Mr. Onur Gilleard
Qualifications & Experience
Mr Onur Gilleard is a distinguished consultant plastic surgeon on the GMC specialist register. He previously held an NHS consultant post at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, specialising in skin cancer and microsurgical reconstruction. In 2021, Mr Gilleard transitioned from the NHS to dedicate himself fully to private practice, allowing him to focus exclusively on providing personalised, high-quality care to his patients. He is recognised as an expert in laser treatments, having conducted research and developed advanced treatment protocols using cutting-edge laser technology to optimise both clinical outcomes and cosmetic results.
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Genital warts are soft growths on the genital or anal skin caused by low-risk HPV (mainly types 6 and 11) — a completely different group from the high-risk types linked to cancer, and different again from the everyday HPV that causes hand and foot warts. They’re one of the most common STIs, are not cancer-causing, and are very treatable. This guide explains the HPV family plainly, whether they can be cured for good, why antiviral tablets do nothing, whether to treat or wait — and why a diagnosis is not a verdict on you or your partner.
What Causes Genital Warts
Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), specifically the low-risk types — most often 6 and 11. The virus passes through skin-to-skin sexual contact and is extremely common: most sexually active people encounter HPV at some point. Warts may appear weeks or months after contact, or not at all, which is why it’s often impossible to pinpoint when or from whom the virus came.
The HPV Family: Which Type Does What
“HPV” isn’t one virus — it’s a family of over 100 types that behave very differently. Confusing them is the source of most of the fear around a genital wart diagnosis, so it’s worth seeing them side by side:
| Group | Example types | What they cause | Cancer risk? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutaneous (skin) | 1, 2, 4, 27, 57 | Common warts on hands, fingers and feet (verrucas) | No |
| Low-risk genital | 6, 11 | Around 9 in 10 genital warts | No |
| High-risk | 16, 18 | Linked to cervical and some other cancers; usually no visible warts | Yes (long-term) |
The takeaway matters: having genital warts (types 6 and 11) does not mean you carry a cancer-causing type, and a common wart on your hand has nothing to do with sexual health at all — those come from the cutaneous types, explained in our wart & verruca removal guide.
Symptoms to Recognise
Warts can be small or large, single or clustered, flat or raised with a slightly cauliflower-like surface. They’re usually painless but may itch or, occasionally, bleed. In women they may appear on the vulva, inside the vagina, or around the cervix or anus — see early-stage HPV warts in women. In men they appear on the penis, scrotum or around the anus. Peri-anal and anal warts can affect anyone. Because other conditions can look similar, a professional diagnosis is the sensible first step.
Can They Be Cured for Good?
It helps to separate two things: the warts are the visible growths; the HPV is the virus in the skin that produces them. Treatment removes the warts effectively, but no cream, freeze or operation wipes out the virus itself — it lives inside your own skin cells, which is what makes it hard to target with a drug. Be wary of anything claiming to “kill HPV forever.”
The encouraging part: your immune system usually does the job that no drug can. For most people HPV becomes inactive and undetectable within about one to two years, after which warts stop returning. There’s no routine test that confirms the virus has completely gone, so “clearance” is judged by warts no longer forming. So warts do usually go for good — just on the immune system’s timetable, not instantly.
Do Antivirals Work? The Herpes/HPV Mix-Up
No — ordinary antiviral tablets do nothing for genital warts. Drugs such as aciclovir and valaciclovir are designed for the herpes virus, interfering with how it copies itself. HPV, which causes warts, replicates differently and isn’t affected by them; there is currently no specific antiviral drug for HPV. Much of the confusion comes from mixing up two different infections — genital herpes (herpes simplex, treated with antivirals) and genital warts (HPV, not treated with antivirals). They look and behave differently and need different treatment, so if you’re unsure which you have, a clinician can confirm it.
Should You Treat Them or Leave Them?
Leaving genital warts untreated is a valid choice — they’re caused by low-risk HPV, don’t turn into cancer, and in many people the immune system clears them within months to a couple of years. There’s no medical urgency. The trade-offs of waiting are practical: untreated warts can grow, multiply, itch or bleed, and can still be passed to partners. So it comes down to comfort, appearance and partner considerations. If you’d like them dealt with, removal is quick and effective — the methods and costs are in the complete genital wart removal guide. Either way, having the diagnosis confirmed is worthwhile, because a few other conditions can look similar.
The Emotional Side — and “Whose Fault Is It?”
A diagnosis can feel upsetting or embarrassing, but it’s worth keeping in perspective: this is a common, treatable infection caused by a virus most people are exposed to — not a judgement on you. The hardest part is often the question of blame, and here the science is genuinely reassuring: HPV can lie dormant for months or years before a wart appears, so a new diagnosis in a long relationship is not evidence of recent infidelity. It’s usually an old infection surfacing. Framed as information rather than accusation, that fact spares a lot of unnecessary hurt — more in our guide to disclosure and relationships.
How the HPV Vaccine Helps
The HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9) protects against the main wart-causing types (6 and 11) and several high-risk cancer-causing types. It works best given before exposure, which is why it’s offered to teenagers — but it can still be worth discussing as an adult, because it protects against types you haven’t yet encountered and is associated with lower recurrence after treatment. It is not designed to prevent the common skin warts on hands and feet, but those are harmless anyway.
When to Seek Help
See a clinician to confirm the diagnosis and discuss treatment if you notice new growths in the genital or anal area, particularly if they’re spreading, bleeding or bothering you. You can be treated free and confidentially at an NHS sexual health (GUM) clinic, or privately for speed and discretion — the full options and costs are in the complete genital wart removal guide, and recurrence is covered in genital wart recurrence.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the difference between HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18?
- Types 6 and 11 are low-risk and cause about 9 in 10 genital warts — they do not cause cancer. Types 16 and 18 are high-risk and linked to cervical and some other cancers, but usually cause no visible warts. Having genital warts means the low-risk types, not the cancer-linked ones.
- Can genital warts be cured for good?
- Treatment reliably removes the visible warts, but no treatment eradicates the HPV virus itself. In most people the immune system clears it within one to two years, after which warts stop returning — so they usually go for good, just not instantly.
- No. Antivirals like aciclovir treat herpes, a different virus, and have no effect on HPV. There is no specific antiviral for HPV. Warts are cleared by physical removal or prescription topical treatments, matched to your case at a consultation.
- What happens if I don’t treat genital warts?
- They’re not dangerous and some clear on their own, so watchful waiting is reasonable. But untreated warts can grow, multiply, itch or bleed, and can still be passed to partners. It comes down to your comfort and preference; either way, confirming the diagnosis is worthwhile.
- Does having genital warts mean a partner was unfaithful?
- Not at all. HPV can lie dormant for a long time before warts appear, so a new diagnosis doesn’t indicate when the virus was caught or imply infidelity. It simply reflects how common and persistent the virus is.
- How common are genital warts?
- Very common — one of the most frequent STIs, caused by a virus that most sexually active people encounter at some point. Having them is not a reflection of anything other than how widespread HPV is.
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