Sunday, August 19, 2007

Good News - Not All Genital Warts Are Caused By STDs

When a man who is not active sexually finds that he has warts on his penis, he may be confused and panicked. But, most people don't realize that warts on your penis may not be caused by an STD. It is possible that they are caused by one of several skin conditions.

These nonvenereal warts often look exactly like sexually transmitted warts. Often, warts on the penis are caused by HPV, or papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease. A layman can't tell the difference, but any dermatologist can tell you which is which.

Psoriasis is a skin condition where warts and lesions appear in certain areas of the body due to dry skin. You will often find these warts on the scrotum, penis itself or rectal area, the same places sexually transmitted warts appear. You may also experience itching and skin irritation around the wart. You may notice that the itching comes and goes. If you suffer from psoriasis, you probably will have other similar lesions on other parts of the body. Most commonly these are found on the back, knees or elbows.

Lichen planus is another non-sexually transmitted condition which may produce warts on the penis. These have a certain look; they are often flat on top, polygonal and slightly scaled. As with psoriasis, those who suffer from lichen planus often have similar skin trouble on different parts of the body.

These conditions are usually harmless and the warts usually disappear by themselves without treatment. But, in certain cases, they may become more numerous. If this happens, you should definitely talk to your doctor about treatment. Often, the same kinds of treatment are used for both venereal and nonvenereal warts such as these. The options are the same; chemicals, surgery or laser treatment to remove the warts. The main point of this treatment is to simply reduce the discomfort on your penis.

There are also medications which may be prescribed by your doctor for you to treat your penile warts by yourself at home. These are almost always used by prescription only. There are also over-the-counter drugs used to treat warts, but most doctors recommend not using them. If used incorrectly, the result can be serious pain and worsening of the problem. When you are being treated for penile warts, or during times when you are suffering from an outbreak, you should always wear loose clothes and cotton underwear. This will keep the affected areas from becoming irritated, and it goes for both HPV and nonvenereal warts.

If you aren't a sexually active person, but you find that you have warts on your penis, talk to your doctor about treating the problem. Don't be ashamed and feel like you picked it up somewhere. Cases of non-venereal genital warts are quite common.

4 comments:

Angela said...

The title of your post would have been better had it said: Not all HPV is transmitted sexually.

Unknown said...

great to read another healthy sexuality blog. you should also check out www.dinahproject.com

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Muna wa Wanjiru said...

If you're one of those squeamish people it would be best if you remained ignorant of what genital warts look like. You might want to read the information gathered on these sites, but if the thought of anything to do with your bodily functions leaves you nauseous, you should avoid these completely.

Ignorance really is best in this case and if you believe you might be suffering from genital warts and want to know what genital warts look like you might be better off gathering the courage to go see your doctor instead, to confirm or deny that you have genital warts.

Sometimes the direct approach is the best, and this way you will also be assured of getting the necessary treatment. And if you really want to see what genital warts look like, you can always go back to any of these sites.


Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on Genital Warts for years. For more information on genital warts look like, visit his site at GENITAL WARTS LOOK LIKE