How long does high risk HPV last?
James Williams
Updated on April 13, 2026
High-Risk and Low-Risk HPV Types
Most people who become infected with HPV do not know they have it. Usually, the body's immune system gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years.Does high-risk HPV come and go?
There's no guarantee that genital warts won't grow back again because HPV changes the cells of your body in a way that makes them likely to grow. If you have high-risk HPV that sticks around or goes dormant and keeps coming back, that's when it becomes cancer causing (or what doctors call oncogenic).What percentage of high-risk HPV goes away?
For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two years. Only a small number of women who have one of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer will ever actually develop the disease.Is high-risk HPV persistent?
Around 90% of HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, their immune system will not be able to get rid of HPV. This is called a persistent infection. A persistent HPV infection causes the cells of the cervix to change.Can you recover from high-risk HPV?
If I have high-risk HPV, will I get cancer? Not always. The good news is most people recover from HPV infections with no health problems at all. We don't know why some people develop long-term HPV infections, precancerous cell changes, or cancer.What are the health issues related to HPV and how long does HPV infection last?
Can HPV take longer than 2 years to clear?
Most people clear the virus on their own in one to two years with little or no symptoms. But in some people the infection persists. The longer HPV persists the more likely it is to lead to cancer, including cancers of the cervix, penis, anus, mouth and throat.What happens if HPV doesn't go away in 2 years?
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer.How do I get rid of high risk HPV fast?
Treatment
- Salicylic acid. Over-the-counter treatments that contain salicylic acid work by removing layers of a wart a little at a time. ...
- Imiquimod. This prescription cream might enhance your immune system's ability to fight HPV . ...
- Podofilox. ...
- Trichloroacetic acid.