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Genital warts
Genital warts are small fleshy growths, bumps or skin changes that appear on or around your genital or anal area. They are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus can be passed by skin-to-skin contact (usually sex) with a partner who has the genital wart virus. A person does not need to have visible genital warts to pass the virus on to someone else. The virus can lie dormant for a long time so it is difficult to know when you may have acquired the virus. A doctor or nurse will usually be able to diagnose warts just by looking at them.
Genital warts cannot be treated with antibiotics, however, there are other treatments that can help to get rid of warts, usually a cream/lotion or a freezing treatment. You should not treat genital warts with the treatments you can get over the counter from the chemist as the skin around the genitals is very sensitive and you could cause irritation or burn yourself.
Warts usually start to go after a few treatments although sometimes they can take several months to go completely. It is important to remember that the treatments are for cosmetic reasons only and they do not clear your body of the genital wart virus. Eventually, your own immune system will clear the virus.
If you think you have genital warts, you should make an appointment at a local clinic to confirm and speak to any partners about it. There is no actual test for genital wart virus so it is just a case of being examined by a health professional. If you would like to make an appointment at any one of our clinics, please call 0300 303 0251 (line open Mon – Thurs: 8am–4:45pm and Fri: 8am–3:45pm). A list of all clinic times and venues is on the Services page of this website.
Know more about genital warts.