HPV (Genital Warts)

Genital warts are lesions caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that generally form in genital areas; they may look like skin-colored or dark-colored small bumps or have a cauliflower-like appearance. They are also known as genital condyloma or condyloma acuminatum. Today, genital warts are accepted as the most common sexually transmitted disease all over the world. They can be seen both in men and women. They can be often seen on the penis skin, scrotum, inguinal region, or around the anus in men while seen on the vulva, vaginal wall, or around the anus in women.

HPV is the abbreviation for a virus family called Human Papillomavirus. There are more than 170 types of HPV identified so far. Around 40 of them cause diseases in human beings when sexually transmitted.

Most HPV infections do not show any symptoms and disappear from the body in around two years. However, sometimes genital warts occur due to HPV infection and these warts need treatment, and sometimes lesions may occur, which may turn into cancer later.

HPV is mostly transmitted due to close skin-to-skin touching. As it is often seen in genital areas, it is also accepted as a sexually transmitted disease.

There are very limited publications on that a person may rarely be infected with HPV due to indirect contact in places such as around the pools or showers used by many people. It is generally known that HPV is a tenuous virus and cannot survive for long outside the body.

A part of the body may be infected by another part of the body. Especially while shaving the genital area, existing lesions may spread. That is why it is significant to avoid methods that can harm the skin such as razor blades, depilatory cream, and wax.

If you have one or more of these, you need to consult a sexual health clinic.

You can wipe out your warts with proper treatment and get help to get rid of HPV infection.

HPV is a general term that refers to a virus family with lots of subtypes. While some HPV types cause warts on the body, some others lead to cancer by disrupting the structure of the cells over time. HPV infection most commonly causes cervical cancer. Besides, anal cancers, penile cancer, and some oral and throat cancers are also related to HPV.

Today, there is no medicine effective in treating HPV in daily use. Warts caused by HPV can be treated by burning off, freezing, or with various creams. Treatments that could support the immune system are also crucial for the treatment of HPV.

In the past, it was asserted that once a person was infected with HPV, the virus would stay in the body permanently. However, approximately 60% to 80% of individuals with active sex life encounter this virus some time in their lives, and they get over it thanks to their own body resistance. HPV mostly clears up from the body within two to three years. But, sometimes this becomes impossible and HPV stays in the body permanently. And, it may lead to cancer based on the changes it causes on the cells over the years.

No. However, every new arising wart should be immediately treated to prevent them from reappearing; you should eat food and food supplements that boost the body’s resistance and avoid methods that can harm the skin such as razor blades, depilatory cream, and wax.

After all genital warts are treated, the infection rate substantially decreases. However, if there are warts in the cervix in women and the urinary canal in men, HPV continues infecting. The existence of such a situation can be understood by testing the swab sample taken from the inside of the urinary canal.

It is possible to define the virus type by looking at the existent warts in men. Also, if there is no active virus, it is possible to look for the viruses by taking a swab sample from the inside of the urethra (urinary canal).

HPV is a family of viruses with more than 150 defined types. Available vaccines do not protect all of these types, however, they are widely used as they are protective against the most common virus types, and they have an important place in controlling diseases associated with HPV. Now, there are three types of HPV vaccine in use. The bivalent HPV vaccine is protective against HPV types 16 and 18 that cause most HPV cancers. HPV types 16 and 18 account for 70% of cervical cancers. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine is protective against HPV types 6 and 11, which are held responsible for around 90% of genital warts, and also HPV types 16 and 18. The nine-valent HPV vaccine is not available in Turkey yet, but it protects against nine HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, as well as 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58.

HPV vaccine is not effective for the virus type present in the body. However, it protects against common types of HPV, which has many types. Also, there are some opinions that it prevents existing warts from spreading.

In the vaccine programs of many countries, the HPV vaccine is given to girls under 12 in two doses. Although this vaccine is not available in our national vaccination program yet, we recommend it to be given to children under age 15 in months 0 and 6; and to those above the age of 15 in three doses in months 0, 2, and 6.

The HPV vaccine is protective against HPV types causing cancer, as well as other HPV types responsible for genital warts. We recommend HPV vaccination to avoid HPV warts commonly seen in men.

Basically, there are two methods for the treatment of genital warts. The first one is to destroy the warty tissue. The warty area can be burned off using electrocautery, destroyed by freezing, or by burning off with a laser. Sometimes medicine with acid contents can be used to chemically burn off the warty area. As burning off warts with electrocautery can eradicate all warts in only one session, it is more advantageous than the freezing method.

Another method for the treatment of warts is to use medicine applied locally on the wart to trigger the immune system in the warty area. However, the problem with this medicine is that the treatment process takes longer and the treatment may fail if the medicine is not applied correctly.

Genital wart is a disease that may often reappear. If the treatment is applied properly, new warts mostly appear on other areas of the skin, not in the same place as previous ones. You must avoid bleeding of the warts. This is because bleeding warts spread so many viruses around, and this may cause the wart to spread to other parts of the skin. The viruses are mostly spread from the irritated skin areas. That is why you must avoid using razor blades, depilatory cream, and wax for cleaning your genital area. The most suitable method is to cut the hair by using a specially designed tool without irritating the skin.

Moreover, each new appearing wart should be immediately treated and the risk of spreading must be decreased. Apart from these, the immune system of the body has a major role in preventing warts from reappearing. To keep the immune system strong, you should avoid smoking, and use immune system boosters, vitamins, and food supplements.

There are many HPV types. The HPV types that cause warts are different from those causing cancer. However, it is possible to be infected by different types of viruses, thus especially women with genital warts must have regular gynecological examinations.

No. In many people infected with the HPV virus, the virus disappears from the body within two years on average thanks to the immune system. Only in a small group of people, the virus stays permanently. This group of patients is under the risk of developing cancer. However, thanks to close follow-up and controls, it is possible to diagnose the cancers at an early stage and completely clear them.