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Genital Warts

What are they?
Warts are fleshy growths caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). They can appear anywhere on the body, but when they appear around the genitals, they're known as genital warts.

Genital warts are one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the UK - over 67,000 people have been diagnosed with them.

What causes them?

• Warts are usually passed on during skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, especially during vaginal or anal sex.
• It is rare, but not impossible, to develop warts around or inside the mouth following oral sex with someone who's infected.
• It is also rare, but not impossible, to transfer the virus from your fingers to your genitals.

Who is at risk?

• The more sexually active you are, the more you're at risk of developing genital warts.
• There's no evidence to suggest that condoms protect against HPV, however, experts do recommend covering visible warts with a condom or female condom to reduce the risk of spreading.

What are the symptoms?

• Only a tiny percentage of people who become infected with HPV (roughly 1%) actually develop warts - and it can take months for them to appear.
• Genital warts can look like anything from a small pinky-white lump to a bulbous, cauliflower-shaped growth.
• They can appear alone or in clusters around the helmet of the penis and around the vagina. They can also grow inside the vagina and on the cervix.
• They're not usually painful but they can result in itchy or inflamed skin.

Diagnosis
Your GP or local genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic should be able to tell whether you've got genital warts just by looking. If they're not obvious, your health practitioner may apply a solution to the affected area. If they're warts, they'll change colour. If it's suspected that the warts are inside your vagina or on your cervix, your GP will carry out an internal examination.

Treatment
The kind of treatment you have depends on how severe your genital warts are and what you're most comfortable with.

The two most common types of treatment are paint and cryotherapy:

• Paint involves painting the warts with a strong solution, which is later washed off.
• Cryotherapy entails spraying them with a freezing solution.

Both treatments only get rid of the warts themselves; the virus remains active under the skin. This means that warts can reappear at a later date. It's also worth remembering that during the treatment, you'll probably need to attend the GUM clinic or outpatients department on a weekly basis, until the warts have cleared up.

You should never use treatments for use on other types of warts, even if purchased from a pharmacy, on your genital warts.

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