[Question #8245] Does this sound like warts
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47 months ago
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A couple of months ago(I would say 3-4), I had around 10-20 red bumps on both sides of my groin. No pain, no itchiness. Wouldn't have noticed them if I had not scrubbed that area when I was showering. They felt slightly elevated. They lasted around 5-6 weeks I would say. I started to use hydrozole cream on them at week 4-5 and it seemed to get less red and smaller with this cream. I went to the doctors the day after I got these bumps and they just did a HSV swab test and a HSV antibody test and they concluded it wasn't that but they didn't know what it was. My questions are
1. Do these sound like warts to you? Can warts last this short? I vaguely remembering reading a post in which you replied that warts cannot go away in sooner than a few months so does the fact that mine healed in around 5-6 weeks suggest it isn't warts. When you said a few months did you mean 2 or 3 or even more?
2. I still have a photo of what these bumps looked like. Would a dermatologist be able to make an accurate assessment based on photo? Should I show him?
Much appreciated.
1. Do these sound like warts to you? Can warts last this short? I vaguely remembering reading a post in which you replied that warts cannot go away in sooner than a few months so does the fact that mine healed in around 5-6 weeks suggest it isn't warts. When you said a few months did you mean 2 or 3 or even more?
2. I still have a photo of what these bumps looked like. Would a dermatologist be able to make an accurate assessment based on photo? Should I show him?
Much appreciated.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
47 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services.
Your description is incompatible with genital warts: no chance. Warts do not appear as red bumps, and the location is wrong as well. And you also are correct that the problem would not have cleared up so soon if they were warts; untreated warts typically take many months to clear. If you google "genital warts" you can find lots of photos of typical (and atypical) examples, but you probably won't find anything like what you describe. In addition, this doesn't sound like herpes either -- I have to suspect the doctor who evaluated you isn't very familiar with herpes. If the problem continues, I suggest seeing a dermatologist.
Those comments pretty well cover your first question. We don't examine clinical photos on this forum. I suppose some dermatologists would be willing to assess a photograph. But since the problem has gone away, what does it matter? There is no chance you had any STD, so there is no value in knowing for the purpose of partner protection. A smarter approach, it seems to me, would be to do nothing until and unless a similar problem reappears, and see a dermatologist at that time.
I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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47 months ago
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Thanks for your response Dr Handsfield.
On google, all the wart pictures looked the same to me so I just assumed they were all typical appearances. That's why I was worried that mine was an atypical presentation. My questions are
1. I was mainly concerned that it was warts because I heard reactivations can occur in different areas so I thought the groin area was possible. Was I correct to assume that or is it only the penis, scrotum area?
2. Just for my own curiosity, what is the shortest time that warts take to clear if left untreated? When you say many months, how many does this refer to. In my situation I used hydrozole so I don't know if this is considered to be treatment.
Thanks
On google, all the wart pictures looked the same to me so I just assumed they were all typical appearances. That's why I was worried that mine was an atypical presentation. My questions are
1. I was mainly concerned that it was warts because I heard reactivations can occur in different areas so I thought the groin area was possible. Was I correct to assume that or is it only the penis, scrotum area?
2. Just for my own curiosity, what is the shortest time that warts take to clear if left untreated? When you say many months, how many does this refer to. In my situation I used hydrozole so I don't know if this is considered to be treatment.
Thanks
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
47 months ago
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1) No wart ever appeared as a red pimple-like bump; the groin is a possible site but uncommon, especially on both sides. Initial genital warts usually occur at sites of friction during sex, like the penis, vaginal opening, labia etc.
