You can tell a lot by taking a close look at your penis. Sometimes you look at it and everything seems perfectly normal. Other times it can feel fraught with danger, covered in lumps, spots, nodules, and protuberances that all look like evidence of your certain doom. Were here to help you separate the facts from the panic attacks.
A Curved Penis It could be Peyronies disease, a condition caused by scar tissue that pulls your penis toward one side.
Fixability: It can be treated with drugs, injections, or even surgery, but the third option is for the worst cases, says MH advisor Larry Lipshultz, M.D., a professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine. If it curves less than 10 degrees in either direction and you can still have sex that doesnt hurt either of you, leave it alone.
White, Yellowish, or R eddish bumps These are often just enlarged oil glands, called Fordyce spots, says MH advisor Elizabeth Kavaler, M.D., a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. No treatment is needed, and they typically disappear on their own after a few years. They can resemble an STD, such as the bumps you see with herpes, but arent painful or itchy and dont pop and scab over. Fixability: Time is all it takes.
A Purple or Splotchy Penis An inexplicably purple penis is alarming. It might just be the way your blood vessels react to all the extra blood flowing to the penis during an erection. Or it could be a rupture of the fibrous layer that surrounds the erectile cylinders, says James Kashanian, M.D., a urologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-meaning youve fractured your penis via a significant bending injury during sex. Fixability: If you feel a pop during sex, followed by bruising or swelling, seek immediate medical attention. As if a penile fracture werent bad enough, not getting immediate attention can lead to issues you dont want to have to deal with, including significant erectile dysfunction, says Dr. Kashanian, or penile deformity.
A Small, Clear Blister If it pops and scabs over, its usually herpes, says Aaron Spitz, M.D., author of The Penis Book. The blisters can also be tender or painful, he says. As a general rule, if its on your penis and it hurts, call your doctor. Fixability: If you see something suspicious, its important to get tested right away. If its herpes, you cant rid yourself of the virus; it can lie dormant in you. But you can get antiviral meds to reduce outbreaks, and using condoms can lower the risk of spreading the infection through sex by 30 percent.
A Cauliflower-Shaped Growth If theres no pain or itching, youre likely dealing with genital warts, says Dr. Kavaler. Theyre caused by exposure to human papilloma-virus (HPV), which will infect around 80 percent of people in their lifetime and can sometimes lead to penile cancer. Fixability: Genital warts do not regress on their own, says Dr. Kashanian. Treatment can include topical lotions, cryotherapy (freezing them off), laser therapy, or having them surgically removed. If youre not going to avoid sex until theyre gone, youve got to glove it. However, the virus can still be transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact, Dr. Kashanian says.