It can be quite alarming to look at genital warts pictures, especially once you realize how easily they are spread.  Genital warts are a symptom of a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by HPV (human papillomavirus).  There are more than 70 different types of HPV.  Genital warts are spread through skin to skin contact with an infected partner.  Only 1% to 5% of those infected with HVP develop genital warts but you can still HPV to a partner if you aren’t infected with the warts.

Genital warts can be tiny and inconspicuous or in large clusters.  Sometimes they appear as stalk-like growths; they are more obvious in women than in men.  If you have been sexually active, even once, you may have genital warts without knowing it.  It could take several decades for warts to appear and they can be lurking in your system as asymptomatic growths beneath the surface.

A vaccine for HVP types 6, 11, 16 and 18 has been developed but it is preventative rather than therapeutic.  That is, if you already have the HPV virus it will have no effect.  It prevents types 6 and 11, the strains that cause genital warts and 16 and 18 which are responsible for cancers of the reproductive system.  The HVP vaccine is effective only on people who have not yet begun sexual activity.

Genital warts can be treated to reduce their ability to spread infection.  Sometimes they will disappear without treatment but there is no way to tell if they will grow or disappear on their own.  The treatment of genital warts can cause scarring or changes in pigmentation (color) of the skin.  Creams that are used can cause skin erosion, fungal infections and even flu-like symptoms.  Liquid nitrogen can kill warts with up to a 79% success rate but they are likely to recur within 6 months.  Warts can be removed surgically but that also results in scarring.  There is an herbal extract consisting of a 20% podophyllin anti-mitotic solution that is sometimes used but can have severe side effects such as nausea, confusion, vomiting, renal failure and even death; this should never be used during pregnancy.  Interferon is effective but very expensive and results are not consistent.

If you don’t want to be burdened with growths like those shown in genital warts pictures the only guaranteed prevention is complete and lifelong abstinence from sexual activity of any kind.  Obviously, if you want to have a fully lived life and reap the joys of having a family you will have to indulge in sexual intercourse.  Using physical protection such as condoms can reduce your chances of getting genital warts but also prevents your having a family!

Genital warts have always been with us regardless of the sexual habits of society.  In populations that encouraged virginity in women the men usually had no such restraints and thus passed HPV on to their mates.  In societies with no restrictive sexual mores, genital warts appeared at about the same rate.  Vaccination and discriminating safe sex is a person’s best bet to avoid the ugly and sometimes dangerous growths you see in genital warts pictures.

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