If you have one of the many strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes genital warts, you may find yourself reluctant to initiate sexual activity when you're in the midst of an outbreak or recovering from one. Unfortunately for many, this can place major restrictions on one's sex life. Is there any way to reduce the frequency or severity of your HPV outbreaks? What are your other options for STD treatment? Read on to learn more about what can trigger an HPV outbreak and what you can do to minimize the disruption these outbreaks can cause.
What causes these outbreaks?
First, some good news: the types of HPV that cause genital warts aren't the same types associated with a higher risk of certain types of cancer. "Low-risk" HPV strains cause genital warts, which are considered annoying but aren't life-threatening. Regardless, it can be tough to deal with outbreaks, especially if you're never sure when one may occur.
Smoking has been shown to increase the frequency of genital wart recurrence once a person has been infected with HPV, so if you smoke, quitting this habit could reduce your outbreaks. And because genital warts are tied closely to the immune system, adopting healthy habits to keep your immune system in good shape (like getting enough sleep, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and reducing alcohol) can also reduce the risk of outbreaks.
Genital warts are considered more contagious when they're in an "active" stage, so it's a good idea to avoid sexual contact in the affected area until you seek treatment.
How can you treat your genital warts?
If you don't want to wait for these warts to go away on their own, there are a few different treatment options.
The first is cryotherapy or "freezing," similar to the process used for other warts. In a relatively painless procedure, the wart is flash-frozen. After it falls off, it should be gone for good. Another option involves the use of chemicals, applied either in a doctor's office or available in a prescription cream you can apply at home. Finally, the warts can be painlessly burned off using an electrical current (known as LEEP).
LEEP and cryotherapy are the fastest-acting procedures, ideal for situations in which you simply don't want to deal with the warts anymore. If you'd prefer to remove them at your leisure, you may want to ask for prescription cream; keeping this cream on hand can give you a go-to removal method when or if these warts recur.
Share24 June 2019
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