What are condylomas?

Condyloma is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by an infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). Condyloma is transmitted through sexual intercourse or other close physical contact between skin and mucous membrane.

Condylomas are typically flat, stalked or cauliflower-like warts on the skin or mucosa around the genitalia or the rectum. Condylomas may also reside on the cervix, in the rectum or in the urethra.

An average of 3 months may pass from contracting the infection to developing condylomas. 

In rare cases the virus may be present for several years before appearing as visible condylomas.

Treatment of condylomas

Condylomas can be treated in different ways. Kindly be aware that the treatment may be prolonged. 

We recommend that you initially treat your condylomas at home with podophyllotoxin solution (Condyline) or Imiquimod cream (Aldara). If the home treatment is ineffective, you may then be treated at the hospital.

Home treatment

Apply the podophyllotoxin solution (Condyline) directly on the condylomas twice a day for 3 days in a row.

The treatment is then paused for 4 days. In case of no effect, the treatment can be repeated as a cycle. The treatment takes approximately 4-8 weeks.

Apply Imiquimod cream (Aldara) directly on the condylomas 3 times a week before bedtime.

The cream must be washed off 6-8 hours after application. The treatment can be repeated up to 4 months with clinical controls every 4 weeks.

Both treatments may give rise to some redness and superficial wounds in the treated area. However, if the reaction is severe, pause the treatment until the reaction has decreased.

Treatment in the hospital

In the clinic for sexually transmitted diseases the doctor will treat the condylomas by freezing them. In some cases, the doctor may further apply podophyllotoxin solution after freezing them. The treatment is repeated in the clinic once a week until the condylomas are gone.

If the treatment is ineffective, the condylomas can in some cases be treated with laser. This treatment is performed on an outpatient basis.

How fast does the treatment work?

The effect and duration of the treatment varies for each person. Most people will experience that the condylomas disappear after a few treatments. Others may experience a prolonged treatment (weeks or months). If you don’t experience any significant improvement after 2-3 months of treatment, you can talk to the doctor about an alternative treatment.

After treatment

You should expect superficial wounds in the treated area. You can keep the wounds clean with daily showers using only the showerhead to gently rinse the area, and afterwards dap the area dry. 

Be aware of increased redness, warmth, pain, pus or fluid from the wounds which may be a sign of infection.

If you have a severe reaction or suspect having a wound infection, we recommend that you contact us or your general practitioner.

What can I do?

• Use a condom. Condoms protect against condylomas.
• Avoid intimate shaving as this may spread the condylomas.
• The HPV-vaccine protects against the two most common types of the      virus which causes genital warts (HPV 6 and 11) and cervix cancer (HPV 16 and 18). The vaccine is a part of the Danish child-vaccination-program for 12-year-old girls.
• Boys can also be vaccinated to prevent condylomas later in life.