Why HPV On Your Feet Does Not Equal Cancer In Your Future
The human papilloma virus, or HPV, has gotten a lot of air time lately. This particular HPV strain is an STD that, when left to its own, can cause cancer in both sex's genitals in the distant future. That said, you may find it disconcerting when your foot doctor tells you that you have HPV on your feet. You should know why HPV on your feet does not equal cancer in your future.
Different Strains of HPV
The HPV in your groin region causes genital warts. The HPV on your feet also causes warts. However, sticking your wart-infected foot on someone's naked bottom, or your wart-infected bottom on someone's naked foot, will not cause you to develop HPV and warts on the uninfected body part. The reason for this is that the HPV on your feet and the HPV in the genitals are two entirely different strains of HPV and cannot transfer to the other body parts.
One Causes Cancer, the Other Does Not
HPV and genital warts clear up on their own (usually). Yet, in some people, it fails to heal. These people experience a re-occurrence of genital warts, which is a tip-off that they are carriers of the cancer-causing strain of HPV. This strain requires a prescription to make the warts go away, since no over-the-counter product can be used on the genitals and this strain of the virus will not be affected by any other type of wart-remover product. Because this strain cannot transfer to your feet (regardless of whatever weird, kinky thing you do), your feet will never get cancer. That is simply not how it works.
On the flip side, the HPV and warts on your feet will also clear up. People who are more susceptible to warts may continue to develop them on the bottoms of their feet. This strain of the virus on your feet will never turn into cancer, regardless of the frequency with which you develop foot warts. Ergo, that means that foot warts, while unpleasant and quite painful, are completely incapable of becoming lethal. You can rest easy while you treat your foot warts with over-the-counter treatments.
See Your Foot Doctor
If the warts on the bottom of your foot refuse to heal after treating them for several weeks, you should see a foot doctor. Many diseases and foot problems tend to develop rather quickly and may need more aggressive treatments that what you can buy in the store. Your doctor may be able to prescribe something stronger or set up in-house surgery to remove the wars.
