[Question #2838] HPV

94 months ago

Dr,

To give some background, about 10-15 years ago, I was having unprotected sex with a girl, who turned out to be infected with HPV, which in turn, I got. Being that I was so young at the time and not as educated regarding STD’s, my recollection regarding those warts is minimal. They were removed by a dermatologist. I don’t recall if they were biopsied or not, nor do I recall the results. Regardless, since then, I have seen dr’s for other growths in the groin region and none of them were classified as STD HPV, condyloma’s. However, a Dr did find what he called, after a biopsy, a common wart. Also, after biopsy, they also found flat warts, both of which were on the base of my penis where is meets my pubic bone. Also, I had a skin tag removed from my foreskin.

About 3 weeks ago, I went to a Rub and Tug, now I know your stance on hand to genital transmission, I still have some questions.

About 2 a week ago, I noticed a flat piece of skin growing from the pubic area, very small, about the size of a pin head. I grabbed some tweezers and was able to tug on it, pulled slightly harder, and it came off. The next day I was at the dermatologist, she looked and said it was a skin tag. A couple days ago, I noticed something in my thigh crease, where my thigh meets my perineum. It was also very small, pink in color, round and seemed to be flexible, but, was more firm. It was hard to tell what it was cause of the location. I couldn’t really get to it when I messed with it with tweezers it started to bleed, so I went to the Dr again. She looked and said she couldn’t be sure what it was, it could be that the wart I had removed from my nose could have spread to that area, or it could be nothing. It was frozen off.

From the description do you think it’s a wart?

Could molluscum be a possibility from the rub and tug?

Could the wart from my nose spread?

Does molluscum sound possible?

94 months ago

also, just thought of additional info, on the right side in almost the same place as the one i am describing, is another pink growth. About 3 years ago another dermatologist saw it and called it a wart. It hasn't changed in size shape or color. I plan on having it biopsied soon. Not sure if that makes a difference to my scenario or not, just figured you should know.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

94 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.

Unfortunately, I cannot judge the cause of the the bump that was frozen. The diagnosis or opinion of the doctor who examined and treated it is much more reliable. However, common warts of the hands, face, or other areas are almost never spread to the genital area, so if it was a genital warts, you can assume you acquired it sexually (probably in the distant past). Even a biopsy cannot distinguish common warts from sexually transmitted ones. With rare exceptions, all genital area warts are believed to result from sexually acquired HPV.

You haven't said your age, but since you were having sex 10-15 years ago, you're probably over 30 years old. But genital area molluscum contagiosum is rare beyond age 20, so that's a very unlikely explanation for this recent genital bump. As noted above, it is unlikely you have transmitted warts from your nose to the genital area.

I hope this information is helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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94 months ago

Hey thanks for the reply. I am over the age of 30.

Is it at all possible for HPV to return and present itself after that many years, like another flare up?

So even if i were to have it biopsied they wouldn't be able to tell me what type of HPV it stems from?

Do they normally present singular like this one or in multiples?

I also noticed that in some of your other posts, you mention that Genital HPV normally presents on the shaft of penis, head or testicles, should that give me some relief also?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

94 months ago

Recent research has found that detectable HPV DNA persists longer and to older ages than previously thought. Up to half of all persons in their 30s-50s have detectable HPV DNA. How many of them have warts that might be detected by biopsy isn't all that clear. But since HPV is so common, whenever any kind of bump is biopsied, it might test positive for HPV DNA even if the lesion isn't a wart or actually caused by HPV. This will be an important area of future research, but for now we just don't know. Also, my understanding is that most DNA HPV testing is limited to the genital types -- i.e. the test would not tell if a particular wart were due to a nonsexually acquired type that typically causes common warts of the hands, face, or elsewhere.

Having said all that, it remains true that genital cancers and other serious outcomes of genital HPV remain rare, especially in men. My guess is that if a thousand people had every little genital skin irregularity professionally examined and biopsied, HPV or warts would be identified in hundreds of them. In other words, most likely your situation isn't unusual. However, a dermatologist who regularly manages warts might have a different (and more accurate) perspective. We STD specialists typically see patients with newly acquired genital warts, but for the most part have little experience with people with recurrent or persistent warts years later.

Most initial genital warts are multiple and often appear in clusters, not as single lesions. But I can't vouch for that in recurrent warts several years later. Also, recurrent warts might be more widespread than initial ones, which indeed are most common (in strictly heterosexual men) on the penis.

So I'm not sure what sort of "relief" you are hoping for. Whatever the exact nature of these skin problems, I doubt they are an important health threat for either you or your sex partner(s) and probably can pretty much be ignored. But here too, I would suggest you get the advice of an experienced dermatologist.

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94 months ago

I'm not overly concerned about an overall health risk from the warts. I am married and just want to know if this is something that could potentially have been acquired from the rub and tug, or if its normal for warts to flare up years after initial infection? I have never had a wart on my penis and none of my past sexual partners have reported an HPV infection. I have also been with my wife for about 10 years, she has normal PAPs and never reported warts either.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

94 months ago

Sorry, I thought I already said that wart can and often do reappear after several years. I doubt any "rub and tug" explains the most recent bump. In any case, it sounds like that more likely was a skin tag than a wart.

That no post partners reported an HPV infection means nothing. At least 90% of all humans acquire sexually transmitted HPV, so you can assume that most if not all your partners were infected. And just as in your case, most regular sex partners of HPV infected people do not develop warts or abnormal pap smears. Having genital HPV is a normal, expected, and unavoidable consequence of being sexually active.

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93 months ago

Dr,

The last time I went to the dermatologist she saw that I had a fungalil infection on the inside of my thighs, gave me some cream, which I forgot to use.

Last night I noticed a couple of red blotches on the shaft of my penis, and today, noticed the raash was still there however when the penile skin is wrinkled, it looks like the possible start of some sort of bumps, and a lot of them. On the other hand, when is stretch the skin smooth, there are no bumps.

Could it be the start of an HPV outbreak, or, the spread of the jock itch?

93 months ago

It's really hard to explain. The rash has spread up the shaft. I also have forcide spots. Within the red rash I noticed some circular, growths?(there really aren't any growths I just don't know a better way to describe it)

I highly don't herpes is a possibility cause I've only been with my wife, outside of the rub and tug.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

93 months ago

HPV doesn’t cause this sort of skin rash and neither does any other STD. There are many other possible causes, this form is strictly limited to STDs, so I won’t have anything more to say. Follow up with your doctor.

That concludes this thread. Best wishes and stay safe.

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