Warts

How common are warts?

Genital and anal warts are one of the most common infections. In 2005 over 4,000 gay and bisexual men were treated in UK clinics for them. A lot of visits to clinics are to do with warts because it can take a long time for treatment to get rid of them.

What causes warts?

Anal and genital warts are caused by a virus that lives in the skin. Once you have the virus it can stay in your body for several years, but that doesn't mean you'll keep getting warts.

What are the symptoms of warts?

A few weeks or many months after infection very small growths (the size of a pinhead to begin with) appear on their own or in groups. They:

  • grow mostly on the head of your cock and in and around your arse
  • might appear in your mouth, on your face or on other parts of your body
  • are lighter in colour than the surrounding skin
  • may itch
  • warts in the arse can bleed.

Untreated warts can spread and get bigger, sometimes becoming cauliflower-shaped.

How are warts passed on?

Warts are usually passed on when someone's skin touches another person's warts: this can happen during sex.

It's also possible for the virus to be passed on when no warts are on the skin.

How are warts prevented?

You can stop warts being passed on by:

  • using a condom when fucking or latex glove for fisting
  • covering the affected area with a latex barrier during sex until the warts have been treated.

If you have genital warts you must be seen by a doctor. They can't be cured with treatments from chemists that are used for warts on the hand. The sooner warts are treated, the easier they are to get rid of, so it's a good idea to check your penis regularly for warts.

Treatments are:

  • freezing the warts with liquid nitrogen
  • putting on a special type of (non-painful) acid
  • using a cream.

It can take several trips to the clinic to get rid of warts. You may be given cream to put on the warts at home. If other treatments don't work, warts can be removed surgically or by laser, but this isn't common.

The wart virus lives on in the body even when the warts have gone, so they can come back and need treating again. If you have HIV, warts can be harder to treat.