoms. This is the quickest way to get rid of symptoms and to be evaluated by the doctor. If circumstances prevent this, then we encourage you to use this guide to help find a possible solution for your needs. Always use commercial products as directed. None of this replaces your doctors opinion about treatment.

For images on genital warts, click on this link:  http://cancer.about.com/od/hpv/a/HPVpictures.htm

Types and Causes of Warts

A wart (also known as verruca) is generally a small, rough tumor, typically on hands and feet but often other locations, that can resemble a cauliflower or a solid blister. Warts are common, and are caused by a viral infection, specifically by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are contagious when in contact with the skin of an infected person. It is also possible to get warts from using towels or other objects used by an infected person. They typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can recur.

Warts are caused by a virus called human papilloma virus or HPV. There are approximately 100 strains of human papilloma viruses. Type 1, 2, and 3 causes most of the common warts. Type 1 is associated with deep plantar (sole of the feet) and palmar warts (palm of the hand). Type 2 causes common warts, filiform warts, plantar warts, mosaic plantar warts. Type 3 causes plane warts, or commonly known as flat warts. Anogenital warts are caused by types 6, 11, 16, 18, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40 and others. HPV types 6 and 11 cause about 90% of genital warts cases. HPV types 16 and 18 currently cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases, and also cause some vulvar, vaginal, penile and anal cancers. Gardasil, a vaccine for HPV is designed to prevent infection with HPV types 16, 18, 6, and 11; it is claimed to prevent infections to other strains of anogenital warts through cross protection against other types of HPVs. HPV is associated with oral cancer, laryngeal cancers, tracheal and lung cancers.

Types of wart

A range of different types of wart has been identified, varying in shape and site affected, as well as the type of human papillomavirus involved. These include

• Common wart (Verruca vulgaris), a raised wart with roughened surface, most common on hands and knees;
• Flat wart (Verruca plana), a small, smooth flattened wart, flesh coloured, which can occur in large numbers; most common on the face, neck, hands, wrists and knees;
• Filiform or digitate wart, a thread- or finger-like wart, most common on the face, especially near the eyelids and lips;
• Plantar wart (verruca, Verruca pedis), a hard sometimes painful lump, often with multiple black specks in the center; usually only found on pressure points on the soles of the feet;
• Mosaic wart, a group of tightly clustered plantar-type warts, commonly on the hands or soles of the feet;
• Genital wart (venereal wart, Condyloma acuminatum, Verruca acuminata), a wart that occurs on the genitalia.

How are skin tags treated?

There are several effective medical ways to remove a skin tag, including removing with scissors, freezing (using liquid nitrogen), and burning (using medical electric cautery at the physician’s office).

Usually small tags may be removed easily without anesthesia while larger growths may require some local anesthesia (injected lidocaine) prior to removal. Application of a topical anesthesia cream prior to the procedure may be desirable in areas where there are a large number of tags.

Dermatologists (skin doctors), family physicians, and internal medicine physicians are the doctors who treat tags most often. Occasionally, an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) is needed to remove tags very close to the eyelid margin.

There are also home remedies and self-treatments, including tying off the small tag stalk with a piece of thread or dental floss and allowing the tag to fall off over several days.

The advantage of scissor removal is that the growth is immediately removed and there are instant results. The potential disadvantage of any kind of scissor or minor surgical procedure to remove tags is minor bleeding.

Possible risks with freezing or burning include temporary skin discoloration, need for repeat treatment(s), and failure for the tag to fall off.

There is no evidence that removing tags causes more tags to grow. Rather, there are some people that may be more prone to developing skin tags and may have new growths periodically. Some patients even require periodic removal of tags at annual or quarterly intervals.

Do skin tags need to be sent for pathology?

Most typical small skin tags may be removed without sending tissue for microscopic examination. However, there are some larger or atypical growths that may be removed and sent to a pathologist for examination under a microscope to make sure that the tissue is really a tag and nothing more. Additionally, skin bumps that have bled or rapidly changed may also need pathologic examination. While extremely rare, there are a few reports of skin cancers found in skin tags.

What else could it be?

While classic skin tags are typically very characteristic in appearance and occur in specific locations such as the underarms, necks, under breasts, eyelids and groin folds, there are tags that may occur in less obvious locations.

Other skin growths that may look similar to a skin tag but are not tags include moles (dermal nevus), nerve and fiber-type moles (neurofibromas), warts, and “barnacles” or “Rice Krispies” (seborrheic keratosis).

Warts tend to be rougher, with a “warty” irregular surface whereas skin tags are usually smooth. Warts tend to be flat whereas tags are more like bumps hanging from thin stalk. While warts are almost entirely caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), tags are only sometimes associated with HPV.

Groin and genital lesions resembling skin tags may actually be genital warts or condyloma. A biopsy would help diagnose which of these growths are not skin tags. Very rarely, a basal cell skin or squamous cancer or melanoma may mimic a skin tag, but this is very uncommon.

Is there another medical name for a skin tag?

Medical terms your physician or dermatologist may use to describe a skin tag include fibroepithelial polyp, acrochordon, cutaneous papilloma, and soft fibroma. All of these terms describe skin tags and are benign (noncancerous), painless skin growths. Some people refer to these as “skin tabs” or warts. However, a skin tag is best known as a skin tag.

Skin Tag At A Glance

• A skin tag is a common but harmless skin growth.
• Skin tags are frequently found on the eyelids, neck, chest, armpits, and groin.
• Treatments include freezing, tying off with a thread or suture, or cutting off.