Genital warts are small, flesh-colored or slightly darker bumps that appear on or around the genitals and anus. Individual warts typically measure 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter, much smaller than a pencil eraser, though they can grow larger over time and cluster together into formations that resemble cauliflower.
Shape, Texture, and Color
Genital warts come in several forms. They can be flat and smooth, raised with a rounded top, or grow on a small stalk (like a tiny mushroom). The surface texture ranges from smooth to rough and bumpy, and when multiple warts cluster together they develop the irregular, bumpy appearance often described as cauliflower-like. A single wart can start at about 1 to 2 millimeters but may reach 5 millimeters or more, and clusters can grow significantly larger than that.
Color varies. Most warts are the same shade as the surrounding skin, making them easy to miss. Others are slightly darker, and in some cases they appear whitish, particularly on moist skin like the inner surfaces of the vulva or the inside of the foreskin. They feel soft compared to the hard, callused texture of common warts you might find on your hands.
Where They Appear
In people with a vulva, warts commonly show up on the outer and inner lips of the vulva, around the vaginal opening, on the perineum (the skin between the vagina and anus), and around the anus. They can also develop inside the vagina or on the cervix, where you wouldn’t be able to see them yourself. These internal warts are usually found during a pelvic exam.
In people with a penis, warts can appear on the shaft, the tip, the foreskin, or the scrotum. They also develop around and inside the anus regardless of sexual practices, since HPV can spread across nearby skin. Warts occasionally appear in the groin or upper thigh area as well.
What They Feel Like
Most of the time, genital warts are painless, and many people don’t notice them at all. When symptoms do occur, they can include itching, a burning sensation, mild bleeding (especially if a wart is irritated by friction), or general discomfort in the area. Warts in moist areas may create a sense of increased wetness. Pain is uncommon unless a wart is in a spot that gets rubbed repeatedly during walking or sex.
How They Differ From Other Bumps
Several harmless skin features can look similar to genital warts, so knowing the differences helps you figure out what you’re seeing.
- Pearly penile papules are tiny, dome-shaped bumps that form in neat rows around the rim of the penis head. They are uniform in size and shape, stay in that one location, and never spread. Genital warts, by contrast, vary in size and shape, can appear anywhere on the shaft or scrotum, and tend to cluster irregularly.
- Fordyce spots are small white or yellowish dots that appear on the shaft of the penis or the inner lips of the vulva. They are oil glands visible through thin skin, perfectly normal, and they don’t grow or change over time.
- Skin tags are soft, smooth flaps of skin that hang from a thin stalk. They tend to be smoother and more uniform than warts and don’t have the rough, bumpy texture that warts often develop.
If a bump is pigmented (noticeably darker than your skin), feels hard and fixed to the tissue underneath, bleeds without being rubbed, or has an open sore on its surface, those are signs it needs a closer look from a clinician. These features aren’t typical of standard genital warts and may warrant a biopsy.
Timeline From Exposure to Appearance
Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, specifically HPV types 6 and 11, which account for more than 90% of cases. These are considered low-risk strains, meaning they are not the types linked to cancer. After exposure, warts typically take 1 to 6 months to appear, though some people carry the virus for much longer before anything becomes visible, and many never develop warts at all.
Certain conditions can cause existing warts to grow faster or become more widespread. During pregnancy, for example, the immune system naturally dials back in ways that can allow warts to enlarge or multiply more quickly than they otherwise would.
How They’re Diagnosed
Doctors diagnose genital warts through visual inspection in the vast majority of cases. No blood test or swab is needed for a standard-looking wart. If a growth looks unusual, a small tissue sample can confirm the diagnosis. There is no routine screening test for the HPV strains that cause warts. The HPV tests used in cervical cancer screening look for different, high-risk strains.
If you notice new bumps and aren’t sure what they are, a healthcare provider can usually tell you within minutes of a visual exam. Warts that develop internally, inside the vagina or anal canal, are found during physical exams using a speculum or a scope called an anoscope.