Genital warts usually show up as a small, painless bump or a cluster of bumps in the genital or anal area, sometimes flat, sometimes raised and cauliflower-shaped. They're caused by low-risk HPV types. High-risk HPV, the kind linked to cancer, causes no warts and no symptoms at all, so screening matters more than self-exams.
of HPV-attributable cancers
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Currently infected | ~42 million |
| New infections / yr | ~13 million |
| Clear within 2 years | ~90% |
| Vaccine prevents | >90% — of HPV-attributable cancers |
What do genital warts look like?
Genital warts typically appear as a small bump or a group of bumps in the genital area CDC, About HPV. They can be tiny or large, raised or flat, and several together can form a cauliflower-like shape. Common spots include the vulva, vaginal opening, cervix, penis, scrotum, groin, around or inside the anus, and the upper thighs. Color ranges from skin-toned to pink to slightly darker than surrounding skin.
Most warts don't hurt. Some people notice mild itching, irritation, or occasional bleeding if a wart gets rubbed or scratched. Because they're soft and often painless, they're easy to miss, and easy to confuse with normal anatomy like pearly penile papules or skin tags, so a clinician's eyes are the most reliable way to tell. HPV that causes warts comes from the low-risk types (6 and 11), and those types do not cause cancer.
High-risk HPV is usually silent — no symptoms at all
The HPV types that cause warts and the types that cause cancer are different infections. Most HPV infections are asymptomatic and cause no clinical disease whatsoever CDC Pink Book. High-risk types (16, 18, and others) produce no bump, no itch, and no discharge. You can carry high-risk HPV for years and feel completely fine.
That silence cuts both ways. In most cases, about 9 out of 10, HPV clears on its own within two years without causing any health problem. But when a high-risk infection persists, it can slowly change cells over years, and you won't feel it happening. Cervical screening exists to catch those silent changes before they become cancer.
Cancers HPV can cause
Persistent high-risk HPV can lead to cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, and anal cancers, plus cancer at the back of the throat (oropharyngeal cancer) NCI, HPV and Cancer. HPV's reach goes well beyond the cervix. It causes virtually all cervical cancer, over 90% of anal cancers, and about 70% of oropharyngeal cancers. Oropharyngeal cancer has now overtaken cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer in the US.
Types 16 and 18 alone cause about 66% of cervical cancers, and five other high-risk types (31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) account for roughly another 15%. None of these cancers comes from the wart-causing types, so finding (or never having) genital warts tells you nothing about your cancer risk. Cancer precursors are managed on their own track through screening rather than through wart treatment.
How soon do warts appear after exposure?
There's no fixed timeline. Genital warts can develop months or even years after you acquire HPV, and the moment of infection usually can't be pinned down. Because the virus can sit quietly before warts surface, a new wart doesn't reliably point to a recent partner or a specific encounter. If you're trying to figure out timing for any STI, see our guide on when to test after exposure, but for HPV specifically the latency is unpredictable.
How HPV and warts are diagnosed
Genital warts are diagnosed by a clinician looking at them, a visual exam, occasionally with a biopsy if the diagnosis is unclear. HPV testing is not used to diagnose warts; the results aren't confirmatory and don't change how warts are managed. A swab or blood test for "HPV" isn't part of a wart visit.
There is no routine HPV test for men. HPV testing isn't recommended to screen men, adolescents, or women under 30. For women, HPV is found through cervical screening, a Pap or HPV test, not through a general STD panel. If you want to understand the lab side, our overview of HPV testing explains who it's for and what it can and can't tell you.
Cervical screening (for people with a cervix)
The USPSTF gives cervical screening its highest (Grade A) recommendation USPSTF, 2018. Standard guidance: ages 21–29, cytology (Pap) every 3 years; ages 30–65, cytology every 3 years, or high-risk HPV testing alone every 5 years, or co-testing every 5 years. Screening isn't recommended before 21 or after 65 with adequate prior screening. More recent guidance moves toward starting at 25 with a primary HPV test every 5 years as the preferred approach ACS screening, since most HPV clears within two years anyway and HPV testing catches more true precancer with fewer visits.
Anal screening
CDC's 2021 guidance found the data insufficient to recommend routine anal cytology, even for men who have sex with men or people with HIV CDC STI Tx. That position predates the 2022 ANCHOR trial, which showed that treating anal high-grade lesions reduced anal cancer in people with HIV. Some specialty groups now suggest periodic anal Pap for high-risk groups where high-resolution anoscopy referral is available, but it is not a blanket CDC recommendation. If anal screening is on your mind, raise it with a clinician who knows your risk profile.
Treating genital warts
Several treatments exist, and none is clearly best. The right choice depends on the warts' size, number, and location, plus your preference. Treatment removes the visible warts but does not cure the virus, so warts can come back. Here's how the main options compare:
| Approach | What it is | Where it's done |
|---|---|---|
| Imiquimod (3.75% or 5%) cream | Prescription cream you apply at home over weeks | Patient-applied |
| Podofilox (0.5%) solution or gel | Prescription you apply to the warts at home | Patient-applied |
| Sinecatechins (15%) ointment | Plant-based ointment applied at home (not for immunocompromised or HIV-positive patients) | Patient-applied |
| Cryotherapy | Liquid nitrogen or a cryoprobe freezes the warts off | Provider-administered |
| TCA or BCA (80%–90%) | A chemical solution applied to the warts in clinic | Provider-administered |
| Surgery | Excision, curettage, laser, or electrosurgery | Provider-administered |
In practice, a clinic visit means the warts are frozen or treated in minutes, while home creams are applied over several weeks on a schedule. Either way, because treatment clears the warts but not the underlying virus, recurrence is common and isn't a sign you did anything wrong. For the full breakdown of options, side effects, and what recovery looks like, see our guide to genital warts treatment.
The HPV vaccine — what it prevents
The vaccine used in the US today is Gardasil 9, which protects against nine HPV types: 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 ACS, HPV vaccination. Types 6 and 11 cause more than 90% of genital warts, and the high-risk types it covers drive the large majority of HPV cancers. Older shots covered fewer types: the earlier quadrivalent Gardasil covered four (6, 11, 16, 18) and Cervarix covered two (16, 18). Since 2016 only Gardasil 9 has been distributed in the US, so it guards against more cancer-causing types.
Given at the recommended ages, the vaccine can prevent more than 90% of HPV-caused cancers, and it's about 98% effective against the precancers caused by HPV 16 and 18. It prevents cancer but doesn't cure it. Gardasil 9 won't clear an infection or warts you already have, and vaccinated people still need cervical screening. To see eligibility and timing past the teen years, read about the HPV vaccine for adults.
When to see a clinician
See a clinician if you notice a new bump, cluster, or change in the genital or anal area, partly to confirm what it is, since warts can resemble harmless skin findings. Don't try to freeze, cut, or burn a genital wart with over-the-counter products meant for hands and feet; those are too harsh for genital skin. Book a visit too if you're due for cervical screening, want the vaccine, or simply want a clear answer about a worrying bump. You can also get tested for other STIs at the same time, since exposure to one often means exposure to others.