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About Mark Behar
Expertise
Almost any question or concern about sexually transmitted infections, abnormal Pap smears, anal cytology (anal "Pap smears"), gay men's health issues. There is no such thing as “d/d free” or “clean” (free of infection), so why do so many of us deceive ourselves into thinking that some people are indeed totally free from a potentially infectious disease, like HIV, herpes, hepatitis, syphilis, chlamydia, warts, gonorrhea, etc., just because they say so? Clinical laboratory tests are not perfect, and having a “negative” or “nonreactive” test does not mean that a person is free from infection. Perhaps at the moment the test was taken, the person was uninfected; or, perhaps, the test wasn’t sensitive enough to detect presence of the infection. There is really no way that anyone can determine that they are truly “disease free,” and there are over a hundred of infectious conditions that can be spread without your knowing anything. Rather than trying to “prescreen” or “serosort” a potential sex-mate with deceptive questions that are impossible to know by today’s technologies, a wiser option may be to consider everyone infected with something, and either use appropriate protective measures (“safer sex”), or accept the responsibility and conseqences of possibly “catching” something from someone who’s hotter than expected (pun intended!). There is much research that supports the contention that an HIV positive person reliably taking HIV medications, and having an undetectable viral load, presents a lower risk for transmission of HIV than people who may think or say they are HIV negative, but are not. Food for thought!

Experience
Family Practice PA since 1981; Volunteer Clinician for Brady East STD (BESTD) Clinic, Milwaukee, since 1977; answer STD questions submitted to their web site. Professionally lectured at national and regional Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner conferences, and at national gay & lesbian health conferences on topics including HIV/AIDS, herpes, hepatitis, STDs, human papilloma virus (the cause of venereal warts), abnormal Pap smears, gay and lesbian health issues, among others.

Organizations
Co-Founder, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Gay Physician Assistant Caucus of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, Inc.; Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants; American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP); Board of Directors, National Association of Black and White Men Together: A Gay, Multiracial Organization for All People (NABWMT)

Publications
Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (JAPA)

Education/Credentials
Physician Assistant Certified, since 1982; Masters in Physician Assistant Studies; Colposcopy Recognition Award, American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP);

Awards and Honors
Colposcopy Recognition Award (CRA), from the American Association of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology; Distinguished Fellow, American Academy of Physician Assistants; Fellow, Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants

Past/Present Clients
Brady East STD Clinic, Milwaukee, WI

You are here: Experts > Teens > Health for Teens > Sexually Transmitted Diseases > genital warts

Sexually Transmitted Diseases - genital warts

Expert: Mark Behar - 11/2/2009

Question
I recently was with a friend of mine that has genital warts...we kissed and he fingered me....i also gave him a hand job....which he came all over my hand and a little on my stomach just above my genital area where i had just shaved earlier that evening....My question is: Is it possible that I could contract genital warts virus through this interaction by him coming on me and/or fingering me? (I do believe he was in a breakout phase because i did feel what i think were warts towards the base of his penis....but as I kept my hand up at the tip after i felt that and as soon as i got in my apt I took a hot shower and washed myself everywhere that he had contact with me.)

Answer
Hello Nervousinstl,
Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely, no. However, it is a good idea to look before you touch next time! That is a good reason to start of showering together, followed by a mutual massage, whereby you can examine each other's skin, followed by the sexual activity that you both wish. It needn't be an obvious clinical examination with a bright light and magnifying glass, although some people might like that too!!

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a skin virus, not one carried by the semen (cum, or ejaculate). The virus is most efficiently transmitted through direct skin to skin contact while rubbing associated with sex.

The bad news is that if you were to actually develop warts, there is no good way to say that it was because of this particular person, or someone previously, in which you may have had the "traditional variety" of sexual activity. Also, the hot shower really would not have done anything, except make you feel clean; had HPV entered into your injured skin, it would not have washed away the virus, as the tissue would have already been infected.

Good luck!
--mark

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