common wart

plantar wart

Q: Can a wart on my finger spread to my genital area?

A:  All warts (or "verrucae") are caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).  On the hands, they're referred to as common warts; on the lesser of the anxiety they're called plantar warts; around the fingernails they're chosen periungual warts; on the genitals or around the anal surface area they're called genital warts.

Take a deep breath… I know those 3 footling letters strike fearfulness in the hearts of all college and grad students, especially those who are sexually active, just there are over 150 distinct strains of HPV and they all prefer certain body parts and skin types.  For case, HPV-one has a pes fetish and causes plantar warts while HPV 6 and 11 prefer to hang out in the "junk 1000" and crusade genital warts.

So while you lot technically have HPV on your finger – which I know is creepy to recall about – it really likes the neighborhood and has no plans to move down to the "Curt Due north" so to speak.  I know the blogosphere and wiki-land is ripe with people who swear that they got genital warts from fingers (either their ain or someone else's) – and while the mysterious nature of life (and fearfulness of lawyers) preclude me from "never maxim never" – the odds of that really happening are extremely small.

On the surface (ha ha) warts seem similar a dizzy thing to worry about, but they can become a serious emotional outcome – the idea of beingness "infected" by annihilation can make you feel gross and the fact that they are visible and are spread by skin-to-skin contact can make them especially embarrassing and fifty-fifty touch on relationships.  But it'southward very important to remember that besides the strains of HPV that cause cervical and some other extremely rare types of cancer, warts are only a cosmetic upshot.  They are not a threat to your wellness or the health of your partners, and they about all articulate on their own within a twelvemonth or two.

And the expert news is that if you don't want to expect that long, in that location are pretty good handling options available at the Pupil Health Center to get rid of them quicker.  I'll talk about them in my next mail, just for now, rest assured that yous don't need to wear gloves every time you become to the bathroom!

All photos: UpToDate.com

John A. Vaughn, Doc
Student Health Services
The Ohio State Academy