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Bump problem
Hello doctor. I am a 29 yo male. I had sexual encounter with a CSW in Hong Kong one week ago. She performed unprotected fellatio on me for a brief minute, and then we had protected viginal sex for another brief minute. I think the condom remained intact in the whole time. She was very thin, and did not look in a healthy state. She said she had gum problem but also claimed to have health checkup quarterly.
Today I noticed about 20+ small bumps on the head of my penis. The bumps is round, about 0.5mm in diameter, and is a bit red. They do not look like blisters, as they are a bit harder than skin on the head. It feels more palpable (harder) on erection. When flaccid, they look like small red dots of the size of needle head. Most of them are clustered on the right side of the head. They are not connected with each other, but have about 0.5~2mm space in between.
I had this penis head bump problem before (even before I had sexual encounter of any form with anyone else), but at the time the bumps were sporadic over the penis head and a few on the foreskin right below the head. And usually there were no more than 10. It often happened when I didn't pay attention to hygiene condition in the pubic area. And the bumps usually come and go without treatment. Today I got little worried because the number increased and they formed like a cluster on the right side of the head. They also felt a bit harder than the bumps I had before.
My question is:
1) The sexual encounter I had had low risk for all kinds of stds, and even lower risk for HIV and hepatitis, right?
2) Regarding this sexual encounter do you recommend a check up for stds?
3) Does the bump sound like herpes or HPV? What kinds of disease are possible causes of the bump? Is it likely that they are connected to my recent sexual encounter?
4) Regarding the bump problem do you recommend I see a std doctor and check up? If so what test do you recommend?
Thank you very much for your time, doctor.
Today I noticed about 20+ small bumps on the head of my penis. The bumps is round, about 0.5mm in diameter, and is a bit red. They do not look like blisters, as they are a bit harder than skin on the head. It feels more palpable (harder) on erection. When flaccid, they look like small red dots of the size of needle head. Most of them are clustered on the right side of the head. They are not connected with each other, but have about 0.5~2mm space in between.
I had this penis head bump problem before (even before I had sexual encounter of any form with anyone else), but at the time the bumps were sporadic over the penis head and a few on the foreskin right below the head. And usually there were no more than 10. It often happened when I didn't pay attention to hygiene condition in the pubic area. And the bumps usually come and go without treatment. Today I got little worried because the number increased and they formed like a cluster on the right side of the head. They also felt a bit harder than the bumps I had before.
My question is:
1) The sexual encounter I had had low risk for all kinds of stds, and even lower risk for HIV and hepatitis, right?
2) Regarding this sexual encounter do you recommend a check up for stds?
3) Does the bump sound like herpes or HPV? What kinds of disease are possible causes of the bump? Is it likely that they are connected to my recent sexual encounter?
4) Regarding the bump problem do you recommend I see a std doctor and check up? If so what test do you recommend?
Thank you very much for your time, doctor.
Thank you very much for your opinion, doctor. It is good to know about the possible causes of the rashes. I will follow your advise and see a dermatologist. Thank you for your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. I'll try to help.
Penile bumps of the sort you describe are not typical for any STD. The only possible STD that conceivably could explain such a symptom (e.g., genital warts, molluscum contagiosum) cannot show up sooner than 2-3 months after exposure, so even if it's one of those problems, you didn't catch it during the sexual encounter a week earlier. And that encounter sounds entirely safe; you can't catch an STD through an intact condom.
As for other causes of your symptoms, I can't go into detail; we don't speculate about non-STD explanations for genital symptoms. I'll just say that no STD causes red bumps that fade, or that vary in prominence in the way you describe; most genital rashes are not due to STD; and most of the many conditions that cause skin rash anywhere on the body can sometimes affect the genitals. To your specific questions:
1,2) I agree with your self-assessment of the low risk of the sexual encounter you have described. If this is your only potential STD risk, and on the basis of your symptoms, I don't recommend any STD check-up or testing.
3) See above; this doesn't sound like either herpes or HPV.
4) Profession examination is exactly what I recommend. A dermatologist would be ideal. An STD clinic would also be OK; as you might imagine, STD clinics generally are very experienced with all kinds of genital area skin problems. However, I don't recommend any particular test; just follow your doctor's or clinic's advice once you have been examined.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Penile bumps of the sort you describe are not typical for any STD. The only possible STD that conceivably could explain such a symptom (e.g., genital warts, molluscum contagiosum) cannot show up sooner than 2-3 months after exposure, so even if it's one of those problems, you didn't catch it during the sexual encounter a week earlier. And that encounter sounds entirely safe; you can't catch an STD through an intact condom.
As for other causes of your symptoms, I can't go into detail; we don't speculate about non-STD explanations for genital symptoms. I'll just say that no STD causes red bumps that fade, or that vary in prominence in the way you describe; most genital rashes are not due to STD; and most of the many conditions that cause skin rash anywhere on the body can sometimes affect the genitals. To your specific questions:
1,2) I agree with your self-assessment of the low risk of the sexual encounter you have described. If this is your only potential STD risk, and on the basis of your symptoms, I don't recommend any STD check-up or testing.
3) See above; this doesn't sound like either herpes or HPV.
4) Profession examination is exactly what I recommend. A dermatologist would be ideal. An STD clinic would also be OK; as you might imagine, STD clinics generally are very experienced with all kinds of genital area skin problems. However, I don't recommend any particular test; just follow your doctor's or clinic's advice once you have been examined.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
