HPV infections are very common in sexually active people. Some types of HPV will result in genital warts. There are several treatments available to treat HPV lesions related to genital warts.
Small and superficial lesions can be treated by an application of TCA (trichloroacetic acid) weekly for several weeks, or a prescription cream may be given to a patient to apply once a day at bedtime. Cream and acid treatments usually take at least 2-6 weeks to resolve and may cause hyper or hypopigmentation in the area treated.
Electrosurgery is a procedure performed in the office where the warts are removed by a cautery. A small amount of anesthetic is applied topically or injected in the treated area and the procedure is usually tolerated very comfortably. The advantage of an electrosurgery is that the lesions are removed in a single visit. So the resolution is much faster.
Cryotherapy with liquid Nitrogen is also very effective in treatments of larger or spread out lesions. Few treatments 1-2 weeks apart are common.
