Aa
HPV Questions/Concerns
Hello Doctor. Thank you for your time and expertise. I am a sexually active 25 year old male. I have always worn protection, with only 1 condom breaking. Once I felt that it broke I replaced it. With my current situation, I am no longer going to be sexually active unless in a relationship. Therefore reducing the chances this will happen again, as well as not having me to go through this ordeal. Now, on Wednesday 6/13/12 I was treated for some genital warts on the shaft and the base of my penis. The dermatologist used cryotherapy on all of them, freezing each one I believe two times, and froze the one on my shaft 2 or 3 times. (wart on the shat 3mm) and the rest were very small. There is little scabbing and no blistering.
Now my questions are:
1. Is little scabbing normal? or should there be more?
2. How do I know if the first treatment is working and/or if i need a second treatment?
3. Is there any way I can make sure all of the warts that are present were treated? (if they were too small to see at the time)
4. If all of them have treated, and the scabs have healed, when will I be able to be sexually active again?
I have read through multiple posts, and everyone is different for the time frame on when I know I am not carrying the virus. What is your opinion on that?
Thank you for your time and help!
Now my questions are:
1. Is little scabbing normal? or should there be more?
2. How do I know if the first treatment is working and/or if i need a second treatment?
3. Is there any way I can make sure all of the warts that are present were treated? (if they were too small to see at the time)
4. If all of them have treated, and the scabs have healed, when will I be able to be sexually active again?
I have read through multiple posts, and everyone is different for the time frame on when I know I am not carrying the virus. What is your opinion on that?
Thank you for your time and help!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
That should be 15-20% get genital warts.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to the forum. Thanks for your question.
Probably around 90% of all sexually active persons get genital HPV at one time or anothe (often several times), and probably about 15-290% or more get genital warts as a result. Although condoms reduce the risk, even with condoms there is plenty of opportunity for skin-to-skin contact -- so even consistent condom users usually can expect to have one or more genital HPV infections. While your intent is admirable to not be sexually active until you are "in a relationship", that strategy won't have much effect on your risk of future HPV infections, which are equally common (or nearly so) in people with few versus many sex partners. As for timing, warts generally become visible 2-12 months after exposure, with an average of 6-9 months.
To your specific questions:
1) The reactions to treatment are highly variable. Warts often just shrink away with little or no scabbing.
2,3) You'll know the treatment works simply because the visible warts disappear. (This isn't rocket science!) But most patients treated with cryotherapy (freezing) require more than one treatment, sometimes several. If after 1-2 weeks the treated warts persist at all, or if you are uncertain, return to the dermatologist. And of course if new warts show up, which isn't rare in the first couple months after they first appear.
4) Although warts themselves generally clear up promptly with treatment, it's really not possible to know when the underlying HPV infection is entirely gone. My standard advice is that once the warts are gone for 6 months, with no new ones appearing in that time, people can consider themselves cured. But there are no firm data on this, which is why you'll see different estimates from equally reliable sources.
I hope this has been helpful. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Probably around 90% of all sexually active persons get genital HPV at one time or anothe (often several times), and probably about 15-290% or more get genital warts as a result. Although condoms reduce the risk, even with condoms there is plenty of opportunity for skin-to-skin contact -- so even consistent condom users usually can expect to have one or more genital HPV infections. While your intent is admirable to not be sexually active until you are "in a relationship", that strategy won't have much effect on your risk of future HPV infections, which are equally common (or nearly so) in people with few versus many sex partners. As for timing, warts generally become visible 2-12 months after exposure, with an average of 6-9 months.
To your specific questions:
1) The reactions to treatment are highly variable. Warts often just shrink away with little or no scabbing.
2,3) You'll know the treatment works simply because the visible warts disappear. (This isn't rocket science!) But most patients treated with cryotherapy (freezing) require more than one treatment, sometimes several. If after 1-2 weeks the treated warts persist at all, or if you are uncertain, return to the dermatologist. And of course if new warts show up, which isn't rare in the first couple months after they first appear.
4) Although warts themselves generally clear up promptly with treatment, it's really not possible to know when the underlying HPV infection is entirely gone. My standard advice is that once the warts are gone for 6 months, with no new ones appearing in that time, people can consider themselves cured. But there are no firm data on this, which is why you'll see different estimates from equally reliable sources.
I hope this has been helpful. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
