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Genital warts

127 Dermatology & Venereology doctors in Hong Kong →

Also known as: Anogenital warts · Genital warts (clinical term) · Condyloma acuminatum · Cauliflower warts ·

The Centre for Health Protection states that genital warts are caused by human papillomavirus, spread by direct contact with an exposed lesion and usually acquired sexually, appearing between two weeks and eight months after contact. The Centre states they cannot be cured but can be controlled with treatment. In Hong Kong, Department of Health social hygiene clinics provide STI examination and treatment, free for eligible persons, with no appointment or referral letter required.

Hong Kong has 127 registered Dermatology & Venereology doctors.

Source: Medical Council of Hong Kong register · read 2026-09-21

ok.med editorial team ·
Compiled by the editorial team from the sources listed below. Not reviewed by an individual doctor.

What are genital warts?

The Centre for Health Protection describes it as a skin infection caused by human papillomavirus, spread by direct contact with an exposed lesion and generally acquired through sexual contact.

Cauliflower is the everyday Hong Kong name, describing how the warts look when they cluster; the clinical names are genital or anogenital warts, and the literature also uses condyloma acuminatum. All refer to the same thing, and this page uses the everyday name throughout because that is the word almost everyone searches with.

Is it the same virus as cervical cancer?

The same family of virus, but not the same types. Human papillomavirus has many types; those causing genital warts are low-risk types, and they are not the high-risk types associated with cervical cancer.

This is worth stating plainly, because conflating the two produces two opposite misunderstandings: that having warts means cancer will follow, or that having been vaccinated against cervical cancer rules warts out. Neither is accurate. A separate page covers the virus types and Hong Kong vaccination arrangements.

What do genital warts look like, and how long is the incubation?

The Centre states that warts appear between two weeks and eight months after contact with an infected person. In men, the sign is small flesh-coloured lumps on the penis, scrotum or anus, which may itch or may be painless.

Two weeks to eight months is a wide window, and that is the part worth noticing: the better part of a year can pass between infection and the appearance of warts. The timing of the signs is therefore not a reliable basis for inferring when infection occurred, nor for inferring from whom.

The lumps may itch or may cause no sensation at all. Causing no discomfort does not mean no action is needed, and it does not mean they are not transmissible — spread is by direct contact with an exposed lesion, independent of whether anything is felt.

Medical Council of Hong Kong register

127 Dermatology & Venereology doctors in Hong Kong

All 127 ›

The doctors below are listed from the Medical Council of Hong Kong register. This is not a recommendation, and says nothing about outcomes for this condition. Ask the doctor directly.

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How are genital warts diagnosed?

The Centre states that a doctor can diagnose by examination; sometimes a solution resembling dilute vinegar is applied to the area, and if warts are present the area turns white.

In other words this is not a diagnosis that waits on laboratory results. That matters practically: one consultation usually produces an answer, rather than weeks of uncertainty first. Comparing against pictures is not a substitute for examination — several different things can change the skin in that area, and some need entirely different handling.

How are genital warts treated, and can they be cleared?

The Centre says two things: treatment may include chemical freezing, cautery or laser; and that genital warts cannot be cured, though the condition can be controlled with treatment.

That the condition cannot be cured but can be controlled is the point of this section. Treatment addresses the warts that have appeared rather than clearing the virus from the body, so recurrence after a course of treatment remains possible. The Centre also notes that warts mostly resolve on their own in time, though that may take months or years.

Which method, and whether treatment is needed at all, is for a doctor to decide case by case. This page recommends no medicine, ointment or procedure and compares no outcomes — those belong in a consultation, and ok.med has no medical reviewer.

Where can this be checked in Hong Kong, and what does it cost?

The Department of Health runs social hygiene clinics responsible for the treatment, care, prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections and skin disease. By the Department’s published clinic lists there are thirteen in total across the male and female services, in Chai Wan, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun and Fanling.

Three arrangements are worth remembering together, because between them they remove the three usual obstacles to being seen: the Department states that no appointment and no referral letter are required; services are free of charge for eligible persons; and client information is kept strictly confidential. There is no need to see a family doctor for a referral first, and no need to pay first.

By the Department’s published fee schedule the charge for a non-eligible person attending a social hygiene or special dermatology clinic is $850, with the schedule effective from 1 January 2026. Private consultations are charged at each doctor’s own rate, and this page makes no estimate of those.

Department of Health Social Hygiene Service: fees and attendance (fee schedule effective 1 January 2026)
ItemArrangement
Eligible personsFree of charge
Non-eligible persons$850
AppointmentNot required
Referral letterNot required
Number of clinicsSeven male, six female — thirteen in total
DistrictsChai Wan, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun, Fanling
Client informationStated by the Department to be kept strictly confidential

At a glance

Routes to examination and treatment for

Routes to examination and treatment for genital warts in Hong Kong: thirteen Department of Health social hygiene clinics — seven male, six female — in Chai Wan, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun and Fanling; no appointment or referral letter required; free for eligible persons and $850 for non-eligible persons under the schedule effective 1 January 2026; information kept strictly confidential.
Data: Department of Health, fee schedule effective 1 January 2026 · Read the original ›

How can genital warts be prevented?

