COMMON SKIN DISORDERS IN ADULTS: GENITAL WARTS
Posted on Apr 23, 2011 under Skin Care | Comments are offGenital warts are serious and insidious, and are associated with cancer of the cervix and vulva in women. The warts can be large and obvious, but in most cases are barely visible and produce no symptoms. The virus can incubate for many years before producing serious disease, and many women are totally unaware that they have the wart virus until a cervical pap smear shows something abnormal.Like all the venereal diseases, genital warts can be prevented by using condoms. Men tend to request treatment for genital warts more frequently than women. Because the warts appear on the penis, they are much more obvious. In women they appear both inside and outside the vagina.There are many treatments available, all having their advantages and disadvantages. Warts can be treated with topical podophyllin paint, liquid nitrogen (dry ice), burnt off by diathermy or removed using a carbon dioxide laser. A newer, promising treatment is the injection of a drug called Interferon, which appears to be very effective although is still very expensive. Even if warts are treated, however, they can recur and re-infection is possible. No method is foolproof as far as eradicating the virus goes. It is not known whether treating genital warts will prevent cancer of the genital tract and further study is needed in this important area.
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