Treatment Alternatives for Genital Warts That You Should Consider

Women who develop genital warts should immediately consult their gynecologist or family doctor for appropriate medical intervention. Self-medication can be a risky option as there are certain products that may not be suitable for your condition. The potential risks are quite serious and you must never attempt to treat genital warts without the proper guidance from a health professional. For instance, improper treatment approaches on pregnant women can lead to malformation of the embryo.

Genital wart treatment is a distinct medical intervention and does not have any direct action on the infecting microorganism. The virus that causes genital warts remains in the body and can trigger flare-ups in the future. You must also remember that your partner or spouse may be infected by the virus even if you don’t have any genital warts.

Genital Warts Gels and Creams and other Similar Preparations

Men and women who have genital warts can use various creams and gels that are indicated for such medical problem. Your choices of creams or gels include podophyllin, podophyllotoxin and 5-fluorouracil. Podophyllin has long been used by health professionals in getting rid of genital warts. This treatment approach has been used by professionals since the early 40s. However, recent studies have raised issues relating to its efficacy. The treatment regimen involves one-time application of podophyllin on a weekly basis.

With the adoption of better treatment approaches, the use of podophyllin for genital warts continue to decline primarily due to efficacy and safety concerns. On the other hand, podophyllotoxin is normally the drug of choice of health professionals because of cost consideration. This genital wart medication comes in cream or gel with potency that ranges from 0.15 percent to 0.5 percent. Podophyllotoxin is actually the purified version of podophyllin. Finally, 5-fluorouracil is not widely endorsed by medical professionals due to its side effects.

Other Treatment Alternatives for Genital Warts

Aside from the traditional medications and natural cures, you can also consider other treatment alternatives for genital warts and these would include electrocauterization and cryosurgery. The former is a relatively old treatment approach while the latter is capable of removing about 80 percent of the genital warts. In cases, where optimum results are not obtained in any of the treatment approaches, a medical professional may recommend surgical procedure. Patients may also consider as their last resort interferon injection and laser ablation. These methods are not commonly resorted to by patients as these are relatively more expensive procedures.