1. Watch It
Human papillomovirus (HPV) is an STD that causes small warts to grow, both internally and externally, on the genitals. Many times, HPV clears on its own without any treatment. This is possible if you test positive for HPV, but have no symptoms. Your doctor may require an additional swab of your cervix so that a laboratory can analyze your cells to determine if your HPV is high risk. Your doctor may suggest more frequent pap smears to check the status of your HPV. HPV infections clear on their own within two years for most women.
2. Surgery
There are a few different options for treating HPV with surgery. Conization is the formal medical name for a cone biopsy. During a cone biopsy, doctors use a scalpel to remove warts. The tissue they remove is in the shape of a cone, hence the name "cone biopsy." Regular excision with a scalpel is also an option.
3. Other Options For Removal
There are several options available to treat HPV, depending on your particular case and what your doctor recommends. Cryotherapy involves freezing the HPV warts off with liquid nitrogen. Another option is electrocautery, which burns the wart off using an electric current. Sometimes trichloracetic acid is used to chemically burn the wart off. LEEP is short for Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure. The LEEP uses a wire with an electrical current to burst the affected cells and then easily cut them away.
4. Prescription Options
Prescriptions are available to treat external warts from HPV. There are two different types of treatment for these warts. Podofilox or Condylox is a topical cream that works by destroying the wart tissue. One round of treatment is four weeks of treatment with the cream. The other option is Imiquimod, or Aldara. This cream works by boosting the immune system to fight off the virus. Your doctor will show you how to apply the cream to treat the warts.
5. Success Rates
There are several factors that influence success rates of HPV treatments. Large warts do not respond as well to treatment as small ones. Warts in moist areas respond better to topical treatments than those that are not in moist areas. Once a specific treatment has failed three times, or if six treatments by one doctor prove ineffective, re-evaluation of the problem, treatment plan and possibly the physician are necessary. Different procedures have success rates of anywhere from 40 percent to 90 percent, with a 20 percent to 60 percent recurrence rate. Ask your doctor for the success rate associated with the procedure he recommends.
