Can Sexually Transmitted Infections Spread By Skin Contact?

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Skin-to-skin STDs are spread from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact and can be transmitted without intercourse.

Can Sexually Transmitted Infections Spread By Skin Contact?

Written by Dr.Natthakhet Yaemim (Dr.Deyn) Founding Director.
Last update: 2 March 2021

 

Common STDs Spread by Skin Contact

Transmission via skin-to-skin contact is possible for a number of different infections. The STIs where skin to skin contact poses the biggest risk for transmission include the following.

Genital and Oral Herpes

Herpes is an STD that most people fear contracting from skin-to-skin exposure. Contact with these very contagious sores can pass herpes from person to person.

In fact, most people with oral herpes are infected during childhood. Casual contact, such as with relatives, can lead to herpes transmission. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can be either oral or genital. However, HSV-2 is more often found in the genitals.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Both cancer-causing HPV varieties and the HPV varieties that cause genital warts are easily spread through skin contact. Fortunately, HPV vaccines can prevent this.

The most common cancer and wart-causing varieties can be prevented by early vaccination against HPV. However, ideally, vaccination should occur before people become sexually active. That's why initial vaccination is recommended at age 11 or earlier, though it is possible to get it later.

Syphilis

There is a growing concern about this disease spreading through contact with mouth sores during oral sex. Most people think of syphilis as an easily preventable disease. It is and it isn't.

When sores are covered by a condom, condoms help. However, sores in the mouth and on other skin locations may go unrecognized and untreated. Those sores can still be contagious. That's why testing is still important for high-risk groups.

Molluscum Contagiosum

This skin disease is more often thought of as a disease of childhood than an STD. However, molluscum contagiosum sores can be spread during sex as well.

Although generally a painless infection, if the sores break open, they can become infected by other bacteria. Therefore, it's worth talking to a doctor about treatment. You can also cover sores to prevent skin-to-skin contact since treatment can be difficult.

There is a High Risk of Infeciton

STDs aren't transmitted every time people have sex. However, they can get around pretty quickly.
If one infected person has unprotected sex with a new partner each year, and each of them has unprotected sex with one new partner a year, and these partners each did the same, in 10 years the first person could have passed their STD on to over 1,000 people.
If each person has sex with two new partners a year, that number goes up to more than 59,000.

What are STIs that mostly show no symptom?

  1. Chlamydia (A-K)
  2. Chlamydia (L1-L3 that causes LGV)
  3. Trichomoniasis
  4. Herpes (is transmissible even when a person isn’t having an outbreak.)
  5. HPV (is transmissible even when a person isn’t having a warty lesion.)
  6. HIV (is transmissible even when a person isn’t having any symptoms.)
  7. Mycoplasma infections
  8. Ureaplasma infections

 

 

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Does Safe Sex Guarantee Safety?

STIs that are transmitted by skin-to-skin contact may be difficult to fully prevent by safer sex. That's because barriers do not necessarily cover all potentially infectious skin. Condoms and other barriers may prevent transmission of STIs such as HIV and hepatitis that spread through bodily fluids. These STIs are spread by exposure to infected secretions such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. (Which secretions are infectious varies by disease.) Remember, though, HIV does not spread by casual contact or skin-to-skin contact.?

Screening Is Essential

The only way to tell if you or your sexual partner has an STD is to be tested.5 Before starting a new sexual relationship both you and your partner should be tested for the most common STDs.
Practicing safer sex reduces the risk of skin-to-skin STI transmission from diseases such as herpes and HPV. The more skin that's covered, the less likely sores are to touch uninfected skin. 

If you aren’t comfortable having your regular doctor examine you, testing can also be done at a family planning or STD clinic. Many clinics even have free, or highly subsidized, tests for people with limited incomes.

But even if your tests come back negative, the best way to keep them that way is to consistently practice safer sex. After all, it can take a while for STD tests to be accurate. In addition, sometimes people have multiple sexual partners, which means there are multiple potential routes for exposure.

What Kind of Screening Does PULSE CLINIC Offer?

  • Consultation with experienced friendly medical doctor
  • Rapid accurate screening for HIV, Hepatitis A B C virus, Syphilis
  • STIs DNA test (NAAT PCR) for 7-14 infections at one test using urine specimen
  • STIs DNA test (NAAT PCR) for 7-14 infections at one test (throat, vaginal, cervical, anal, rectal swab)

 

References

  1. Malhotra M, Sood S, Mukherjee A, Muralidhar S, Bala M. Genital chlamydia trachomatis: An update. The Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2013;138(3):303-16.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted diseases. Updated December 7, 2017.
  3. NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases. Updated August 6, 2015. 
  4. Planned Parenthood. Get tested. 
  5. Sauerbrei, A. Herpes genitalis: diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 2016;76(12):1310-1317. doi:10.1055/s-0042-116494
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Genital herpes — CDC fact sheet (detailed). Updated January 31, 2017. 
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Condom effectiveness. Fact sheet for public health personnel. Updated March 5, 2013. 

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