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2) This is irrelevant, since you definitely didn’t have warts. But I’ve never heard of warts resolving spontaneously in less than 4-5 months. I’m not familiar with “hydrozole” and doubt it is effective against warts.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
47 months ago
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I looked up hydrozole cream, active ingredient hydrocortisone, a weak anti-inflammatory steroid. It would have no benefit warts, in theory could make them grow more. ---
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47 months ago
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Thank you so much for your response Dr Handsfield
I have just remembered that I also forgot to ask you something
1. So I also remember on my groin or very close to my groin area, so between where my groin and testicle area meets, there was a kind of flesh coloured tiny rough protrusion which felt hard when I touched. I believe there are some pores around this area as well. It kind of blended in with my skin so I didn't really notice it until I was also scrubbing that area and felt something rough and it was rather small. I'd say between 1-2 mm in size. I don't know how long it was there for but it was kind of loose during the time when I noticed it and looked like it was about to fall off, so I was able to move it. It wasn't always loose. I think it only became loose because maybe I touched it too much but I'm unsure. However, when it was loose and I touched it, it hurt a lot(it was a stinging sensation). It was like it was going to fall off and when I touched it, it moved around. After it fell off, there was some redness and possibly tiny bit of bleeding. Unsure though. Then I remember when I was drying up after the shower, it fell off when I wiped that area. Does this at all sound like a wart? Would a wart hurt like this when it is "loose" and going to fall off or do they not behave in this way. I read in a previous post that warts don't hurt at all but I wasn't sure if this applied to when it's about to fall off. (it kind of reminded me of a clogged pore on my face when I can sometimes scratch off by just pulling on it)
2. How come you can develop warts in different regions upon reactivation or is that unknown. I've been having some anal pain and I went to the colorectal and pelvic floor surgeon who did a thorough PR exam. He wrote he saw no anal pathologies on the diagnosis. I know this may seem very extreme but I was worried that the HPV may have caused complications in my anal region which is causing my pain e.g. anal cancer or warts.If I did have any of what I said ie the warts+cancer, the colorectal surgeon would have definitely noticed it right? Once again, sorry if the question seems absurd.
Thank you
I have just remembered that I also forgot to ask you something
1. So I also remember on my groin or very close to my groin area, so between where my groin and testicle area meets, there was a kind of flesh coloured tiny rough protrusion which felt hard when I touched. I believe there are some pores around this area as well. It kind of blended in with my skin so I didn't really notice it until I was also scrubbing that area and felt something rough and it was rather small. I'd say between 1-2 mm in size. I don't know how long it was there for but it was kind of loose during the time when I noticed it and looked like it was about to fall off, so I was able to move it. It wasn't always loose. I think it only became loose because maybe I touched it too much but I'm unsure. However, when it was loose and I touched it, it hurt a lot(it was a stinging sensation). It was like it was going to fall off and when I touched it, it moved around. After it fell off, there was some redness and possibly tiny bit of bleeding. Unsure though. Then I remember when I was drying up after the shower, it fell off when I wiped that area. Does this at all sound like a wart? Would a wart hurt like this when it is "loose" and going to fall off or do they not behave in this way. I read in a previous post that warts don't hurt at all but I wasn't sure if this applied to when it's about to fall off. (it kind of reminded me of a clogged pore on my face when I can sometimes scratch off by just pulling on it)
2. How come you can develop warts in different regions upon reactivation or is that unknown. I've been having some anal pain and I went to the colorectal and pelvic floor surgeon who did a thorough PR exam. He wrote he saw no anal pathologies on the diagnosis. I know this may seem very extreme but I was worried that the HPV may have caused complications in my anal region which is causing my pain e.g. anal cancer or warts.If I did have any of what I said ie the warts+cancer, the colorectal surgeon would have definitely noticed it right? Once again, sorry if the question seems absurd.
Thank you
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47 months ago
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I forgot to add
In 2. It said "no anal pathologies, in particular no haemorrhoids nor any anal fissure"
In 2. It said "no anal pathologies, in particular no haemorrhoids nor any anal fissure"
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
47 months ago
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1. Warts are always firmly fixed to the tissues they affect and cannot be rubbed off. Probably it was a skin tag or something similar.
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2. The exact mechanism by which HPV shows up in areas not initially infected isn't known, but there are two main possibilities. First, finger contact, genital scratching, etc probably can auto-inoculate HPV to new areas not initially infected. This probably accounts for many anal infections in men who have not had anal sex. Second, infected cells probably migrate along the skin to nearby areas.
No HPV infection causes pain or itching, except when warts (usually very large ones, like an inch or more in diameter) are injured or become infected with local bacteria. Warts or HPV were not a likely explanation for your anal symptoms.
You're clearly obsessed with HPV, well beyond justification. Everybody gets genital HPV, often several times, but the large majority of infections never cause symptoms or any health problem. And warts should be viewed as an inconvenience, usually easily treated, and not a serious health problem. There's really no reason for you to be as concerned as you apparently have been.
That completes the two follow-up exchanges included with each question and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has been helpful. Best wishes and stay safe.
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