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How Many Treatments Should I Expect To Clear The Warts On Penis For A Reasonable Amount Of Time?
Question: I am 53 year old male, 5' 6", 150 lbs. I have had GW various times over the last 35 years and I have always gotten rid of them fairly quickly with common methods of treatment. However, recently I have had some small warts on my shaft that returned within 3 weeks of treatment after 3 nitro treatments in a row. I have never had them return so rapidly and their persistence is freaking me out and paralyzing my life! I now have a little scarring from the nitro and I recently noticed a little hyperpigmentation, which I suspect but not sure, is from the zyclara 3.75% which I only used for about 8 days. My doctor recommended that I apply 3.75% zyclara daily simultaneously with the liquid nitro treatment but due to past experience of imiquimod cream irritating my skin I was afraid to put the cream in the open sore created by the nitro.
I am a basket case and I am very worried about recurrences as well as a scarred and discolored penis. Please give me some hope!
How many treatments should I expect to clear them for a reasonable period of time?
Thank you!
I am a basket case and I am very worried about recurrences as well as a scarred and discolored penis. Please give me some hope!
How many treatments should I expect to clear them for a reasonable period of time?
Thank you!
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
From the information you have submitted I will try to provide you with some good information and reassurance. Genital warts are caused by a virus. This virus is very common in the population. Some estimates place the prevalence of genital warts at 20 to 30% of the population sometimes even higher depending on location.
The causative virus is transmitted sexually. In order to transmit the virus one does not necessarily need to have any symptoms or any warts. The virus simply lives on and under the skin.
Recurrences are common due to reinfections and high prevalence even after adequate treatment. You should not worry about recurrences. This does not indicate any lowered immunity or any other systemic disorder.
Scarring and discoloration that you have due to the treatment is reversible after some time. It will take around 8-12 weeks for it to disappear. The scarring is very superficial one and should not make you worried.
There is no way to clear them for a certain period of time as reinfections are common.
Hope this answers your query. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Thanks for posting your query.
From the information you have submitted I will try to provide you with some good information and reassurance. Genital warts are caused by a virus. This virus is very common in the population. Some estimates place the prevalence of genital warts at 20 to 30% of the population sometimes even higher depending on location.
The causative virus is transmitted sexually. In order to transmit the virus one does not necessarily need to have any symptoms or any warts. The virus simply lives on and under the skin.
Recurrences are common due to reinfections and high prevalence even after adequate treatment. You should not worry about recurrences. This does not indicate any lowered immunity or any other systemic disorder.
Scarring and discoloration that you have due to the treatment is reversible after some time. It will take around 8-12 weeks for it to disappear. The scarring is very superficial one and should not make you worried.
There is no way to clear them for a certain period of time as reinfections are common.
Hope this answers your query. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Thank you for your response. You are insinuating that my recurrences are from re-infections. However, considering that my recurrences are not from re-infections as I have not had sex since I discovered my latest outbreak 3 treatments ago (approximately 4 months), how many treatments should I expect to clear them for a reasonable period of time? Sorry to push you on this question buy my recurrences are within 2-3 weeks of treatment for 3 treatments in a row and I need to know when they will stop recurring so rapidly unlike my past experiences?
Hello.
Thanks for writing again.
I can understand your distress. The chances of complete clearance depends on the extent of lesions and their severity.
Since I do not have a privilege to examine you my assessment is severely limited. Usually three to four cycles of therapy should be enough for complete eradication.
Hope my answer is helpful. Write back if you have further queries.
Wishing you a trouble free speedy recovery.
Regards.
Thanks for writing again.
I can understand your distress. The chances of complete clearance depends on the extent of lesions and their severity.
Since I do not have a privilege to examine you my assessment is severely limited. Usually three to four cycles of therapy should be enough for complete eradication.
Hope my answer is helpful. Write back if you have further queries.
Wishing you a trouble free speedy recovery.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Jyoti Patil
What type of treatment is the most effective with least amount of side effects? If you think imiquimod cream is favorable, would 5% 3x a week produce less skin discoloration than 3.75% daily and be just as effective?
Hello.
Thanks for the follow up.
The most effective treatment with least side effects is surgical excision or cryosurgery or laser removal of the warts.
For medical treatment, Imiquimod is most effective with recurrence rate of less than 5%.
5 % Imiquimod thrice a week application will also be equally effective with lesser side effects. You can discuss this option with your treating dermatologist.
To avoid any recurrences, vaccination against HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) may be considered.
I hope this provides you the desired relief.
Wishing you good health.
Take care.
Thanks for the follow up.
The most effective treatment with least side effects is surgical excision or cryosurgery or laser removal of the warts.
For medical treatment, Imiquimod is most effective with recurrence rate of less than 5%.
5 % Imiquimod thrice a week application will also be equally effective with lesser side effects. You can discuss this option with your treating dermatologist.
To avoid any recurrences, vaccination against HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) may be considered.
I hope this provides you the desired relief.
Wishing you good health.
Take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Radhika
Hi,
I have one place on my penis that is shaped like a three leaf clover with each bump/leaf the size of a pinhead. In addition I have about 5 other separate pinhead bumps that are spread out in the general area. All are in a 1 square inch area right below the glands underneath my penis.
My dermatologist said he is not even sure if I they are warts. He said the clover could be a scar from the cyro and the others could be skin glands. He said to come back in two weeks so he can take another look but I want this behind me and I want to get rid of these bumps regardless of what they are.
