Diagnosis
A healthcare professional might be able to diagnose HPV infection by looking at the warts.
If genital warts don't show, one or more of the following tests can find them:
- Vinegar, called acetic acid, solution test. A vinegar solution applied to HPV-infected genital areas turns them white. This may help flat lesions show up.
- Pap smear. A sample of cells from the cervix or vagina go to a lab to look for changes that can lead to cancer.
- DNA test. Testing cells from the cervix can identify the DNA of the types of HPV that are linked to genital cancers. It's recommended that women 30 and older have this test with a Pap test.
Treatment
Warts often go away without treatment, particularly in children. But there's no cure for the virus. So the warts can come back in the same place or other places.
Medications
Medicines to get rid of warts usually go directly on the warts. These medicines might need to be used many times before the warts go away. Examples include:
- Salicylic acid. Treatments without a prescription that contain salicylic acid work by removing layers of a wart a little at a time. For use on common warts, salicylic acid can irritate skin. Salicylic acid isn't for use on the face.)
- Imiquimod (Zyclara). This prescription cream might help the immune system fight HPV. Common side effects include swelling where the cream is applied.
- Podofilox (Condylox). Another prescription applied to the skin, podofilox works by killing genital wart tissue. Podofilox may cause burning and itching where it's applied.
- Trichloroacetic acid. This chemical treatment burns off warts on the palms, soles and genitals. It might cause irritation where it's applied.
Surgical and other procedures
If medicines don't work, one of these methods can remove warts:
- Freezing with liquid nitrogen, called cryotherapy.
- Burning with an electrical current, called electrocautery.
- Surgical removal.
- Laser surgery.
Treatment for HPV in the cervix
A procedure called a colposcopy can remove HPV from the cervix. A healthcare professional uses a tool, called a coloscope, to see the cervix and take tissue samples, called a biopsy, of areas that look atypical.
Precancerous lesions need to be removed. Options include freezing, called cryosurgery, and laser surgical removal. Another method called loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) uses a thin looped wire charged with an electric current to remove a thin layer of a section of the cervix. And cold knife conization is a surgical procedure that removes a cone-shaped piece of the cervix.
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Clinical trials
Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Preparing for your appointment
You'll likely start by seeing your main healthcare professional. Depending on where your warts are, you may be referred to a specific healthcare professional. For example, you may be referred to a specialist who treats skin, called a dermatologist; a specialist who treats feet, called a podiatrist; or a reproductive organs specialist, either a gynecologist or urologist.
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.
What you can do
Before your appointment, make a list of:
- Your symptoms, including any that seem unrelated to the reason for your appointment, and when they began.
- Key personal information, including major stresses, recent life changes and your sexual history.
- All medicines, vitamins or other supplements you take, including the doses.
- Questions to ask your healthcare professional.
For HPV infection, questions to ask include:
- What's the most likely cause of my symptoms?
- Are there other possible causes?
- Do I need to have any tests?
- How can I prevent HPV infection in the future?
- Are there brochures or other printed materials that I can have? What websites do you recommend?
Don't hesitate to ask all the questions you have about HPV infection.
What to expect from your doctor
Your healthcare professional is likely to ask you questions, such as:
- Do you have sex with more than one person? Does your partner?
- Where have you found warts?
- Are they painful or itchy?
- Does anything seem to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
