How common is HPV that causes warts? I've had a wart on my hand before. Are all warts caused by HPV? I read on the CDC website that at least 50% of sexually active adults with contract genital HPV sometime in their life. I know using a condom and dental dam reduce these risks by about 70% (???), but exactly how common is genital / regular HPV? Does HPV go away once the wart is gone? From what I understand, recurrence is possible if you don't destroy the wart's root. Do the doctors do that? Just some questions.
You should understand that the warts that occur in genitals and those of other parts of bodies may are different, in a way that they are caused by the same virus, but fo different strain. Just because you had a wart on your had, it does not mean you'll have warts on your genital.
HPV has several different types. Some of the types don't seem to have much effect. Some types cause warts. Some types cause lasting changes in the cells that can eventually become cancerous. In the case of oral, anal or genital HPV infections, what we worry about are the types that can eventually become cancerous. The are no warts or visible signs of infection in this type of HPV- at least at first. These are the types that are in the HPV immunizations that we recommend for teenagers. The types that cause warts are not the types that cause cancer. In some cases, the wart appears and goes away on its own. It's not clear whether the resolution of the wart also ends the infection and the ability to transmit the virus. In some cases, if the warts persist, the can be removed with medication, freezing with nitrogen or with laser. The warts are on the outer-most surface of the skin, so removing the cells that carry the infection usually resolves the wart permanently.
