The Student Room Group

Genital warts treatment experiences

Hey guys, I just got the news that I had HPV this week. I was pretty shocked as although I've had quite a few sexual partners, I've always been super careful and used protection with oral and penetration sex. Not going to lie I felt ashamed and kind of disgusted like my dating life was over, and kind of thinking "why me ?" Plus all the stories I read online people had supportive partners that helped it through it. I don't have anyone. So I kind of was feeling that I wouldn't be seeing anyone anytime soon now because of the warts.:

Anyways I was wondering though what people's experiences with treatment are like? I've just been given this warticon thing and told to apply it? Did people's go away after 4 weeks? Or did they need freezing off, if so how was that?

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Anonymous
Hey guys, I just got the news that I had HPV this week. I was pretty shocked as although I've had quite a few sexual partners, I've always been super careful and used protection with oral and penetration sex. Not going to lie I felt ashamed and kind of disgusted like my dating life was over, and kind of thinking "why me ?" Plus all the stories I read online people had supportive partners that helped it through it. I don't have anyone. So I kind of was feeling that I wouldn't be seeing anyone anytime soon now because of the warts.:

Anyways I was wondering though what people's experiences with treatment are like? I've just been given this warticon thing and told to apply it? Did people's go away after 4 weeks? Or did they need freezing off, if so how was that?


Sorry to hear you're dealing with this. I've heard of people getting on pretty well with the treatment you describe, and have known others who have had to have further treatment. They all ended up sorted in the end. Don't worry, it's not the end of your dating life
HPV is extremely common (although getting less so thanks to the vaccination programmes) and most people end up with at least one strain at least once in their lives. Some cause warts, and one of the joys of warts is whatever you do - including nothing - they get better, they get worse or they stay the same.

One reason the 'nothing' option can work is that in most cases, the immune system will get rid of the infection within about two years. If you don't wait that long, assorted treatments may or may not work.
Reply 3
Original post by chelseadagg3r
Sorry to hear you're dealing with this. I've heard of people getting on pretty well with the treatment you describe, and have known others who have had to have further treatment. They all ended up sorted in the end. Don't worry, it's not the end of your dating life


Thanks, yeh am just worried as the doctor said my case was quite severe and idk I just can't see how this cream is gonna help?? I don't fancy them being frozen off much but I guess if it helps anything ! It may not be forever but it puts it off until I can
Get rid of them which could be anywhere between 4 weeks to 6 months :/ thanks anyway though
Reply 4
Why don't you think the cream will work? It's been confirmed as a genuine course of treatment.

If your warts were that severe you would have been sent to have them frozen straight off. That's what happened when I caught them from a sexual assault. Given that background they would have given me the cream if they could have. Believe me, it is really not pleasant at all so use the cream properly and try to do it as effectively as you can. The frozen option is not a single treatment, it takes multiple treatments and any array of people looking at your parts over that time. I'm pretty sure I had an sti urethra check every time too and that is bloody painful
Aldara didn't clear all my warts after the 16 weeks of treatment, although a few disappeared I believe this is due to the natural spontaneous process anyway because I got no side effects or skin irritation from my treatment. Swapped to warticon now and hopefully this will yield better results. Don't worry about catching them btw, my friend has slept with 70+ people and never caught anything, I turned single for the first time and caught them a couple months after. Crap luck I guess.
Original post by lauralo1001
Aldara didn't clear all my warts after the 16 weeks of treatment, although a few disappeared I believe this is due to the natural spontaneous process anyway because I got no side effects or skin irritation from my treatment. Swapped to warticon now and hopefully this will yield better results. Don't worry about catching them btw, my friend has slept with 70+ people and never caught anything, I turned single for the first time and caught them a couple months after. Crap luck I guess.


70+ people? Jesus christ. :eek:

Is that a girl or a boy your talking about (not that it matters lol)?

As others have mentioned HPV is very common and goes away by itself over time (about 2 years tops), some get symptoms others don't. The only thing to worry about is (if your female) the cervical cancer risk. The strain that causes symptoms is less likely to cause cancer. I'm not trying to scare you but just giving the facts so you can be a bit more careful next time. :wink:
Female, and nope doesn't matter at all. Only takes one person whether that be your first or 101st haha.

