Genital warts are first seen from one to six months after you have been infected. They are usually painless but in some situations may itch or bleed and they can interfere with bowel movements, urination and sexual intimacy.
Some variations of genital warts are especially worrisome for women because certain types of HPV can cause problems with the cervix (the opening to the uterus that is located at the top of the vagina) which may increase the risk of cervical cancer, especially if the virus has been present for many years. Genital warts can disappear but the virus may remain present for a longer period so the warts tend to reoccur sporadically, and you may suffer from numerous outbreaks before they eventually disappear.
Genital warts are caused by a virus, not a bacterium, so antibiotics will not eradicate them. In a third of cases the warts will clear up by themselves although this can take several years but they are more likely to come back because there is no cure for the virus that causes them and because warts are difficult to control in a moist environment.
Genital warts can be successfully treated and removed, however there is a tendency for the warts to reappear and they can grow if left untreated. Genital warts are diagnosed by visual inspection but to detect ‘invisible’ warts your doctor will swab the skin with acetic acid after which the warts will show themselves as white patches on the skin.
Treatments for genital warts include swabbing with the cell poison, podophyllotoxin (Condyline), cryotherapy (basically the process of freezing the warts off- cryosurgery is very effective for treating multiple, small, genital warts) and laser surgery (carbon dioxide laser is an efficient method of treating primary and recurrent anogenital warts because of its precision and rapid healing without scarring). Genital warts may require more than one treatment, as the virus can remain deep in the layers of the skin.