Can Syphilis Be Cured?
How Long Do Genital Warts Last? What To Know
Genital warts can go away on their own, but the amount of time this takes can vary. Around 80% of people with the virus that causes the warts will clear the infection within 18–24 months.
Treatment can help with removing the warts faster, but some treatments can cause genital wart scars.
Genital warts are the result of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that occurs as a result of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the most common STI in the United States.
Not everyone with HPV has genital warts. Those that do can find their warts come and go. While there is no cure for the virus, people can manage the warts with creams or other treatments.
Genital warts can disappear without treatment. Although this will usually happen within 2 years, it can take longer. People can eliminate genital warts much faster with treatment, and treated warts are less likely to return quickly.
For a person using cream, it may take as little as a few months for warts to disappear. However, they may go away more quickly following a surgical procedure.
Genital warts may appear within weeks, months, or years of a person contracting HPV.
An outbreak will present as lumps anywhere around the genitals. In some cases, outbreaks can also appear on the throat, mouth, lips, or tongue.
In addition to clearing up genital warts more quickly, treatment can ease associated pain, itching, and irritation. It can also lower the risk of HPV spreading to other people.
Treatments for genital warts include:
Topical creamsA doctor can prescribe a topical cream or recommend an over-the-counter (OTC) variety. It is important to note that OTC remedies for regular warts cannot treat genital warts.
Creams for genital warts include:
SinecatechinsThis cream comprises green tea extract, and doctors prescribe it to manage external and anal genital warts. A person should apply the product to the affected area three times daily for up to 4 months.
Sinecatechins is highly effective, and most people tolerate it well.
Side effects may include:
Imiquimod works to get rid of external genital warts, and doctors have also used it to treat some skin cancers. People can apply the ointment directly to the warts at least three times a week for up to 4 months.
Imiquimod can also help boost a person's immune system, encouraging it to fight the HPV infection. However, research has only shown it to be effective in slightly more than 50% of people. The researchers noted that females observed a complete disappearance of warts more often than males.
Side effects can include:
This treatment involves the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze off genital warts. The nitrogen causes a blister to form around each wart, and the warts will fall away as the blisters heal.
Cryotherapy is a quick and effective solution, although many people require multiple treatments to maintain the results over time.
The side effects of cryotherapy may include:
In this procedure, a surgeon burns genital warts with an electric current. They then scrape away the dried tissue, leaving the person free of warts.
A person will usually receive a general anesthetic, and the healing process can take 4–6 weeks.
Experts consider electrodesiccation very effective. Controlled trials have reported that up to 94% of people who received this treatment were wart-free after 6 weeks.
Side effects may include:
A surgeon also performs this procedure, using laser light to burn away the tissue of the wart.
A person will usually receive either a local or general anesthetic, depending on the number and size of the warts.
A doctor may recommend laser surgery when warts are:
Recovery is likely to take about 4 weeks.
The side effects of laser surgery may include:
If a person has HPV, it is vital that they tell any sexual partners before engaging in sexual activity.
People with an outbreak of warts can reduce the risk of HPV transmitting to others by abstaining from sex until the warts have been absent for 2 weeks.
However, HPV can still spread from person to person, even if no warts are present.
Using a barrier method, such as a condom or dental dam, will reduce the risk of HPV and other STIs transmitting to others.
While genital warts may eventually disappear without treatment, HPV remains infectious. It is, therefore, advisable to use a barrier method, such as a condom, during sexual activity.
Treatment can eliminate genital warts and help reduce future outbreaks, although it may take several months to be effective. Repeated treatment may be necessary, and warts may still return.
Genital Skin Tags Or HPV Warts: What's The Difference?
Genital skin tags and genital warts can look similar, but the causes and treatments of these conditions are distinct.
Genital skin tags and genital warts are two common skin conditions. They can be confused for one another because of where they develop and how they look.
Skin tags are common, harmless growths that often grow in areas where the skin folds, like your neck, eyelids, and groin. They are often oval or egg-shaped and attached to a fleshy stalk.
Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI). Genital warts typically look like lesions or bumps that are flat or slightly raised on the skin's surface. They usually feel rough or bumpy, and they may resemble cauliflower.
Like skin tags, genital warts aren't dangerous or cancerous, but they are a sign of an infection. Genital warts can go away on their own, but treatment can stop them from growing as well as stop any discomfort they may cause.
