[Question #11957] Very confused If i have Condyloma and what are my next steps?
 |
11 months ago
|
Hello. So in April 2023 i noticed warts on my pubic region. I was out of the USA at the time but still went to two different local doctors. They both said it is common wart not condyloma and not to worry. I still worried. In June of 2023 i went to derm in the states and got them removed and one of them biopsied. Biopsy results came back "Changes consistent with Flat Verruca Vulgaris without Atypia". She said dont worry and continue having sex... So i did just that with my girlfriend who also has no symptoms.. I forgot about that whole thing until december 2023 i notice warts on my shaft. I go to a NEW derm and he froze it and said it is most likely a wart and probably condyloma. They were very small at first he thought it was just natural skin. He did not get all of them with cryo so i went to a NEW doctor a week later who also said most likely condyloma even tho they are pin small. So since then ive had it burned in my brain i have Condyloma and i have come to terms with it and am trying to clear it. But i have also gone to a 3 others doctors who said thats not genital warts thats not condyloma when i notice a growth.. (I go to a new dr everytime bc i am embarrassed to return.) but now i have what i think are regrowths in an area that was cryoed and it looks nothing like condyloma. I have also asked every new dr i have been to to biopsy the lesions but they all say they are too small and nothing will come out of it. My question is, could I have passed the flat wart to my shaft from my pubic? Is it possible that i have BOTH on my genitals? How can i find out if i 100% have condyloma or how do i know if its just recurring verruca? What are my next steps? If they stopped returning, i would be ok with it. But since i still have not cleared this HPV infection it is really affectig my quality of life. Thank you in advance for your response
|
11 months ago
|
I also forgot to mention to this day and in the past i have gotten warts on my right hand and fingers.
 |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
11 months ago
|
Welcome to the forum. Thank you for your confidence in our services.
---
Before answering your questions, let's be clear on terminology. "Condyloma" is not a diagnosis. It is just the Latin word for wart. All warts are condylomas -- that includes your "flat verruca vulgaris" (just different words for the same things). Second, all warts/condylomas are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). In general, some dermatologists may more often call warts verrucas, and STD and gyn may more often say condyloma, but it's all the same. Some experts will argue that there are minor technical differences -- that condyloma and verruca are slightly different my microscopic exam and therefore when biopsied. But these are trivial differences with no importance for affected persons and their treatment. There are over 100 different strains or types of HPV; about 30 of them are transmitted primarily by sex. Those are the types that account for almost all genital (or genital area) warts. Finally, everyone gets genital area HPV-- up to 90% have been infected by the time they have had 5 different sex partners (50% after just 3 partners). Getting and having genital HPV is a normal, expected, unavoidable aspect of being a human being with normal sexual experiences.
Pubic area warts (or condylomas) probably are usually sexually acquired or transmitted, although there may be exceptions. There is no way to know whether your penile warts and the previous pubic area problem were caused by the same or different strains of HPV -- but most likely it's all the same problem. Nearly 90% of GWs are caused by two types of the virus, HPV types 6 and 11. Genital warts are properly viewed as an inconvenience, not an important health threat. Most HPV infections eventually are cleared by the immune system, at least to a point they stop causing visible warts and cannot be transmitted to sex partners.
You can expect your genital warts to stop recurring someday. In the meantime, it makes sense to keep having them treated as new crops appear; my guess is it won't be much longer. And I would advise picking one dermatologist or the other -- whoever seemed most knowledgeable and/or you just liked best -- and not keep changing. I don't understand how "embarrassment" enters the equation: it's not any implication about either you or your doctors that they have recurred following treatment.
About sex with your girlfriend: You can be 100% certain she has been repeatedly exposed to your HPV infection(s) during sex, and probably infected. With no visible warts so far, probably she'll never have them: she may now be immune to them. In any case, there is no reason to stop having sex together now: that horse is long out of the barn. That said, she should follow standard Pap smear guidelines.
Finally, both of you should speak with your doctor(s) about being vaccinated. The HPV vaccine is 100% effective in preventing infection with the 9 HPV types that cause 90% of both warts and HPV-related cancers, and depending on your and her age and past sexual exposures, you probably have not been exposed to all of them. In addition, recent research shows that vaccination might reduce the frequency of persistent or recurrent active infections. While there is no guarantee it would reduce your genital wart problem, it's at least possible it would help.
When you next see whichever dermatologist you choose, consider printing out this thread as a framework for discussion. Probably s/he will agree with me.
In the meantime, I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
------
|
11 months ago
|
Hello. I appreciate your response. However, when i google Flat Verruca Vulgaris on on genitals it says not contagious. I understnad I have an HPV infection, but i feel like the kind of infection matters to an extent? If it is not contagious, I do not have to worry about telling future partners even if it is not cleared (for example, the wart on my pubic hair). But if it is Condyloma acuminatum (type 6 and 11) then i feel i need to act would be much different bc this is contagious to partners not vaxxed.
Is it possible that the flat wart that was biopsied on my pubic hair in june of 2023 has spread to my shaft? I was told by my derm that the flart wart IS NOT contagious. So i would like to know for sure what strain of HPV i have and if its possible for continuous hand to genital transmission.
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
11 months ago
|
All I can say is to not trust "Dr. Google". Surely some warts are less contagious than others, but I've never heard of any that had no potential for transmission to personal contact.
I have no way of knowing whether your pubic area wart (or verruca, whatever you want to call it) is the same infection -- i.e. caused by the same HPV type -- as your penile warts.
Everybody with active genital warts should inform any new sex partners about it, so they can participate in decisions about sex. But this is the same for any and all HPV types -- no different for HPV6/11 than for any other. All genital HPV infections -- at least those of the genitals proper, not necessarily in the pubic area -- are sexually transmissible to sex partners. However, hand-genital contact is entirely safe -- not known to transmit HPV.
Hand-genital HPV transmission is not known to occur. I have no further comments about your pubic area wart: you'll have to discuss with your dermatologist.
--- |
11 months ago
|
ok. The derm who also said its a flat wart said not contagious. But thank you for the response you can close the session
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
11 months ago
|
Thanks for the thanks. I'm glad to have been of help. Best wishes and stay safe.---