Condylox vs. Aldara

[sar5231]

Hi.  I've had visible warts for almost 2 years now.  The first medicine I tried was Aldara, when they first started showing up.  All the Aldara served to do was eat apart my skin, scar my scrotum, and generally hurt really bad.  I don't think even one wart disappeared in that time.  Since then I've tried many "herbal" remedies and have had success with none of them.  The only thing that seems to work is ripping the warts off myself, which was painful at first but works fairly well.  Some have never came back after that, but I still have others.  I was wondering if Condylox would have the same effect on me as the Aldara did.  Basically the Aldara seemed to eat away the skin, leaving a very red and sore mark wherever I applied it.  It felt like acid on my skin.  Is Condylox as harsh as Aldara?  I don't want to spend that kind of money on a treatment that I will not be able to finish.  I can't go through what Aldara did to me again.  Any input would be appreciated.  Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The first thing is to make sure the diagnosis is accurate; if in doubt, see a dermatologist or other expert.  I question it in part because warts are not very common on the scrotum; they occur there, but a lot less frequently than the penis.



To answer you specific question, different people tolerate the various therapies diffferently.  None of them is perfect either in effectiveness or side effects.  Condylox may work better for you, and may (or may not) be less toxic.  In addition, there are several treatments that doctors can apply in their offices.  If a dermatologist confirms the diagnosis, s/he may treat you with freezing, electrocautery, laser therapy, or even surgical removal.



Good luck--  HHH, MD

[sar5231]

Just to clear things up, the warts are not on my scrotum, they are on the base of my penis.  When I would apply the Aldara to the base, it would rest on my scrotum and the medicine would get on the scrotum and burn it.  It has left pretty bad scarring there, the skin is basically white now.  That is the least of my worries though.  Thanks for the help.