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Can internal and external anal warts clear on its own or is surgery necessary?
I noticed some bumps on the (left side of) opening of my anus a week ago (I have to spread my buttchecks for them to be visible) and I could feel a few more on the lining of my anal canal. I went to my physician and he told me that I have anal warts, prescribed me Imiquimod (3x a week application) and referred me to a colo-rectal surgeon. I will meet with the surgeon in a week.
I have had 3 applications of Imiquimod to the external warts and some that I could visibly reach but there's nothing I can do to the internal ones. I've noticed that the external warts start to harden and they're not as soft as they used to be.
I have previously had a wart on my finger and on separate occasion, warts on my foot and they all cleared up on their own quite very suddenly after being around for a couple of months. One moment they're there and the next moment they're gone. How very strange. I had one wart on my neck that popped up but I had that one frozen immediately because of cosmetic issues. A couple of cryo, it blistered and fell off.
Now, with this anal warts - before I meet the surgeon I just want to make sure I am well-informed of all my options. I am ambivalent about surgery and my job requires me to be active all the time and I cannot afford any downtime. I'd prefer small treatments to just let my body know that it need to get to work and start killing these growth. These warts don't bother me physically but it does bother me mentally because I do not want to spread it to my partner while I'm having an outbreak. Although I (gay male) am not the receiving partner, we haven't had sex since I noticed the warts for the fear of causing him an outbreak - or maybe he's immune to it, who knows. He is understanding but appears to be slightly upset with no sex.
Also I haven't bottomed (gay slang for being the receptive partner) in 7 years and I have been with my partner for 3 years. There is zero chance of him sleeping around so it might be just that I have had it laying dormant for a while and my recent state of stress caused it to resurface? I was extremely stressed in December because of a deadline and stopped working out and these buggers flourished?
Anyway, I did my research and while I found a lot of questions similar to the one I am posting right now, I haven't found any original poster that updates their question with the good news of "my wart finally disappeared, thank you body". So my guess is that - just like my other warts, their warts disappeared on its own and you just move on with your life after that.
If that's the case, why traumatizing surgery? Why can't we just irritate the warts enough so the body takes care of it? (Assuming that we want to help the body fight this warts).
Thanks for reading!
Wartrior
I have had 3 applications of Imiquimod to the external warts and some that I could visibly reach but there's nothing I can do to the internal ones. I've noticed that the external warts start to harden and they're not as soft as they used to be.
I have previously had a wart on my finger and on separate occasion, warts on my foot and they all cleared up on their own quite very suddenly after being around for a couple of months. One moment they're there and the next moment they're gone. How very strange. I had one wart on my neck that popped up but I had that one frozen immediately because of cosmetic issues. A couple of cryo, it blistered and fell off.
Now, with this anal warts - before I meet the surgeon I just want to make sure I am well-informed of all my options. I am ambivalent about surgery and my job requires me to be active all the time and I cannot afford any downtime. I'd prefer small treatments to just let my body know that it need to get to work and start killing these growth. These warts don't bother me physically but it does bother me mentally because I do not want to spread it to my partner while I'm having an outbreak. Although I (gay male) am not the receiving partner, we haven't had sex since I noticed the warts for the fear of causing him an outbreak - or maybe he's immune to it, who knows. He is understanding but appears to be slightly upset with no sex.
Also I haven't bottomed (gay slang for being the receptive partner) in 7 years and I have been with my partner for 3 years. There is zero chance of him sleeping around so it might be just that I have had it laying dormant for a while and my recent state of stress caused it to resurface? I was extremely stressed in December because of a deadline and stopped working out and these buggers flourished?
Anyway, I did my research and while I found a lot of questions similar to the one I am posting right now, I haven't found any original poster that updates their question with the good news of "my wart finally disappeared, thank you body". So my guess is that - just like my other warts, their warts disappeared on its own and you just move on with your life after that.
If that's the case, why traumatizing surgery? Why can't we just irritate the warts enough so the body takes care of it? (Assuming that we want to help the body fight this warts).
Thanks for reading!
Wartrior
COMMUNITY LEADER
Surgery depends entirely on the size and location of the warts. You can opt to take a conservative approach and treat, so long as there's no danger for a blockage. That's what the surgeon will likely assess.
It's a good idea to get it evaluated, and establish yourself with the surgeon, so if they do grow, and surgery does become necessary, you aren't a new patient that will end up waiting longer for an appointment.
It's possible to get anal warts without having had anal sex ever, though it does make it more likely. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325956.php
The timing of it all - HPV is a tricky virus. It's something you could have entered into the relationship with, or your partner could have. You'll never know, and it doesn't matter. At this point, your partner is already exposed. If you don't want to expose him more, and he's upset at no sex, there are other things you can do to keep the sexual/intimate connection, or you can use condoms, which reduces the risk significantly. I wouldn't suggest he top right now, if that's a possibility for you, but he's already been exposed from him bottoming. When you have genital and/or anal warts, you are infectious from the entire anogenital region.
You don't mention your age, but if your partner is under 26, he may be able to get the HPV vaccine from his doctor or an STD clinic. Some clinics and docs bend that age requirement a bit. Wouldn't hurt to ask.
And Wartrior - love the name lol. Very clever. :)
It's a good idea to get it evaluated, and establish yourself with the surgeon, so if they do grow, and surgery does become necessary, you aren't a new patient that will end up waiting longer for an appointment.
It's possible to get anal warts without having had anal sex ever, though it does make it more likely. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325956.php
The timing of it all - HPV is a tricky virus. It's something you could have entered into the relationship with, or your partner could have. You'll never know, and it doesn't matter. At this point, your partner is already exposed. If you don't want to expose him more, and he's upset at no sex, there are other things you can do to keep the sexual/intimate connection, or you can use condoms, which reduces the risk significantly. I wouldn't suggest he top right now, if that's a possibility for you, but he's already been exposed from him bottoming. When you have genital and/or anal warts, you are infectious from the entire anogenital region.
You don't mention your age, but if your partner is under 26, he may be able to get the HPV vaccine from his doctor or an STD clinic. Some clinics and docs bend that age requirement a bit. Wouldn't hurt to ask.
And Wartrior - love the name lol. Very clever. :)
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