Ask an Expert: Rash on rim of penis head

Skin Care and Diseases

Rash on rim of penis head
10/13/2005

Question:

my boyfriend has fine bumps around the rim of his penis head and i am afraid to have sex unprotected with him he says its been there most his life but its fine bumps just by the rim of the penis head wat could this be

Answer:

What you have described along the coronal surface of your boyfriend's penis are really normal "sensory conductors". They tend to be more prominent in uncircumcised men but are present even in those that have been circumcised from infancy, but they are usually less prominent in that particular group. In addition to that, there is another entity called pearly penile papules which may occur along the coronal surface of the glans penis, over the surface of the glans, but more frequently the light colored papules are found at the insertion of the frenulum on the underside of his penis.

In any event, what you are describing is not a sexually transmitted disease but a normal variant. NO treatment is indicated. Destructive procedures could lead to at least partial hyposensitization or anesthesia of part of his penis.

Thank you for your inquiry.

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Response by:

Charles L Heaton, MD
Professor
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati