HPV

HPV is… a nasty virus to have. In essence, it’s genital warts. It’s a virus that once you catch… it doesn’t go away. However, in most individuals, it goes completely dormant around the age of 30 and doesn’t come back. Unfortunately I’m 32 and it’s shown up once or twice in the past couple years. Thankfully I know how to battle it and it goes away again for loooong stretches after treatment.

God must have an odd sense of humor. I battled molluscum contagiosum for a year, went through absolute hell doing so… and then a couple years later, HPV showed up on me. I was not very sexually active, I was careful, and I was monogamous… and yet… bam. Of course, it’s possible that I contracted it several years before, but it stayed dormant. It can do that. They say most people who carry the virus likely caught it in college, even if it was just from fooling around and not full-on intercourse.

HPV doesn’t hurt. Similar to molluscum, they’re just lesions on your skin. But, also like molluscum, those little spots screw with your head, make you feel icky, and prevent you from having sex. Best to take care of them right away. Do NOT just “sit and wait for them to go away,” since they often won’t.

Unfortunately, the tea tree oil, so effective on molluscum, does not work on HPV. I’ve tried.

Some people recommend apple cider vinegar. I tried it. I don’t recommend it… and I elaborate why HERE. (link coming soon)

In my experience, the best way to tackle the virus is through the liquid nitrogen method. It’s painful, take 2 weeks to heal… but it does the trick. And you can do it at home. How? Compound W Freeze-Off. You can find it at your local pharmacy. However, I don’t recommend using it on yourself unless you’ve had the spots frozen off at least once by a professional, so that you can recognize the sensations. It’s a delicate procedure, that done incorrectly can damage the skin or lead to scarring. That won’t happen if you’re careful, but there are some subtle hints to look for in terms of exactly how long to apply the liquid nitrogen.

The best way I could describe the sensations is this. When you first apply the liquid nitrogen to the spot, there will be a hissing sound. You may feel cold, but no pain at first. Then, after 3-5 seconds, there is a SHARP pain. This is the hard part; this is why you have to grit your teeth, suck it up, and keep it applied. From here, give it at least a full 5 seconds. Up to 10 is safe, but no more than that. Then remove the swab, and toss it in the trash.

From here it will take a couple days for the red spots to develop into scabs. The skin will be tender, and often hurt as you move around. This is part of the process. Once the spots scab, the pain lessens. The whole scabbing process takes about 2 weeks. Be PATIENT as they heal, and let them fall off on their own. Don’t pick at them. And there’s no need to try applying any oil or stuff on the outside of the scab… just be patient with it. Some pain may return as the scabs get ready to fall off, since they’ll be stretching the surrounding skin areas. This is normal. Then, when the scabs are gone… the lesions should be gone as well.


HPV is contagious, so abstain from sex while the lesions are present. It’s possible that they could be under the hair, so be careful. If you feel around, look for a solid red bump. These bumps are often by themselves, and not in clusters. They’re usually darker as well, and look more solid, less bubbly than other types of lesions. Just one might be an in-grown hair… but if you see a few around that don’t go away after a few days, it could be HPV. Check with your doctor to be sure before trying anything.

On occasion a cluster of in-grown hairs can appear after a waxing. These typically go away after a few days, so if you’ve shaved or gotten waxed recently and then see the red spots a day or two later, don’t freak out… give it time and see if they fade normally and naturally.

12 thoughts on “HPV

  1. Hey I left a MSG to u on ur MC blog and then I saw this one on hpv which I found so interesting aswell because my results from my Pap smear last sep(2012) I had abnormal changes to the cervix and was told I had low-risk hpv and told not to worry, etc. I did tell the doctor this when I showed her the bumps and she said they are definantly MC and not from hpv but I don’t know how I would have got MC.

    • Emma,

      We just had a baby, so I understand the pregnancy stress. And don’t freak out about where you got this virus; most people I talk to got it as a fluke, from a hot tub, toilet, locker room, or something similar. The people that contract it from sex are, ironically, the minority.

      The 100% tea tree oil is an all natural treatment method that should have no adverse effects whatsoever to the pregnancy, so give that a try. Don’t shave the area for a while; if you have to do hair removal, use a gentle approach like nair. You don’t want to accidentally pop one of these spots.

      Also try to keep the spots as dry as possible – no lotions or creams. And no soaking in the tub. Short showers, dry off, apply the oil. Apply it twice a day (no more), and give it a couple weeks to work. I can’t make any guarantees, but MOST people I talk to report success anywhere from 2 weeks to a few months.

      Hang in there, and I hope this helps. Be patient and consistent with it. You’ll get through this.

      • Thanks for the advice ill let you know how I go later on. your right my partner tells me all the time it’s nothing to worry about to . So far the bumps have gone down alot, some I can’t even see they are just red dots n some are like a blister..thank god I think they are going. :)

    • Umm.. 75/25 I suppose; it works, but it’s just damn painful and takes a while to heal, and there’s often a couple spots growing under the skin that get missed, that’s my main gripe with it.

      • hey I used the tea tree oil on the area aswell after I got them frozen off and I thought they were gone after the scabs came off but now two new ones popped up one is really small and one is really big and Ive been using the tea tree oil, I thought it was suppose to prevent from anymore coming up? should I go get these last two frozen and keeping using tea tree oil on it, or just stick it out with the tea tree oil? help!

        • Often there are spots we don’t even see, growing under the skin, which is why I direct to use the oil on the whole area. This is also an example while I don’t recommend starting with the liquid nitrogen method, since it’s easy to miss a spot.

          If new spots appear, like these have, use the oil on them. Applying the oil early on should prevent them from maturing and kill them quickly. And there’s no guarantee that when you start the treatment that the virus is 100% gone, often times new spots show up and you have to treat those too. Just keep an eye on the area and be diligent about it.

  2. Hi,

    I just tried your suggestion of using Compound W to freeze a wart off on the tip of my penis. The wart looks like it survived, which I kinda figured it would, but what concerns me is that the area I froze is now a VERY dark red, almost purple. I don’t think it’s infected or swollen. Just changed color. Is that normal? Will it go away?

    • The redness goes away, and is usually a side effect of the treatment kept on for a little too long at the time of application. If you apply a little vitamin E oil on the affected skin that should help it heal faster.

      It’s good to have the experience with a dermatologist at least once before trying the home freezing method, just so you can recognize the sensations and exactly how long to apply the freezing agent.

      Again I’m not a doctor, but I’ve been frozen several times so I base my comments on my experience, so I hope this helps. And I’m surprised that you say the wart survived that; typically they die, fold into the scab, and then fall off. I hope didn’t try and pick away the scab too early, because that would affect the healing method.

      • It’s been a little over a week and the wart seems to be gone. The redness turned into a scab and is healing. Boy that hurt for awhile though.

  3. I’ve been freezing these stupid warts off for months and new ones pop up. What’s the deal? Do they just keep coming back? I did the Nutrition Response Testing and have been on the supplements for months. I’m not sure this is going away. Very frustrated.

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