The prevention measures the Centre lists are maintaining a mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner, and using condoms correctly.

Condom protection is not absolute, for a reason that follows from how it spreads: transmission is by direct contact with an exposed lesion, and a condom does not necessarily cover every site where warts can appear. That is not an argument against using one — it explains why infection remains possible even when one is used consistently.

Examination and fees in Hong Kong

Genital warts are one of the few conditions for which the government provides a dedicated service directly. The fees, attendance arrangements and clinic locations of the Department of Health’s social hygiene service are all published, and each item below carries its source and the date it was read.

  • The Department of Health states that the Social Hygiene Service comprises STI clinics and dermatology clinics responsible for the treatment, care, prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections and skin diseases, providing diagnostic, treatment and care services.Department of Health: sexually transmitted infections and skin diseases · read · (source)
  • The Department of Health’s published clinic lists show seven male and six female social hygiene clinics, thirteen in total, in Chai Wan, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun and Fanling. The lists state that no appointment or doctor’s referral letter is required, that services are free of charge for eligible persons, and that client information is kept strictly confidential.Department of Health: list of clinics and health centres — Social Hygiene Service · read · (source)
  • The Department of Health’s summary of public health service fees states that for eligible persons, examination or treatment relating to sexually transmitted infections at social hygiene and special dermatology clinics is free of charge; for non-eligible persons the consultation charge is $850. The schedule is effective from 1 January 2026.Department of Health: summary of fees for public health services — outpatient · read · (source)
  • The Centre for Health Protection states that warts appear between two weeks and eight months after contact with an infected person, and that a doctor can diagnose by examination — sometimes applying a solution resembling dilute vinegar, which turns the affected area white if warts are present.Centre for Health Protection: genital warts · read · (source)
  • The Centre for Health Protection states that treatment may include chemical freezing, cautery or laser; that genital warts cannot be cured but the condition can be controlled with treatment; and that warts mostly disappear on their own in time, though this may take months or years.Centre for Health Protection: genital warts · read · (source)

When should a doctor be seen?

  • New lumps, growths or changes on the genitals, anus or surrounding skin, whether or not they hurt or itch.
  • Bleeding, ulceration, rapid enlargement, or a marked change in colour.
  • Discharge, discomfort passing urine, ulcers or lower abdominal pain at the same time — other sexually transmitted infections may be involved and should be checked together.
  • A partner diagnosed with genital warts or another sexually transmitted infection, even with no symptoms of your own. With an incubation period of up to eight months, no symptoms does not mean no infection.
  • Warts found during pregnancy, or a past history of them while planning a pregnancy — how this is handled is for a doctor to judge.

Each has its own page and doctor list

Conditions related to Genital warts

By district

Which districts have Dermatology & Venereology doctors?

Frequently asked questions

Do genital warts clear up by themselves?
The Centre for Health Protection states that warts mostly disappear on their own in time, though that may take months or years. It also states the condition cannot be cured, only controlled with treatment. Whether treatment is needed is for a doctor to judge.
Do government clinics need an appointment or a referral?
No. The Department of Health’s social hygiene clinic lists state that no appointment and no doctor’s referral letter are required, that services are free for eligible persons, and that client information is kept strictly confidential. There are seven male and six female clinics.
What does it cost for a non-eligible person?
By the Department of Health’s summary of fees, the consultation charge for a non-eligible person at a social hygiene or special dermatology clinic is $850, effective from 1 January 2026.
Can someone vaccinated against HPV still get genital warts?
Genital warts are caused by low-risk human papillomavirus types, which are not the high-risk types associated with cervical cancer, and different vaccines cover different types. Vaccination history should be checked with a doctor rather than assumed to confer protection. A separate page covers the virus types.
Can the time of infection be worked out?
No. The Centre for Health Protection gives an incubation period of two weeks to eight months. The window is wide, so the timing of symptoms is not a sound basis for inferring when infection occurred, nor from whom.
Do condoms prevent transmission completely?
No. The Centre for Health Protection lists correct condom use as a prevention measure, but transmission is by direct contact with an exposed lesion and a condom does not necessarily cover every site where warts can appear. That is a reason to use one, not a reason not to.

Sources

  1. Centre for Health Protection: genital warts — the virus, transmission, incubation, signs, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health ()
  2. Department of Health: sexually transmitted infections and skin diseases — the remit of the Social Hygiene Service and the services it provides. Department of Health ()
  3. Department of Health: list of clinics and health centres — addresses of the female and male social hygiene clinics, with the statements that no appointment or referral is required, that eligible persons are seen free of charge, and that information is kept confidential. Department of Health ()
  4. Department of Health: summary of fees for public health services (outpatient) — charges at social hygiene and special dermatology clinics, with the effective date. Department of Health ()
  5. Centre for Health Protection: genital herpes — a different sexually transmitted skin infection, used here for contrast, with a different causative organism and course. Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health ()

This page is compiled from the Hong Kong official sources listed above. It is general information only — not a diagnosis, a treatment recommendation or medical advice, and no substitute for seeing a doctor. If you are unsure or your condition changes, consult a registered doctor.