Caused by human papillomavirus, genital warts can form on the penis, urethra and anus, according to Medline Plus, a publication of the National Institutes of Health. Some men may have genital warts on their groin, testicles or thighs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in the United States, about 1 percent of men who have sex have genital warts. A doctor can treat the genital warts, though some treatments are available for home use. If a man uses an at-home treatment for genital warts, he needs to do so under the advice of a doctor.
Medicine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that medicine is one treatment for genital warts in men, which involves application directly on the wart. The medicine prevents the genital wart from growing. AVERT, an AIDS charity, points out that the medicine options include ones administered by a doctor and ones administered at home. The medical office option includes podophyllin resin. The patient may need several applications of this to fully treat the genital warts. When the medical professional applies the podophyllin resin, she needs to avoid the healthy tissue. After the podophyllin resin has covered the genital wart for four hours, the medical professional washes it off.
The at-home option, podopfilox lotion, which is also available as a gel, requires the patient to use it for four weeks. Each week, the patient applies the lotion or gel twice a day for three days, then four days with no medication application. Medline Plus adds that other medicine options for genital warts include imiquimod and trichloroacetic acid, which also involve topical application.
Freezing
Men can have their genital warts treated by freezing them off. The treatment, called cryotherapy and cryocautery, uses liquid nitrogen. The doctor applies the liquid nitrogen to the genital wart every one to three weeks. AVERT notes that since patients undergo cryotherapy for persistent genital warts, they may need to have the procedure done for some time until the freezing removes the wart entirely.
Surgery
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that some men may need to have their genital warts surgically removed. During the procedure, the doctor gives the patient a local anesthesia, then cuts the genital wart out of the patient's body. For extensive genital warts, a doctor may perform laser therapy, which uses an intense beam of light. That light targets and destroys the genital wart tissue. AVERT notes that if other treatments do not work for a patient, he may undergo electrocautery. With electrocautery, the doctor uses a needle that burns the wart off. The procedure also cauterizes the blood vessels, meaning it seals off the blood vessels, preventing bleeding. Like the surgical removal of the genital wart, electrocautery uses local anesthesia.
