Genital warts are one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI) and is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
There are certain strains of HPV that are associated with cervical cancer while other strains cause genital warts
The HPV strains that cause genital warts will form as bumps in the genital areas, but they can also appear around the mouth or throats of infected individuals. In most cases, these warts are spread through sexual contact
The bumps can be accompanied with itching or discomfort. For men, they can grow on the penile shaft, tip, scrotum, or anus. For women, the vulva, or the areas between the genitals and the anus. In many cases, the warts are too small to be to seen for both men and women
Treatment depends on the size of the lesion. Lesions smaller than 3 mm have a chance of going away by itself within 6 months, but if they are larger than 3 mm they will not, so treatment is necessary
Fulguration of a wart Surgical removal of a wart by scalpel
Freezing, laser removal, or electro-cauterizing the warts out are the most common methods
An HPV vaccine can prevent the contraction of genital warts A patient receiving an HPV vaccination
Currently, vaccinations are recommended to minimize the future occurrence of outbreaks and is the best method for prevention. Using condoms are helpful as well, but is not 100% guaranteed to protect one from contracting it