[Question #13732] GW/SK - Confused

4 hours ago

Hi, Doctors.

Writing this as a follow-up to my previous question (#13533) a few months ago (closed in the meantime), telling my story dealing with HPV and GW.

I was treated for GW on the pubic area a few times between April and June last year on my pubic area, close to the base of the penis.

There was a particularly tough spot which always seemed to recur in a couple of months, no matter the type of treatment I applied (cryo, laser).

I then decided to visit a dermatologist specialised in male genital conditions where I live (UK) after what appeared to be a new recurrence.

Turns out the doctor tells me that is not a GW but a sebhorroeic wart (or keratosis), due to its size and appearance, which actually made me even more confused. No biopsy was done due to how small the lesion was. He still treated it with electrocautery + light cryo.

A couple of questions:

Is it possible/common for SK to recur in the same place post-treatment? How likely is it that it will continue recurring?
If the doctor is indeed right, I have now been wart-free for at least 6 months +, since my last 2 recurrences were in this same place and had this exact appearance. Also, I'm triple-vaccinated. I know it's impossible to be 100% sure, but do you think it's likely I'm not contagious at this point? With no tests for men and no other way of knowing whether an infection is active apart from spotting true GWs, it's hard to decide when we stop posing a risk to potential new partners.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate your work here

Edward W. Hook M.D.

2 hours ago

Welcome back to the Forum. I’m glad that you saw a dermatologist and was interested to hear that, I suggested the pubic lesions were sebborherric keratosis. It sounds like you have had a good response to therapy. Persons who have sebhorheic keratosis tend to have more, often in other locations. You’ve done things right. Your vaccination will serve you well. I encourage you to put your concerns about warts aside and move forward. As you know, we think worrying too much about partner transmission is a fruitless process. Should new lesions appear, see the dermatologist again. Little more to say unless you have further questions. EWH---