I hope I find you in good health. Genital warts, also known as condylomata acuminata or venereal warts, are one of the most common types of sexually transmitted diseases. Their incidence has increased especially in immunosuppression caused by HIV and AIDS. Genital warts vary in size. They may be small, flat, flesh-colored bumps or tiny, cauliflower-like bumps and may even be as small as 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter, smaller than the width of a ballpoint pen refill or so small that you can't see them. However they may coalesce and multiply into large clusters. In men, they may be found on the head , foreskin or shaft of the penis, the scrotum or the anus. They can also develop in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sexual contact with an infected person. In women, genital warts can grow on the vulva, the walls of the vagina, the area between the external genitals and the anus, and on the cervix.
Genital warts are the most easily recognized sign of genital human papilla virus (HPV) infection. They are benign tumors of the skin. However some people will have a genital HPV infection without genital warts. They are a serious health concern although they can be treated with medications and surgery. This is because the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with cervical cancer. It has also been linked with other types of genital cancers like cancer of the penis in man.
Most people who have a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected. The virus lives in the skin or mucous membranes and usually causes no symptoms. Some of the signs and symptoms of genital warts include, Itching or burning in your genital area, tiny, gray, pink or red swellings in your genital area that grow quickly, several warts close together that take on a cauliflower shape. Discomfort, pain or vaginal bleeding with intercourse. Often, however, genital warts cause no symptoms. Or, they may be so small and flat that they can't be seen with the naked eye. After sexual contact with an infected person, warts may appear within weeks or months, or not at all.
After a lengthy discussion on what the warts look like and how you can get them one of my patients said to me, " Doc I know what I will do to avoid contracting this STD. Before I get sexually intimate with someone I will make a visual inspection of their genitals, if I see anything that remotely resembles these cauliflower like things that you described I will bolt out of that room like lightning." Now any of you who are old enough to have experienced sex know that your judgment and reasoning are worst just before sex. So leaving anything up to this point may be suicidal. Many women out there know what I am talking about. And just because you can't see warts on your partner doesn't mean he or she doesn't have HPV. The infection can have a long incubation period. This means that months can pass between the time a person is infected with the virus and the time a person notices genital warts. Sometimes, the warts can take years to develop. In women, the warts may be where you can't see them inside the body, like on the surface of the cervix.
Genital warts are diagnosed by visual inspection. Depending on factors such as the size and location of the genital warts, your doctor will offer you one of several ways to treat them. Visible genital warts can be removed by medications that you apply, or by treatments or procedures performed by your doctor. In some cases Genital warts will disappear without treatment. There is no way to predict whether your warts will grow or disappear. Some individuals choose to forego treatment to see if the warts will disappear on their own. No treatment regimen for genital warts is better than another, and no one treatment regimen is ideal for all cases. . If you suspect you have genital warts, you should be examined and treated, if necessary. You should discuss your treatment options with your doctor.
One way to remove the warts is to freeze them. This is called cryotherapy. The warts can also be taken off with a laser or cauterization. Special chemicals can be used to remove the warts. These chemicals dissolve warts in the genital area. They may have to be applied to the area a number of times over a period of several weeks before the treatment is complete. Chemicals you can buy over the counter to remove warts from your hands should not be used for genital warts. They can sting or burn and make your genital skin swell.
HPV is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The most common way to get HPV is by having oral, vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HPV. The only sure way to prevent genital warts is to not have sex. If you are sexually active, having sex only with a partner who doesn't have HPV and only has sex with you will lower your risk of getting genital warts. Using condoms may prevent you from catching HPV from someone who has it. However, condoms can't always cover all of the affected skin.

Till next week take care of yourself and each other. And remember, '…in all your getting, get understanding.' (Proverbs 4 verse 7)