[pinknfwuffy]

I have two small warts on my right thumb. They have been there for a while and appeared about a year after a previous one was removed in the same area. The only other time I have seen one was on my hand as a kid (nearly 15 years ago) which was frozen off.

I am sure this sounds like a naive question, but do warts on the hands have any connection to herpes or genital warts? I have had no symptoms of those problems and know warts are generally caused by a strain of HPV, but I really want to be sure that I understand the differences between warts, herpes, HPV, etc. because I don't want to put my partners at risk for anything like that. I am aware that digital warts are contagious and am in the process of having these current ones removed. I have looked online but the advice can be confusing.

In short... what is the relationship between regular warts and sexual health?

[ItsASecret]

The sexual linked warts typically remain in the sexual areas. Herpes is a bad class of infection which manifests typically as the oral herpes version (certain types of cold sores) or the regular sexual type taking over the entire genital area. HPV again limited to the vaginal area. The warts on your thumb, I had one once on my knuckle, are generally the "planters warts" type deal. Basically a wart that needs to be frozen off or treated by a dermatologist with topical acids and other drugs. They are very very contagious so until you have them removed try not to engage in anything sexual involving the possible transfer of the virus to either your genitals or his.

[Allie602]

pinknfwuffy The viruses that cause warts on your hands and feet need temperature below body temperature or they wont grow, your hands and feet are cooler than your body core so they won't survive in you vaginal area. Because of their sensitivity to heat, you can use that factor to get rid of them.

Every 24 hr, soak your hands in the hottest water you can stand. It should be just below scalding temp. You may at first have to remove your hands after 1/2 min but, when they cool a bit put them back in, soak for 20 mins. You have to keep it up every day. Do that every day until they are gone. I am not suggesting your burn your skin so be very carful.

This is may be more effective than burning them off one by one because they tend to occur in clusters and are dormant for a while in the skin and then start growing. So you may have dormant virus on other parts of your hand. Heat kills them off globally. So try it.