Keep reading to learn more about what these bumps look like, what causes them, and how they're treated.
While these two skin conditions look similar, there are a few distinct characteristics that can help you differentiate between the two.
What do genital skin tags look like?Skin tags are small, flesh-colored, hanging pieces of skin. They typically do not have any symptoms, such as pain or itching.
What do genital warts look like?Unlike skin tags, warts have a pearly, bumpy appearance and are usually found in areas where there has been sexual contact, such as the:
They may itch or feel irritated.
Both skin tags and genital warts can develop as a single bump, or they can grow in clusters. It's possible for additional tags or warts to appear in the same area over time.
These bumps are usually small, which may make identification harder, but there are clear visual differences between the two that may make it easier to recognize what you have.
Genital skin tagsGenital skin tags are soft tissue fibromas — or small, flesh-colored growths.
Skin tags are very common. They usually develop on your neck, under your armpits, or in between other folds of skin. They can also develop in your groin or on your genitalia.
Vaginal tags are less common. This is due to the moist nature of the vagina. Most tags are caused by friction, and the moist environment prevents this. Skin tags may still develop on the pubis or labia.
Genital wartsGenital warts are flat or slightly raised bumps on the surface of your skin.
Although these bumps are often mistaken for one another based on visual appearance, they're caused by entirely different things.
Genital skin tagsAlmost half of adults will develop at least one skin tag in their life, but skin tags have no known cause. Several factors can increase your risk for developing them.
The most common risk factors for genital skin tags include:
Unlike genital skin tags, doctors know exactly what causes genital warts: an infection of HPV. This is a type of STI, and it's highly contagious.
More than 100 types of HPV have been identified. Of those, only a few are responsible for genital warts.
HPV is very common. It's estimated that more than 80 percent of sexually active individuals will be infected during their lifetime. However, this may or may not be a wart-causing strain. If it is, it may be weeks or months before warts appear.
If you're not sure about the atypical growths on your genitals, it's a good idea to contact your doctor. If you suspect those skin spots are genital warts, or if you know you've been exposed to HPV, you should contact your doctor right away.
To make a diagnosis, your doctor will conduct a physical exam and look at the bumps or growths. They may perform an STI test. Your doctor may also order a biopsy.
For a biopsy, your doctor will remove one of the growths or bumps. They will freeze the area, which is often done in the office setting. They'll send the tissue to a laboratory, where it will be examined under a microscope. Your lab technician can usually make a diagnosis based on this visual assessment.
If the results are unclear, your doctor may order blood tests to identify other potential causes.
Genital skin tags and genital warts are treated differently.
Treating skin tagsMany times, skin tags do not need treatment. Unless they become irritated or cause you problems, most doctors will probably just leave them in place.
Treating genital wartsYou also do not have to treat genital warts, as many times they go away on their own. But treating them has some benefits, including:
If you do decide to treat your genital warts, your doctor will most likely prescribe medication like podofilox or imiquimod.
Removing skin tags or genital wartsIf you choose to completely remove genital skin tags or genital warts, your options are frequently the same. These treatments include:
It still isn't completely clear why or how skin tags develop, so there's often no way to prevent them from forming.
You can, however, try to prevent genital warts.
If you're sexually active, you can decrease your risk for HPV by using a condom or other barrier method. It's also important to disclose a history of genital warts to any sexual partner and avoid contact with new sexual partners until warts are successfully treated.
You can also get the HPV vaccine. The vaccine helps protect against the most common HPV strains, including strains that cause genital warts or increase your risk for cervical cancer.
Although the vaccine is primarily recommended for teens and young adults, you can still get the vaccine if you're over age 25. It may still have some protective benefit. Talk with your doctor to make an informed decision.
Treatments for both skin tags and genital warts are highly effective.
However, even with treatment, there's no guarantee that new skin tags won't develop.
If you're dealing with warts, treatment won't cure you of HPV. The virus will remain in your body, which means you may experience genital wart outbreaks in the future.
Neither genital skin tags nor genital warts are considered serious conditions, and the bumps aren't likely to become cancerous.
However, you should contact your doctor if you notice any atypical changes. This includes vulvar lesions (lesions on the outside of female genitals) that bleed, itch, or change in size, shape, or appearance. This can be a sign of a more serious condition, such as cancer.
