One class of these topical agents is Immune Response Modifiers (IRMs) gentile wart treatments genital wart treatments , which enhance the skin’s ability to identify and control, or destroy, infections, bacteria and other foreign objects in the body responsible for for illness , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsIRMs work by stimulating cytokine production in gentile wart treatments the skin , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsskin , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsCytokines genital wart treatments are naturally occurring proteins which are used by immune system cells to communicate with each other , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsWhen cytokines are stimulated by IRMs, IRMs, they enhance cell immunity, a natural process to help gentile wart treatments the body control or eliminate virus-infected and tumor cells , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsBecause IRMs assist the immune immune system as a whole – rather than target specific viruses viruses or tumors – they have potential use in gentile wart treatments genital wart treatments the treatment of a wide variety of dermatologic diseases , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatments One IRM, imiquimod, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment treatment of genital genital warts caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsAlthough they usually do not hurt or itch, genital warts can be unsightly and embarrassing, and gentile wart treatments genital wart treatments are associated with the development of genital cancers , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentscancers , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsWhile current treatments involve destroying gentile wart treatments the visible warts by freezing, burning, or or applying acids, genital wart treatments the problem can recur after these treatments because the virus that causes the warts can persist in the skin , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsskin , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsgentile wart treatments The use of imiquimod prompts the body to fight off the virus that causes genital warts , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsIn fact, a recent study showed that the genital wart treatments the use of imiquimod, in a 5 percent cream, cream, increased gentile wart treatments the levels of cytokines in the skin enhancing the antiviral state , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsOver half of patients who applied imiquimod three times a week for up to 16 weeks completely cleared their genital warts , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentswarts , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsgentile wart treatments genital wart treatments “Before the approval of imiquimod, the only patients whose genital wart infections were truly cured were those whose immune system recognized and eliminated the virus , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsHowever, this was not a common occurrence,” occurrence,” stated Dr , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsBerman , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatments“This new treatment can assist many more patients by boosting gentile wart treatments the genital wart treatments the body’s immunity to destroy this virus, reduce the need for surgery and destructive ablations.” Another potential use for for IRMs is to treat keloids, gentile wart treatments the excessive scars that result from alteration in the normal wound healing process following skin injury, including surgery , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsThese scars can occur occur in any individual but genital wart treatments are most most common in people with darker skin , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsKeloids form when alterations occur in gentile wart treatments the normal control of skin fibroblast cell function, which are the cells that make the structural fibers of the connective tissues tissues in gentile wart treatments the skin , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsskin , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsOne of genital wart treatments the naturally occurring immunomodulators, or anti-inflammatory agents, in the skin is interfreron which can normalize the skin’s wound-healing function , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsThe use of imiquimod has been shown to induce induce gentile wart treatments the production of interfreron to prevent the keloid from returning following surgery , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatments “These disfiguring scars scars genital wart treatments are tender, can cause pain and burning, and can be psychologically challenging for the individuals affected by by them,” said Dr , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsBerman , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatments“Current treatment involves removing gentile wart treatments the scars surgically, which more often than not causes the scars to recur, often larger than the original keloid removed , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsThe genital wart treatments The use of IRMs to to prevent keloids offers hope to those individuals who struggle with these scars.” gentile wart treatments IRMs also show promise for the treatment of skin cancer and actinic keratoses, the precursor to a form of skin skin cancer , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsBasal cell carcinoma (BCC) is gentile wart wart treatments genital wart treatments the most common form of skin cancer, accounting for more than 80 percent of all skin cancers each year , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsIf detected and treated early, BCC has a a 95 percent cure rate , genital wart treatments , gentile wart treatmentsHowever, if left untreated, it can grow into nearby areas and invade gentile wart treatments the bones |