This virus doesn't scare me at all, don't worry I'm well informed :smile: I've been vaccinated too which helps deplete most of the cancer risk. Unfortunately 'being careful' is pretty empty advice, this virus is ubiquitous and it's naive to think you can have a sex life without coming into contact with it. Staying informed, keeping healthy and also not hating yourself if you're unfortunate enough to get a physical symptom-causing strain is what I recommend. Let's fight the stigma guys.
I'd also like to add, relevant to my last post, I caught this virus using condoms. There's no approved HPV test for males and for females the intent of smear tests are to look for cancer precursors. You could be in a long term relationship with someone who has the cancer causing strain, and you both could've cleared it without a moments notice because the only true indication we have is either manifestation of genital warts or cervical cancer. There's no feasible way of mitigating HPV transmission other than prophylactic vaccines. Do not beat yourselves up for catching this prevelant and, in the majority of cases, harmless virus x
Original post by lauralo1001
I'd also like to add, relevant to my last post, I caught this virus using condoms. There's no approved HPV test for males and for females the intent of smear tests are to look for cancer precursors. You could be in a long term relationship with someone who has the cancer causing strain, and you both could've cleared it without a moments notice because the only true indication we have is either manifestation of genital warts or cervical cancer. There's no feasible way of mitigating HPV transmission other than prophylactic vaccines. Do not beat yourselves up for catching this prevelant and, in the majority of cases, harmless virus x


Yeh the virus is pretty much harmless in the majority. Unfortunately, as with herpes, HPV can be transferred by skin contact so even just hugging and cuddling naked can transfer it. Condoms will only protect what is covered. In a way it is just like the flu virus, you may get future infections which your body will fight off and you'll be fine until the next time. This mainly applies to herpes, I don't think HPV recurs unless your infected by another strain.

HSV and HPV should be classified as skin conditions rather than STDs.
Hi....I wanted to write my experience here to give you all some hope and to tell you that you can beat this virus. I caught the hpv virus when I was 20 which resulted in genital warts. I had countless treatments, freezing them off, creams, different solutions....which took some away but was still left with many. I had lost all hope and low and behold my smears came back with abnormal cells which I had them lasered off. I was 29 at that time so the warts were ongoing and the virus was still very present. I started to look and research other ways of beating this virus and so this is what I did to get rid of the buggers once and for all and to make my immune system unbreakable! Fresh green chillies every day (normally 3 a day). With the remaining warts I put apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil on them twice a day.....Yes it stings like crazy!! I would put them on once in the morning then at night before bed. Twice a week I would file the warts. I would give myself a break for 3 days then do it again. Nothing had worked before but I was like "what can I lose by trying this?!" Well fast forward and this is the result.....wart free and hpv virus free. I've been in the clear for years and I don't even get colds or flus now. I haven't been ill for 7 years as my immune system is top notch! I drink herbal teas every night, take multi vitamins and eat my chillies every day. There is a way of beating this so don't lose faith. Persevere and add good natural drinks and foods. Once your immune system is up to scratch it will beat the virus and the warts will go for good by doing what I did. I hope this helps :-)
Original post by Anonymous
Hi....I wanted to write my experience here to give you all some hope and to tell you that you can beat this virus. I caught the hpv virus when I was 20 which resulted in genital warts. I had countless treatments, freezing them off, creams, different solutions....which took some away but was still left with many. I had lost all hope and low and behold my smears came back with abnormal cells which I had them lasered off. I was 29 at that time so the warts were ongoing and the virus was still very present. I started to look and research other ways of beating this virus and so this is what I did to get rid of the buggers once and for all and to make my immune system unbreakable! Fresh green chillies every day (normally 3 a day). With the remaining warts I put apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil on them twice a day.....Yes it stings like crazy!! I would put them on once in the morning then at night before bed. Twice a week I would file the warts. I would give myself a break for 3 days then do it again. Nothing had worked before but I was like "what can I lose by trying this?!" Well fast forward and this is the result.....wart free and hpv virus free.


More or less whatever you do, warts do one of three things: get better, get worse, or stay the same.

You could have saved yourself a lot of stinging if you didn't bother with the chillies, cider vinegar etc. At least you didn't put the chillies on your genitals...

