Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Every
sexually active person will likely get HPV at some point in their life.
Over 100 human papillomaviruses
have been identified, and about 40 types can infect your genital area, mouth, and throat. These types of
HPV are spread during sexual skin-to-skin contact with someone who has it.
The virus can enter the epidermis’s basal layer through tiny skin breaks. In most cases, your body’s
immune system defeats an HPV infection before it creates warts. Once inside, the virus triggers cell
growth.
This allows the virus to make even more copies of itself. All those extra cells are what cause
warts, a potential symptom of HPV. Most people with HPV have no symptoms, but they can still pass the
virus to so others. Most genital HPV goes away on their own, but in cases where HPV sticks around, it
can Couse either genital warts or different kinds of cancer.
