Lentigo on glans penis

[questioner147]

Hello,

A few (3-4) years ago, when I was about 19, I developed a few flat, asymptomatic brown spots on my glans penis over the course of a few months. They vary from about 1 - 4 mm, and the colour varies from light brown "cafe au lait" to dark brown. At the time I was not sexually active, and a quick inspection by my GP ruled out anything dangerous. I believe that they are most likely lentigines.

Since then the spots have not grown or changed but nor have they faded. They have caused me a great deal of psychological distress anyhow and it tends to put me in socially uncomfortable situations with sexual partners.

What treatment options are available given that these are not new and that they are on the glans? Relatively speaking, how effective are they? (e.g. laser, creams, etc.) Given their "important" location, what are the relative risks?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms they can be lentigo or Fordyce spots. Lentigo is a small, sharply circumscribed, pigmented macule surrounded by normal-appearing skin.
You cannot remove them at home. Cryosurgery using liquid nitrogen and laser are the main treatment modalities. Although there are many skin creams like hydroquinone and salicylic acid,but their use needs prescription .I would recommend a dermatologist’s consultation for this.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist/ urologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.