Warts-j4321

Hello,
I went to a dermitologist who said I have the warts.  He said that the HPV is an external virus not an internal one, and that by getting rid of the warts, assuming they do not return, you are not infectous anymore.  On every place on the internet I read that once you have it it doesnt go away, I told my doctor that and he said it is false. By the way I am a male. What is the real deal with the warts?  After theyre gone, am I still able to infect other people? will they suddenly come back when I am 70?  he treats me with the frozen liquid to get rid of them.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

HPV is an external virus--it just affects the skin, not the internal organs.

Warts sometimes return after they go away.  This is true of hand warts, foot warts, or genital warts.  If they come back in 1 month or 10 years in the same general area, are they different warts or "the same warts that never went away?"

I don't know the answer to this and neither does anyone else.

If your warts are treated and beome invisible, are they still catchy?  No one knows the answer to that either.

But consider this: if you have sex with anyone at all, that person may have had warts once, or may have been exposed to warts and never developed visible warts they know about.  Are they catchy?  How would you know?  I wouldn't, and I don't.

Life involves a certain amount of risk.  To be absolutely sure you don't catch or transmit warts, you would need to avoid all sex forever.  This is not advice people are likely to welcome or comply with, so I don't give it.

What they usually do, and what I recommend to you, is to get rid of visible warts and be up-front with partners that you once had them.

Some day we will know and be able to do more.  But that's the way it is now.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[linlea]

I know that I have had a wart or two in my life and I've never had to worry about "outbreaks". Do you think it might be possible that the "virus remains forever in your body" argument you heard was about Genital warts, and not the everyday ones you get topically? Because I do believe that GW are forever.
One other suggestion, I read recently that one of the best ways to get rd of a wart is to "spit on it". The digestive enzymes in yoru spit are just enough to destroy the wart but leave the surrounding skin in tact. I have tried this and it does work.

[j4321]

I meant genital warts

[linlea]

Oh, well then yes. At least that's what I've always read. A hospital near me actually just ran an ad for people to participate to try some new drug  meant to either keep warts from reoccuring or to stop them all together. I do know that without any treatment they will reoccur though.

[linlea]

Here's an informational paper from their website.
http://patienteducation.upmc.com/Pdf/GenitalWarts.pdf

[yoshi2me]

J4321,

Genital Warts is Human papillomavirus (HPV).

Here is some background information:

http://www.ashastd.org/hpvccrc/background.html

HPV (genital warts) is an STD.

For more information on HPV you can read the HPV section here:

http://members.cox.net/yoshi2me/Links/Links.htm

Angela
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