I've been going through a crisis. About a month ago, I found a small, pore-sized greyish lump just above my penis. I went to the doctor, and he said too small to tell whether it's a wart. He sprayed it with liquid nitrogen anyways.

I'm now extremely depressed, more than any other time in my life. I feel disgusting, infected, and am worried that I have HPV warts, and will have warts pop up for years.

I have two questions.

One: how devastating is this for my dating life? I was in a 9 year relationship which just broke down, and I was trying to move on with my life. Should I be refraining from dating and sex? If so, how long should I be waiting?

Two: I've had plantar warts for about three and a half years. I'm worried that this means that I'm going to have issues clearing the virus causing the warts in my genital region, if I have that HPV strain.  Does having plantar warts for this long mean that I'm going to have trouble with an HPV strain that causes genital warts? I don't want to be having these warts forever.

Thank you.

1.  The lesion you describe does not sound at all typical for a wart and the location would be most unusual. None STI, non-HPV genITAL lesions are very common in the pubic area due to cysts, folliculitis, and other benign dermatologic processes.

2.  Even in the unlikely circumstances that the lesion that was treated was a wart, it is just not that big a deal.  Genital HPV is a normal part of sexual activity amongst adults. Whether they know it, or not, over 80% of unvaccinated sexually active adults will have had HPV at some point. Does not protect against HPV. For all practical purposes everyone has it.

3.  In over 98% of persons with genital HPV infection, it is a benign process which results without therapy overtime.

Thus, in response to your questions:

1.  First, you do not know you had HPV. Thus I would urge you not to change your dating activity based on a “what if” concern.  If per chance the lesion was HPV, it is more likely than not get any future partners that you have either will have already acquired HPV, will have been protected from infection I receipt of the HPV vaccine, or both.  Similarly given the low likelihood that the lease and you describe was HPV, I see no reason for disclosure to future partners.

2.  Your plantar warts and the fact that they have been present for more than two years in no way influences or impacts your HPV prognosis. The two are unrelated.

I hope this information is helpful. I would also urge you to gather more information. In doing so I would urge you to stay off the Internet where much of what is sad is incorrect, out of date, or just plain wrong.  Instead, please feel free to review the numerous prior interactions regarding HPV and warts which have occurred in the past on this forum. That is what they are therefore. Alternatively the sponsor of our website, ASHA, has a superb website which also provides useful information on HPV. I hope this helps. EWH

Thanks very much.  Dr. Hook.

I think more accurately I'd say it was the size of a pin-head, or a large pore.