[Question #13443] Non sexual transmission of HPV
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1 months ago
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Licensed cosmologists here. I had a Brazilian Wax client come in - she had what appeared to be a skin tag on her pubic area. I thought nothing of it while waxing her until my wrist grazed over it with my bare skin…*unintentionally where the glove ends*
Now I can’t get out of my head if she potentially has HPV? Am I at risk here ? Do skin tags and Genital warts appear differently?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
1 months ago
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Welcome back to the Forum. Thanks for your continuing confidence in our service. Warts and skin tags look different. Skin tags really look like tags while warts are more firmly attached to the skin and have a cauliflower appearance. More importantly for your question, non-sexual transmission of warts is quite rare and simply touching a wart, if that is what the lesion was, would not put you at risk. Further, genital warts would not be likely to be transmitted to the skin of your wrist- they preferentially infect genial and anal skin following DIRECT sexual contact.
I would not worry about this event. If you remain worried about warts, as I recommended to you nearly 2 years ago I would suggest getting the HPV vaccine. It is highly effective and safe, preventing infection with about 95% of the HPV infections that cause genital warts as well as most of the HPV types that cause abnormal PAP smears. EWH
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1 months ago
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So even by accidentally touching it with my wrist and it was a genital wart, I am at no risk correct? I should put all worries aside? Thank you for the recommendation on getting the HPV vaccine, would it be ideal to get it today?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
1 months ago
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Correct. No risk at all.
You can begin your vaccination process at any time that is convenient. EWH
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1 months ago
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Thank you for reassurance. Does me grazing her vaginal skin put me at risk of any other std? Hsv? Or am I completely in the clear of everything?
While I am here - does waxing a clients eyebrows while they have an active hsv 1 outbreak on their lip put me at any risk or should the entire service be refused? When someone has an outbreak is the skin shedding virus on the eyebrows? Thank you dr for answering my concerns.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
1 months ago
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As you know, this will be the final reply as part of this thread.
I think you are worrying far more than you need to about acquiring an STI from job-related contact. STIs are actually pretty hard to transmit. As long as you do not touch am open, wet lesion there is virtually no risk of acquiring an STI, including HPV or herpes and there is no reason to cancel an appointment. If your client has a lesion elsewhere on your body you certainly will not be infected. For that matter, even if there is a sore, touching it is unlikely to lead to infection because the skin of your fingers and hands is VERY resistant to infection.
Please don't worry. EWH
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