How are genital warts diagnosed?

Genital warts are fairly common; approximately 500,000 new cases of genital warts are diagnosed each year in the U.S. A typical appearance of a genital wart may prompt the physician to treat without further testing, especially in someone who has had prior outbreaks of genital warts. Genital warts usually appear as small, fleshy, raised bumps, but they sometimes can be extensive and have a cauliflower-like appearance. They may occur on any sexually-exposed area. Over 90% of genital warts are caused by HPV-6 and HPV-11, the so-called "low risk" HPV types.