In nearly all cases your immune system would have got rid of them anyway within two years. Removing them via knife or freezing or.. is cosmetic.
Original post by unprinted
More or less whatever you do, warts do one of three things: get better, get worse, or stay the same.

You could have saved yourself a lot of stinging if you didn't bother with the chillies, cider vinegar etc. At least you didn't put the chillies on your genitals...

In nearly all cases your immune system would have got rid of them anyway within two years. Removing them via knife or freezing or.. is cosmetic.


Like I had written it was + 9 years I had them so no it doesn't just go in 2 years!! The most important thing is to look after your body and build your immune system up and then there are natural products to get rid of the warts which worked and highly recommended. What a strange response?!
You've been very unlucky (or, more probably, repeatedly re-infected).

Show me some randomised double-blinded control trials to say that the 'natural' products work better than anything else.
Original post by unprinted
You've been very unlucky (or, more probably, repeatedly re-infected).

Show me some randomised double-blinded control trials to say that the 'natural' products work better than anything else.


A lot of people out there have suffered the same if not longer than me so it's not uncommon.

You seem to be very triggered that above all else it was the natural products that rid the virus and the warts and not the medicated creams and solutions etc.?

I'm not here to prove I'm here to help through my experiences and this is what happened and this is what worked.

Might I suggest that you introspect to see where this trigger stems from and advise that if you're not resonating with what I say to merely scroll on or suggest something else productive to those who are suffering?

Thank you
This board gets a number of people 'shilling', saying that treatment A, B or C cured their whatever. I expect a claimed treatment to have, you know, some actual hard evidence behind it...

.. especially as the discoverers of something that did reliably cure warts would be a contender for the Noble Prize for Medicine: HPV is extremely common.

I'll put this in 'whatever you do, they get better, get worse, or stay the same' file, then.
Original post by unprinted
This board gets a number of people 'shilling', saying that treatment A, B or C cured their whatever. I expect a claimed treatment to have, you know, some actual hard evidence behind it...

.. especially as the discoverers of something that did reliably cure warts would be a contender for the Noble Prize for Medicine: HPV is extremely common.

I'll put this in 'whatever you do, they get better, get worse, or stay the same' file, then.


You're the one who said those words, not me. If you revert back to my original post I specifically laid out everything I did and what I used to rid the virus and warts.

Why not put it to use and get a case study going doing what I did and there you can you have your proof.

I didn't come on here for fun, I came on here to offer an alternative solution and recommend what actually worked for me after many years of battle with this virus.

I'm very sorry you find natural products so hard to believe.....I hope you and nature become friends one day!
Reply 17
Thanks for sharing your experience.How did you manage to eat 3 chillies a day? I take a small bite and it burns my mouth off! LOLAlso where did you hear about chillies helping with genital warts? When I google genital warts and nutrition, green chillies is not listed. Although I read that green chillies are good for your immune system and can help treat skin infections.
Reply 18
I also have had them for 6+ years. My immune system has not kicked them - the warts have remained.

I have also had cryo and Aldara and no success. I

I do now believe that boosting the immune system and apply natural anti-bacterial stuff (like apple cider vinegar and Tea tree oil) is the way forward.
Original post by Man0305
I also have had them for 6+ years. My immune system has not kicked them - the warts have remained.

I have also had cryo and Aldara and no success. I

I do now believe that boosting the immune system and apply natural anti-bacterial stuff (like apple cider vinegar and Tea tree oil) is the way forward.


Hey.....I didn't read anywhere about chillies helping with genital warts but helping with the immune system. They're what helped really build my immune system which in turn then kicks the virus's butt! Lol. I highly recommend it, you build up a spice immunity eventually but take it slow and build it up. Just try chopping them up into foods to blend it in and then over time you'll get used to it :-). The other method of actually getting rid of the left over warts definitely work so try it out. If you've had them for a long period of time then allow yourself between 16 - 20 weeks reapplying the treatment but give yourself at least 3 days resting period in between. Once gone they're gone. Keep in mind the stinging but I said to myself I'd rather sting for 20 weeks of my life than a lifetime with this sodding virus! ;-) persevere and you'll get rid of them finally.

Latest