Warts on the skin are usually seen and recognized; genital warts not so much. If you believe you are suffering from warts, your doctor should be able to provide the answers you are looking for. It is important to find out so you can quickly begin treatment.

Genital warts most often appear on the external genitals or near the anus of females and males. Genital warts can also appear inside the vagina and on the cervix, although this is less common. Because genital warts aren't always visible, they can be spread unknowingly.

In order to see if you have contracted genital warts, you doctor will usually place a liquid on the skin to make it easier to identify the type of wart you have. There are more than 75 different types of double-stranded HPV papovaviruses which so far have been isolated and identified. Genital wart therapies can be administered by either the patient or health provider. Be aware of the following before we talk about treatments:

Did you know that genital warts are one of the most common form of infections associated with sexual activity? It is true. They are caused by a virus known as the human papillomavirus, or otherwise known as HPV. More than a quarter of sexually active young people suffer from HPV infections, and eight of ten sexually active women will contract HPV at some point in their lives.

There are about 40 different types of HPV which are known to cause infections in the genital area. About 25 of them lead to genital warts. HPV types 6 and 11 cause 90 percent of genital warts, the immunizations given to protect women against the HPV which leads to cervical cancer also protect women from HPV types 6 and 11.

There is not one single treatment which is best for all patients or all warts. Wart treatment is dependent partly on the size, number, and location of the warts. They can be removed from the skin with medicated creams and liquids, by freezing with liquid nitrogen, through surgery, or by laser treatment.

Your doctor must be contacted. They can give you advice on what would be the best treatment for you. You don't want to attempt a self-diagnosis. For example, medications used to treat warts on the hands or feet should never be used as a genital warts treatments. These medications can be harmful to the skin in the genital area. Additionally, genital warts are sometimes more difficult to treat in people with a weakened immune system, such as those with advanced HIV infection. While warts can be removed, there is no cure for the original HPV infection.

If you believe you contracted warts or have been diagnosed with it, it's important to inform everyone you've recently had sex with. This way they can be tested for HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases for the proper treatment. There is currently no widely available test to tell whether someone without visible warts or other symptoms is infected with HPV.