[thecatlady]

So, I recently found out I have HPV. My boyfriend didn't know, I guess, because apparently there is no test to detect it in men. My pap smear said I didn't have cancer, and I don't have genital warts or anything like that. So, hopefully I just have one of the many strains that don't cause symptoms and go away within a year or so.

But, I was wondering if anyone knew if HPV can spread to different areas of my body? Like, let's say I touched myself and then licked my finger. Can I spread it to my mouth? I mean, there are no warts and nothing visible, no symptoms, so I don't know if there's even anything to spread, but I am just being super cautious.

[thecatlady]

Yes genital herpes (HSV-2) can infect the face. Cold sores which are another type of herpes (HSV-!) can also infect the genitals if you do oral while you have them. However it can't survive there. You will only get one outbreak and then it will be gone. Whereas when herpes is in it's preferred living spot it goes dormant in a portion of the spinal column after an outbreak. Causing the potential for repeat outbreaks. It can also infect other areas and a common example is dentists that didn't wear gloves would sometimes get infected fingers. See this wiki section



That stuff can get everywhere and the version that causes cold sores is actually worse than the version that causes genital herpes but we don't see cold sores as that bad and freak over genital herpes. Maybe because we are infected with HSV-1 as children and then our immune system mostly takes care of it unless we have bad luck while HSV-2 is contracted as an adult and we get to see the results. It's estimated 80% of the US population will have herpes before they die and half won't even know it.

I don't have herpes, I have HPV. That's human papillomavirus. It's a different virus from HSV, and there is a way to detect that in males, unlike with HPV.