Do I have HPV warts or vestibular paplomatosis?

[Rose394749]

Hello, I am a 23 year old female with only 1 sexual partner and I have multiple papillary bumps on my labia, around my vaginal entrance, my vaginal canal also seems to have a rougher structure, I assume there are the same changes inside as well. My lesions are little shinny skin coloured papules, they form symetrical lines and are also diffusely spread out on my labia. They are not found anywhere else apart from my vaginal mucosa. I have been trying to understand the difference between VP and HPV for months now, and to me my growths seem to be exactly like vp and nothing like hpv, I also read that vp can grow inside a vaginal canal. However, I think even in the medical world, many obgyns still think that squamous papilloma (or vp) is caused by hpv and treat it as warts. I am getting aldara treatment right now but I am extremely unsure of the diagnosis. How do I tell the difference?

[auntiejessi]

The only way to truly now is to get a biopsy. I would do that before using aldara all over your labia. VP doesn't require treatment - it's not a disease.

If it is HPV, waiting while you get the biopsy won't make any real difference, and you can treat it with the aldara after.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326886#diagnosis

https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology/article/68518/infectious-diseases/vestibular-papillomatosis-benign-condition-mimicking

Have you had the HPV vaccine? Had risk for HPV? If you are low risk for HPV, (though it's incredibly common and most of us will get it at least once), I'd definitely push for the biopsy. My reasoning would be not using aldara all over your labia if not needed.

[auntiejessi]

Oops - that's truly know, not now.