imiquimod or aldara for genital warts

Aldara contains the active ingredient Imiquimod and can be used for hard and soft warts. It’s also the only product that can be used for both genital and external anal warts.

It’s suitable for any number of warts and it is unlikely that the warts will reappear after treatment.

This cream appears to boost your immune system's ability to fight the HPV infection that causes genital warts. The response to the treatment can vary depending upon your body’s ability to react to the cream and can often take several weeks to complete.

The warts usually do not return after the treatment is completed, provided you continue to use condoms when having sex.

Aladara is a white to slightly yellow cream that comes in sachets.

The cream should be applied 3 times per week (example: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) prior to normal sleeping hours, and should remain on the skin for 6 to 10 hours. The treatment should continue until the clearance of any visible genital or anal warts and can be used for up to four months. Most people find that their warts go away after 4 months.

There are 12 sachets in a box and the sachets should not be re-used once opened. This means that each box of sachets provides a month of treatment.

Full instructions are on the Patient Information Leaflet, PIL, supplied with the Aldara and at the bottom of this page.

Avoid contact with healthy skin. If this happens, wash the cream off with soap and water.

You can help protect healthy skin by applying Vaseline to the area around the warts.

Don’t apply the Aldara to warts on the inside of the penis, vagina or rectum. Aldara should only be applied to warts on the outside (external) skin.

It may weaken latex condoms.

There are some side effects associated with using Aldara, which include skin irritation, rash, soreness, ulceration around the areas where you apply the cream, and rarely flu-like symptoms and muscle pains.

Most of these skin reactions are mild and the skin will return to normal within about 2 weeks after stopping treatment.

Aldara (Imiquimod) is not approved for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

You should avoid sexual contact while the cream is on your skin. It may irritate your partner's skin and can weaken condoms and diaphragms.

If you do have sex, you must use a condom to help prevent the spread of genital warts and to protect your partner from coming into contact with the cream.

Patient Information Leaflet for Aldara