What is genital warts?

Genital warts are skin growths in the groin, genital, or anal areas. They can be different sizes and shapes. Some look like flat white patches, and others are bumpy, like tiny bunches of cauliflower. Sometimes you can't see the warts at all.

Genital warts can be different sizes and shapes. They may be large, or they may be too small to be seen. They may appear alone or in groups. Warts may look like tiny bunches of cauliflower or like flat, white areas that are very hard to see.

Visible warts appear only during active infection.

Genital warts may appear in the groin, on and around the genitals, in the urethra, or in the rectum or anus.

A doctor checks for genital warts by looking closely at the genital and anal areas. The doctor may ask you questions about your symptoms and risk factors. Risk factors are things that make you more likely to get an infection. Sometimes the doctor takes a sample of tissue from a wart for testing.

There are ways to treat genital warts. But the warts may come back because treatment doesn't kill the HPV infection that causes them.

Talk to your doctor if you want to treat visible genital warts. The warts usually go away with no treatment, but they may also spread. Some people decide to treat them because of the symptoms or because of how the warts look. But if you don't have symptoms and are not worried about how the warts look, you can wait and see if they go away.

If you decide to treat genital warts, talk to your doctor. There are medicines that you or your doctor can put on the warts. Or your doctor can remove them with lasers or surgery or by freezing them off.

Surgery to remove genital warts may be done when:

• Medicine treatment has failed and the removal of warts is thought to be needed.
• Warts are large.

• If your doctor gave you medicine to treat your warts at home, use the medicine exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if you think you are having a problem with your medicine.
• To reduce the itching and irritation from genital warts:
  • Keep the warts clean and dry. You may want to let the area air dry after a bath or shower. This may feel better than a towel.
  • Avoid shaving an area where warts are present. Shaving can spread the warts.
  • Do not use over-the-counter wart removal products to treat genital warts. These products are not intended for the genital area and may cause serious burns.