Should I be worried about getting genital warts if I have flat warts caused by HPV?

Doctor's Answers 1

HPV or the Human Papilloma Virus infection is the cause of viral warts. There are over a hundred different strains of HPV. Different strains of HPV tend to favour different sites e.g. the strains of HPV that cause genital warts are often different from the strains that cause finger warts or feet warts. So the risk of spreads from of warts from the finger to the genitals is very small. If your flat or plane warts are on the face or limbs for example, the risk of getting genital warts will be very low.

Genital warts are predominantly spread by sexual contact. Avoiding high risk sexual contact is the best way to prevent genital warts infection. There are HPV vaccines available that significantly reduce the risk of genital HPV and cervical cancer. They are recommended for teens and young adults and even some adults. You can speak to your doctor more about HPV vaccination.

Similar Questions

How can I remove warts on nose?

Thank you for your question! Skin growths should be carefully assessed before removal. If they have been growing quickly, it may be useful to biopsy them for further investigation. If not, electrocautery or CO2 laser ablation can remove them, usually in a single session. Hope this helps.

What are ways to manage cutaneous warts?

There are many treatment options for treating cutaneous wart. There are actually different types of warts such as viral warts and seborrhoeic warts so the first step is to confirm the diagnosis. Viral warts are due to human papillomavirus and are contagious and can spread by contact with the virus. Seborrhoeic warts are benign growths that occur more frequently as you age and is not contagious. There are many ways to treat a viral wart. The following are the most commonly used treatment modality. Topical salicylic acid preparations.

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Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

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