Genital warts caused by the most common types of human papillomavirus (HPV) may go away on their own without treatment. For this and other reasons, experts sometimes have different approaches to treating genital warts.

• Genital warts may disappear without treatment. This is the natural course of many genital warts.
• Destroying large areas of warts is difficult and may cause scarring.
• Treatment for genital warts does not eliminate the HPV infection. You may still be able to spread the infection. Condoms can help reduce the risk of HPV infection.⁴
• Treatment of genital warts can be painful, and warts return after treatment in between 20% and 50% of people.² Warts that return after being treated usually are not treated again unless you want to be retreated. If you do, you would usually choose a different form of treatment.
• Some health professionals believe that treatment for genital warts will help prevent the spread of HPV infections and keep genital warts from returning.

Watchful waiting

After you are diagnosed with genital warts, if you do not have symptoms or cosmetic concerns, you and your health professional may observe your condition without using medical treatment. This is called watchful waiting. This period may vary from a few weeks to a few months. The length of the watchful waiting period is determined by:

• The severity of your symptoms.
• The progression of the problem if not treated.
• The risks and benefits of waiting.
• Your age and medical history.

If symptoms or cosmetic concerns develop, your health professional may recommend treatment.

Watchful waiting is usually recommended for children with warts, because most warts in children go away without treatment. Also, current treatments for warts are too painful and traumatic for children. Any child with genital warts needs to be evaluated by a health professional to determine the cause and to assess for possible sexual abuse.

Types of treatment

Treatments for genital warts include medicines, freezing, laser, or surgery.

The type of medical treatment for genital warts will depend on:

• The number, size, and location of warts.
• The side effects of treatment.
• The skill of the health professional for each treatment option.
• The cost of treatment, which varies depending on:
  • The cost of medicine.
  • Any specialized equipment used.
  • The number of treatments needed.
• The problems caused by the warts (such as blockage of the urethra).
• Your preference.

Medicines

Health professionals often recommend medicine applied to warts (topical drug treatment) as the first choice of treatment. A health professional will apply the medicines that have a high risk of causing damage to the skin around the warts; you can apply others at home.

Topical medicines applied by a health professional include:

• Podophyllin resin (Podofin).
• Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or bichloroacetic acid (BCA).
• Intralesional (injected into wart lesion) interferon.
• Fluorouracil (Efudex, Fluoroplex).