hey ppl ! Ive recently shaved and noticed these small red dots on the start of the shaft. there is around 8 in total. Ive used stereoid cream but they have been there for a week now and I am starting to think its herpes. can anybody with experience tell me their opinion ?
Hi. Herpes blisters do not last a week, and putting steroid cream on a herpes outbreak is likely to make symptoms worse (steroids work against your immune system). Those bumps look very much like genital warts, or HPV, especially the couple on the right side of the picture that have a rough, cauliflower appearance. You’ll want to go to the doctor to confirm if that is what they are, and if so, to get them frozen off. Keep in mind that HPV is so common that experts say almost every single sexually active adult will get at least one strain in their lifetime, so definitely no reason to be too worried. That said, HPV is contagious, and unfortunately there’s no way to test a man in the absence of symptoms, so even once you get them frozen off, you’re potentially still contagious to partners. Start with a visit to the doctor, but don’t let this stress you out too much, HPV almost always naturally clears itself in a couple of years in a healthy adult. Lastly, be careful shaving, you can spread the virus and cause the warts to multiply.