Hi! I'm looking for info on hpv-related warts on hands and feet. Any help or pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated. I've not found this mentioned on many HPV FAQ pages. Maybe I missed it here somewhere?

About 4 years ago, my pap came back abnormal and the dr said I had a high risk strain of HPV, so i got the paps every 3 months until they came back clear, about 3 times later. never had any genital warts and still dont. i figured the hpv was gone at that point.

But, around i developed one tiny wart (i think it's a wart?) on a toe, and 2 tiny ones next to each other on my pointer finger. For about 2 years they didnt bother me. Recently, the finger ones have been really growing, becoming sore. I actually just had it frozen off by a general practitioner, but he didnt give me any info about it, and didnt say whether it was related to hpv. (im kicking myself for not asking better questions.) i think it will need to be burned againt to be completely removed.

My questions - can hpv cause warts on hands & feet? ive heard that usually genital warts go away in about 2 years... but these have been around for about 4 years and just recently started to grow (no other health problems which would exacerbate it.)

will they spread? if i burn them, will they come back?

i am particularly curious if you know where i can find pictures of hpv warts on hands and feet - i have not seen any picture that look like mine, and so i'm not sure what they even are.

if this helps, the most defining characteristic are the little dark red dots that look like tiny strings the size of pin pricks in the center of each. (now, on the hand it's several pin pricks.)

basically - what is it and what should i do??? i can't find any info about this..

thank you!!!

Hi Seahorse,

Thanks for posting. There are over 100 types of HPV, and many of them do cause warts of the hands and feet. These types are not the same as those found in the genital area, and are certainly not the ones that would ever cause an abnormal Pap test. Even when little kids get warts of the fingers and hands, it's almost always related to HPV - just not the sexually transmitted types.

You might try the Public Health Image Library to see if you can find pictures of warts: http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp

Take care and post anytime you have questions.

Best,
Fredo

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ASHA Moderator

thanks, fredo. much appreciated.