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Sexually transmitted infections

Genital Warts HPV Treatment Approach to Therapy

Approach to therapy

There are many self applied and office based therapies for warts. None of these eliminates the virus from surrounding skin therefore recurrences are possible. All therapies can cause pain, burning and erosions.

Wart often respond slowly to therapy and it may take weeks or months to achieve clearance. Home therapy is indicated for all clinical types of warts unless lesions are large or numerous. Acuminate warts respond more readily than papular lesions. Few, small lesions can be quickly removed in the office by electrocautery, scissor excision, cryotherapy or trichloroacetic acid. Removal of large lesions or clusters of lesions may have to be removed in the operating room. Change the method of treatment if 2 or 3 sessions with one modality fails. See the patient on a regular basis until all visible lesions have been eliminated.

Sex during the treatment could be uncomfortable and may have to be delayed.

Warts may regress spontaneously in some patients, therefore no treatment is an option.