Painless growths beneath foreskin.

Sexual health
1
Hi, GRAPHIC IMAGES INCLUDED I have developed 2 threadlike, raised, painless and non-itchy, white/flesh coloured growths underneath my foreskin, shown in the attached images. Both are around 4mm long, raised, and are composed of less than a milimetre diameter numerous lumps,both in straight lines in the same orientation relative to the head of the penis, but on the foreskin.

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I noticed the first developing around a month ago, and the second more recently. Looking online, I'm struggling to differentiate between Penile Pearly Pauples and Genital Warts, however I have no real idea what they could be. As Both are possible, I had unprotected sex with an ex partner around 2 months ago. Any opinions would be appreciated as Sexual Health Clinics are closed due to the pandemic. Thanks.
2

Dear john,

Just to be sure we’re talking about the same lesions, I’ve annotated your photo with two arrows that appear to show lumps on the penis, below the coronal sulcus (groove). The appearances would be consistent with genital warts, which is an STD caused by human papillomavirus. It’s not a condition that requires urgent treatment, but obviously it would be sensible to get treated for this and screened for other STDs once lockdown restrictions are lifted. Same applies to your partner/s.

If you are <25 and live in the UK, you can obtain free self-testing kits sent through the post. Just Google “NHS STI self test kits”.

Rgds,
Adhari

3

Hi Adhari,

Yes the annotated lumps are the ones I was unsure of. Thank you for your reply, I did fear it was HPV genital warts.

Regarding treatment, should I wait for a screening to confirm the diagnosis before potentially buying some cream/treatment for the warts?

Thanks,
John

4

Apologies for another image but here is a closer image just incase it is relevant to the appearance of genital warts.

Thanks.

5

OK thanks. Diagnosis unchanged! Adhari

6

In answer to your query about treatments for genital warts, ideally it should be either cryotherapy, imiquimod (Aldara) or podophyllotoxin (Condylin or Warticon). Don’t be tempted to apply salicylic acid (too caustic) or apple cider vinegar (variable results).

There is NO CURE for genital warts. All the treatments listed above are cosmetic, not curative- i.e. they get rid of the unsightly bumps, not the underlying HPV infection. Your body deals with that, so stay healthy and don’t smoke!

Adhari