Since cyro has developed a little scarring I went to a urologist yesterday and he said he could do laser surgery. I am interested in the laser but very afraid of more scarring. Even though I use a condom I still don't want to have to explain anything to a girl that could cause doubt or concern on her part. In other words I don't want it to be noticeable at all. Also I don't want to replace 1 pinhead bump with another pinhead bump from laser treatment.
The Urologist said the laser scars wouldn't be very noticeable but it's still not clear to me how noticeable he means? My primary physician said that under normal indoor lighting that he didn't think it would be noticeable at all unless I pointed it out to a girl.
With all things considered how noticeable do you think the laser scars will be and how long before they are the normal skin color?
Thank you
I have one place on my penis that is shaped like a three leaf clover with each bump/leaf the size of a pinhead. In addition I have about 5 other separate pinhead bumps that are spread out in the general area. All are in a 1 square inch area right below the glands underneath my penis.
My dermatologist said he is not even sure if I they are warts. He said the clover could be a scar from the cyro and the others could be skin glands. He said to come back in two weeks so he can take another look but I want this behind me and I want to get rid of these bumps regardless of what they are.
Since cyro has developed a little scarring I went to a urologist yesterday and he said he could do laser surgery. I am interested in the laser but very afraid of more scarring. Even though I use a condom I still don't want to have to explain anything to a girl that could cause doubt or concern on her part. In other words I don't want it to be noticeable at all. Also I don't want to replace 1 pinhead bump with another pinhead bump from laser treatment.
The Urologist said the laser scars wouldn't be very noticeable but it's still not clear to me how noticeable he means? My primary physician said that under normal indoor lighting that he didn't think it would be noticeable at all unless I pointed it out to a girl.
With all things considered how noticeable do you think the laser scars will be and how long before they are the normal skin color?
Thank you
Hello.
Thank you for writing back.
The laser scars are very mild and will definitely be less prominent than the scars you are having now.
If you actually want to get rid of the old scars and sots then laser therapy is the only option for you.
Your physician is right in pointing out that the scars will not be visible in the indoor lights unless you specifically show them to someone.
Do not worry. Go ahead with the treatment as advised by your dermatologist.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Regards.
Thank you for writing back.
The laser scars are very mild and will definitely be less prominent than the scars you are having now.
If you actually want to get rid of the old scars and sots then laser therapy is the only option for you.
Your physician is right in pointing out that the scars will not be visible in the indoor lights unless you specifically show them to someone.
Do not worry. Go ahead with the treatment as advised by your dermatologist.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Thank you for your quick response!
I am planing a vacation and although I practice safe sex I don't want to have fear of rejection or have to explain anything if I XXXXXXX the right girl. I don't want a girl asking me what happened or what's that?
I understand the skin will be red like a sun burn after surgery so how long should I allow before the skin returns to a color that would not be too noticeable or questionable? I am Caucasian with average skin complexion if that makes a difference.
Thank you
I am planing a vacation and although I practice safe sex I don't want to have fear of rejection or have to explain anything if I XXXXXXX the right girl. I don't want a girl asking me what happened or what's that?
I understand the skin will be red like a sun burn after surgery so how long should I allow before the skin returns to a color that would not be too noticeable or questionable? I am Caucasian with average skin complexion if that makes a difference.
Thank you
Hello and thanks again,
Usually the skin color returns to normal in 2 weeks time; but there is a considerable inter individual variation seen.
Applying a topical steroid gel will help in early recovery.
Hope this answers your queries. If you do not have any further queries, please accept my answer.
Wish you an early recovery.
Take care and Regards
Usually the skin color returns to normal in 2 weeks time; but there is a considerable inter individual variation seen.
Applying a topical steroid gel will help in early recovery.
Hope this answers your queries. If you do not have any further queries, please accept my answer.
Wish you an early recovery.
Take care and Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Thank you for your advise.
I was wondering if I could expect the same results on the skin of the penis head as the rest of the penis since the skin on the head is more sensitive and different than the rest of the penis?
I have a row of pinhead bumps about 1/4 inch long under my penis head that goes from the bottom of the head to the pee hole. The dermatologist says they look like skin glands or scar tissue but if I had the skin glands/scar tissue removed with laser surgery could I eventually expect for the scars from the laser surgery on the skin on the penis head to be unnoticeable?
I was wondering if I could expect the same results on the skin of the penis head as the rest of the penis since the skin on the head is more sensitive and different than the rest of the penis?
I have a row of pinhead bumps about 1/4 inch long under my penis head that goes from the bottom of the head to the pee hole. The dermatologist says they look like skin glands or scar tissue but if I had the skin glands/scar tissue removed with laser surgery could I eventually expect for the scars from the laser surgery on the skin on the penis head to be unnoticeable?
Hello.
The pinhead bumps are more likely to be the glands present in the area.
Your dermatologist can guide you regarding the extent to which they can be removed by laser treatment after an examination. The scars are not likely to be visible in the indoor lights.
Be reassured and go ahead with the treatment.
Wishing you a healthy sexual life.
Regards.
The pinhead bumps are more likely to be the glands present in the area.
Your dermatologist can guide you regarding the extent to which they can be removed by laser treatment after an examination. The scars are not likely to be visible in the indoor lights.
Be reassured and go ahead with the treatment.
Wishing you a healthy sexual life.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Hello.
Usually 1% hydrocortisone gel is applied locally for an early recovery. Your dermatologist will prescribe the one best for you.
Take care.
Regards.
Usually 1% hydrocortisone gel is applied locally for an early recovery. Your dermatologist will prescribe the one best for you.
Take care.
Regards.
Note: Consult a Sexual Diseases Specialist online for further follow up- Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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