Your clinician may prescribe a topical wart medication like imiquimod (Aldara, Zyclara), podophyllotoxin (Podofilox), or sinecatechins (Veregen).

Please note: This information is for general reference only. Your clinician will review your symptoms and health history to determine which (if any) treatments are medically appropriate.

Genital warts are caused by a human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 180 subtypes of HPV, but the vast majority of people with genital warts have type 6 or type 11. These low-risk infections can trigger small growths (warts) on mucosal surfaces like the genitals or anus. Other subtypes of HPV, particularly type 16 and 18, are considered high risk because they may eventually lead to cancer in both men and women.

HPV usually spreads through sexual contact as the virus enters the body through fragile skin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) across the world.

Genital HPV is diagnosed in person by visual inspection and sometimes through further testing. You must have a prior diagnosis of HPV from a healthcare provider to get genital warts treatment through Amazon Clinic.

Genital warts are usually small, flesh-colored, painless, and cauliflower-shaped when they're clustered. They can sometimes be itchy.

In men, genital warts can appear on the tip or shaft of the penis, the scrotum, and/or the anus (anal warts).

In women, genital warts can appear outside or inside the vagina, around the anus, and/or on the perineum (the area between the vagina and the anus). Genital warts in women can also cause malignancies on the cervix, which is why it's important to get regular Pap smears to screen for cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer.

In both men and women, genital warts can sometimes infect the mouth and throat through oral sex.

Genital warts can appear months or years after someone is infected with HPV 6 or 11. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine when the exposure to HPV occurred. It's possible to infect sex partners with the virus even if you never get HPV symptoms like genital warts. Condoms are only somewhat effective in blocking transmission, as they don't prevent all skin-to-skin contact.

Genital warts may spontaneously go away within a year. With genital warts treatment, the warts can resolve much faster—within 3 months.

Clinicians usually recommend trying a new genital wart therapy if your warts haven't responded after 3 weeks or if they haven't gone away completely after 6 to 12 weeks of therapy.

Because these treatments don't cure the human papillomavirus (HPV) itself, it's not uncommon for genital warts to return, especially within the first few months after treatment.

Men can get the 9 valent HPV vaccine (Gardasil) through the age of 21 and women can get it through the age of 26. The vaccine is most effective when it's given before someone becomes sexually active, which is why it's often recommended for children aged 9 to 12.

HPV vaccination prevents you from getting a number of subtypes of the virus, including types 6 and 11 (low risk) and types 16 and 18 (high risk). These infections can cause conditions that range from genital warts to anal cancer.