STDs You Can Still Get While Using a Condom

Herpes and HPV both spread through direct skin-to-skin contact, and a condom only covers part of the genital area — it doesn't prevent contact with surrounding skin (the scrotum, base of the penis, vulva, upper thighs) where an active herpes sore or HPV-affected skin might be located. This is the core reason these two infections remain transmissible despite condom use, unlike infections that spread specifically through fluid exchange within the areas a condom actually covers.

For infections that spread primarily through fluid exchange within the covered area — HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis — condoms remain highly effective, since the barrier directly blocks the relevant contact for those infections. This is the reasoning behind combining condom use with regular testing and, for herpes or HPV specifically, understanding that the exposed skin condoms don't cover is where remaining risk concentrates.