Everything You Should Know About Periungual Warts
Periungual warts form around the fingernails and toenails. They can be difficult to treat because of their location. See a doctor if you suspect this type of wart.
Periungual warts start small, about the size of a pinhead, and slowly grow to rough, dirty-looking bumps that can resemble cauliflower. They are found around your fingernails or toenails. Eventually, they can spread into clusters.
Periungual warts commonly affect children and young adults, especially if they are nail biters. These warts are difficult to treat, but it helps to start treatment as soon as you identify the warts.
Like all warts, periungual warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Periungual warts are not painful when small. But they can become painful when they grow. They can also interrupt your regular nail growth and split the skin around your nail. Your nails and cuticles can become disfigured by periungual warts.
Periungual warts are caused by HPV, specifically by strains:
Learn more: Common types of human papillomavirus »
HPV can enter your body through a cut or scrape. That's why you have an increased risk for periungual warts if you bite your nails or pick at your cuticles.
You're also at an increased risk if you frequently have your hands in water. For example, if you wash dishes at a restaurant, you may have an increased risk for developing this type of wart.
People with a compromised immune system are also at an increased risk for developing warts, and if you do develop warts, they may take longer to go away.
People with atopic dermatitis also have a higher risk of getting periungual warts.
The HPV virus is highly contagious. You or your child can catch it by touching someone with a wart or by sharing:
The virus can remain on a surface and spread to someone who touches it. The virus can also spread to other parts of your body, so good hygiene and frequent handwashing are essential if you have periungual warts.
If you suspect that you or your child has a periungual wart, it's best to see a doctor as soon as possible. If the wart spreads under your nail to the nail bed, it can cause permanent damage and lead to a fungal infection.
There's no cure for warts. Treatments focus on eliminating symptoms and clearing the appearance of the warts. Many treatment possibilities and combinations exist. There are no clear treatment guidelines because there are few double-blind studies of wart treatment.
Periungual warts are generally considered difficult to treat. They can recur and spread further, even after treatment.
Possible treatments for periungual warts include the following:
Salicylic acidSalicylic acid has been studied as a treatment of warts more than most other wart treatments. A 2011 review of the medical literature found salicylic acid to be the treatment option with the best evidence of effectiveness.
Salicylic acid works slowly and requires frequent treatments for up to 12 weeks. It works by destroying the affected skin. As a result, it may cause skin irritation.
Salicylic acid is available over-the-counter, but it's best to check with your doctor on whether and how to use it, and what strength to use.
CryotherapyCryotherapy refers to a treatment where your doctor uses liquid nitrogen to freeze off the warts. It may require fewer treatments than salicylic acid, often only needing three to four treatments.
Success rates for salicylic acid and cryotherapy are about the same, with reported success rates in 50 to 70 percent of cases. Cryotherapy can also be used in combination with salicylic acid. It may cause blistering or skin discoloration.
Antigen injectionsInjections of antigens to mumps or Candida into the wart is reported to be effective. The antigens cause an immune system attack on the warts.
Before using this treatment, your doctor will test to make sure that you will develop an immune reaction to the skin antigen. Side effects may include itching and burning.
Additional treatmentsOther treatments include carbon dioxide laser, or pulsed-dye laser therapy and combination therapies with topical drugs. All of these are reported to have success with some people.
A 2006 review of all treatments for warts concluded that more research is needed to find the best treatment. The researchers suggested that the most promising research is in the development of type-specific antiviral therapies for HPV.
Periungual warts can cause permanent damage and disfigurement to your nails and nail beds. The warts may also lead to a soft tissue infection called paronychia.
Periungual warts are not easy to treat because of their location. They also have a high rate of recurrence, no matter which treatment is used.
In general, you can expect to see results from treatment within 3 to 4 months. Even without treatment, more than half the cases of all types of skin warts are reported to disappear on their own within a year, and two-thirds of cases resolve within about 2 years.
The first line of defense against spreading warts is careful hygiene.
Warts are very contagious and the virus remains transmissible even while the warts are being treated. If your child has periungual warts, or your child is around children who have them, take care that your child understands how warts spread.
To prevent the spread of warts:
Here are some more things to keep in mind to help prevent catching warts from a nail salon:
Good hygiene can help reduce your risk for warts, so be sure to speak up if you think you're being put at unnecessary risk.
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