Question: My friend and I shared a towel to dry off. I was spending the night at her house and was too shy to ask for my own towel. She has genital warts. Can I now have genital warts? ~ Ashley in Dallas
Answer: It is not possible to contract an STD from sharing a wet towel under most all circumstances. The only reason I did not say 100%, unequivical “NO” is due to those people whose idea of sharing a towel includes having some form of foreplay. It is definitely possible to get a sexually transmitted disease from foreplay. Genital warts is transmittable from non-penetration foreplay.
There are over 25 known forms of genital warts, and all of them are very easily contracted through direct physical contact of the genitals. This does not mean if someone touches their genitals then shakes hands then you touch your genitals that you would get genital warts. The virus does not work that way. Only the sensitive skin cells around your private parts are suceptible to the gential warts virus.
It is also important to note that the HPV vaccine does NOT make you immune to all the genital warts variations. The HPV vaccine only builds immunity to the few most common types of genital warts.
Tags: HPV, Share Towel, STD Facts