Last Updated on July 29, 2021 by Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT
Pictures of STIs/STDs
When looking for pictures of STIs/STDs on google or any other search engine, you’re bound to come across incredibly graphic, disgusting, and down right scary pictures of STDs.
While these pictures are sometimes real depictions of specific STIs/STDs, they are often the very worst case scenarios and can be meant to scare people into abstinence.
This serves absolutely no purpose when you think you might have something and would like to compare your physical symptoms to more realistic photos of first occurrences of STIs/STDs in people who are not immunocompromised (a lot of the gruesome photos you come across are from people who have additional medical conditions and, as a result, have much worse STD symptoms).
So, The STI Project has scoured the web yet again and has found the most reputable resources for HIV pictures. These images of HIV come from dermatologist’s websites or other similarly authoritative locations, include multiple HIV symptom severities, and also incorporate different skin types, symptom locations, and stages of HIV.
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While The STI Project STRONGLY encourages getting tested and discourages diagnosing or treating oneself via pictures alone (HIV pictures disclaimer), we realize the desire to compare one’s own symptoms with those of others in hopes of narrowing the possibilities. Maybe all of this is new to you; that’s ok – it’s not always easy to know if you should get STD testing done.
Remember, the most common STI/STD symptom is NO symptom at all; so, if you find your symptoms do not match any of the HIV images below, this does NOT mean you are STI negative and you should be tested as soon as possible to avoid complications of untreated STDs.
Furthermore, if you’ve engaged in ANY partnered sexual activity, you are at risk of contracting or transmitting an STD (see this list of sexual activities that put you at risk for contracting an STD).
Without further ado, happy photo hunting!
Pictures of HIV
- STD? What Now? Your Ultimate Reference Guide
- Think You Might Have an STD?
- How to Not Give an Eff about Having an STI
- STD Symptoms
- Detailed HIV Symptoms
- HIV Overview
- HIV In-Depth
- HIV & Hep C Co-Infection
- Other Pictures of STDs
- List of all STDs
- Free and Low-Cost STD Testing Near You (Globally)
References
- Symptoms
- Earnshaw, Valerie A., et al. “HIV stigma and physical health symptoms: Do social support, adaptive coping, and/or identity centrality act as resilience resources?.” AIDS and Behavior 19.1 (2015): 41-49.
- Lyon, Maureen E., et al. “Advance care planning and HIV symptoms in adolescence.” Pediatrics 142.5 (2018): e20173869.
- Garey, Lorra, et al. “Anxiety, depression, and HIV symptoms among persons living with HIV/AIDS: the role of hazardous drinking.” AIDS care 27.1 (2015): 80-85.
- Webel, Allison R., et al. “A cross-sectional relationship between social capital, self-compassion, and perceived HIV symptoms.” Journal of pain and symptom management 50.1 (2015): 59-68.
- Braksmajer, Amy, et al. “Effects of Discrimination on HIV-Related Symptoms in Heterosexual Men of Color.” American journal of men’s health 12.6 (2018): 1855-1863.
- Testing
- World Health Organization. Guidelines on HIV self-testing and partner notification: supplement to consolidated guidelines on HIV testing services. World Health Organization, 2016.
- Arya, Monisha, et al. “The Promise of Patient-Centered Text Messages for Encouraging HIV Testing in an Underserved Population.” The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care: JANAC 29.1 (2018): 101-106.
- Greensides, Dawn R., et al. “Alternative HIV testing methods among populations at high risk for HIV infection.” Public health reports (2016).
- Granich, Reuben M., et al. “Universal voluntary HIV testing with immediate antiretroviral therapy as a strategy for elimination of HIV transmission: a mathematical model.” The Lancet 373.9657 (2009): 48-57.
- Kalichman, Seth C., and Leickness C. Simbayi. “HIV testing attitudes, AIDS stigma, and voluntary HIV counselling and testing in a black township in Cape Town, South Africa.” Sexually transmitted infections 79.6 (2003): 442-447.
- Treatment
- Cihlar, Tomas, and Marshall Fordyce. “Current status and prospects of HIV treatment.” Current opinion in virology 18 (2016): 50-56.
- Gonzalez, Jeffrey S., et al. “Depression and HIV/AIDS treatment nonadherence: a review and meta-analysis.” Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 58.2 (2011).
- Callaghan, Mike, Nathan Ford, and Helen Schneider. “A systematic review of task-shifting for HIV treatment and care in Africa.” Human resources for health 8.1 (2010): 8.
- Benjamin, Laura A., et al. “HIV, antiretroviral treatment, hypertension, and stroke in Malawian adults: a case-control study.” Neurology 86.4 (2016): 324-333.
- Levi, Jacob, et al. “Can the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target be achieved? A systematic analysis of national HIV treatment cascades.” BMJ global health 1.2 (2016): e000010.
- Prevention
- Cohen, Myron S., et al. “Antiretroviral therapy for the prevention of HIV-1 transmission.” New England Journal of Medicine 375.9 (2016): 830-839.
- World Health Organization. Policy brief: Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations. No. WHO/HIV/2017.05. World Health Organization, 2017.
- Baeten, Jared M., et al. “Use of a vaginal ring containing dapivirine for HIV-1 prevention in women.” New England Journal of Medicine 375.22 (2016): 2121-2132.
- Fowler, Mary G., et al. “Benefits and risks of antiretroviral therapy for perinatal HIV prevention.” New England Journal of Medicine 375.18 (2016): 1726-1737.
- World Health Organization. “Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations–2016 update.” (2016).
- Transmission
- Rodger, Alison J., et al. “Sexual activity without condoms and risk of HIV transmission in serodifferent couples when the HIV-positive partner is using suppressive antiretroviral therapy.” Jama 316.2 (2016): 171-181.
- Landefeld, C. C., et al. “Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Yaounde: Barrier to Care.” AIDS care 30.1 (2018): 116-120.
- Zafer, Maryam, et al. “Effectiveness of semen washing to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and assist pregnancy in HIV-discordant couples: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Fertility and sterility 105.3 (2016): 645-655.
- Cohen, Myron S., et al. “Antiretroviral therapy for the prevention of HIV-1 transmission.” New England Journal of Medicine 375.9 (2016): 830-839.
- Poon, Art FY, et al. “Near real-time monitoring of HIV transmission hotspots from routine HIV genotyping: an implementation case study.” The lancet HIV 3.5 (2016): e231-e238.
