Condyloma/HPV?

Several months ago I noticed several small bumps on my penis.  They looked like warts and I went to a Dermatologist.  The Doc said they were Condyloma probably.  The Doc shaved the sights and sent them off.  The report came back with a medical term for ordinary skin and some type of keratosis.  The Doc said it was nothing to worry about and that it was not condyloma.  I noticed a couple more later that I think were there before and I missed them.  I went back to the Doc and again he shaved them and sent them off with a clear pathology report.  The spots were slightly pink, but most were hard white raised spots with no pain, itching, etc.  Some just looked like raised skin on the surface, but none had a cauliflower appearance that I could tell.  He said they were similiar to the skin tags I get on the neck.  I have been married over 10 years.  My wife had premarital sex but I didn't.  Since I'm on alot of immune-suppressing drugs for Chrohn's I wondered if it could have made me have these.  Then I read condyloma can show up years later.  Should I be concerned if any of these spots return? Why would something like this just pop up? My wife has had regular paps with no problems noted.  I know the Doc said not to worry, but it's hard not to.  Now my wife thinks I've been fooling around and I'm as confused as her.  Any advice you could give would be appreciated.

TooWorried

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Your situation is quite common, and not serious.  Despite their reputation, genital warts are often not contagious (or at least don't seem to come from anyone else.)  I very often see warts on the penises of men who have had only one partner, or no partners at all.  This is the same as seeing men or women who have warts on their hands, or faces, or knees, and no one around them has them.  Happens every day.  With warts on the hands, nobody cares much where they're from, so nobody asks.  But on the penis, they're assumed to be "venereal," even when there have been no other contacts.

Where do warts come from?  Who knows?  As long as your wife has regular normal Paps, it doesn't matter.

Pathology reports on warts are often equivocal--all the patholgist can say is that they might be, but perhaps not.  The penile location of yours suggests warts, but for the reasons mentioned, it realy doesn't matter.  If you see new ones, just get them taken care of.  It's all we can do at this point.

But your wife should know that even if they are warts, they most definitely do not automatically indict you as having "fooled around" any more tha having warts on your fingers would prove you have a pet toad.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff