Treatment

Treatment side effects with  incidence (%)

Cryotherapy

Bullae and vesicle development in area of cryo-contact (20%). Pain.

Imiquimod (Aldara)

Erythema (70%); irritation, ulceration, and pain (< 10%); burning, erosion, flaking, edema, induration, and pigmentary changes where imiquiod contacts skin, eruption can resemble impetigo; minimal systemic absorption. 

Interferon (intralesional)

Injection site reactions; systemic myalgias, headaches, fever, chills, leukopenia, elevated transaminase levels, thrombocytopenia

Podophyllotoxin

Burning at application site (75%), pain (50%), inflammation (70%); low risk for systemic toxicity

Podophyllin resin

Local irritation, erythema, burning, and soreness at application site (75%); possibly mutagenicity, oncogenicity, Paralytic ileus, hallucinatory psychosis, bone marrow depression, and mild hepatic dysfunction, autonomic and sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy. It appears that most side effects involving podophyllin occur in  women perhaps because the moist surface of many female condyloma enhances systemic absorption of podophyllin; tetragenicity.

Surgical excision

Laser/electrosurgery

treatment

Pain (100%), bleeding (40%), scarring (<10%) pigmentary change

Scarring, pain, rare transmission of HPV via smoke plumes, pigmentary change

Trichloroacetic acid

Local pain and irritation; ulceration, no systemic side effects