What are the small fleshy thorns on the edge of the glans?

The glans is a very sensitive and important reproductive part of men. Once there is an abnormality in this area, it often makes people very worried. In daily life, many men will find that there are some things similar to small meat thorns on their glans. Those who don’t know the situation will suspect that they have contracted a certain sexually transmitted disease. What are the small meat thorns on the edge of the glans? If there are no other abnormal symptoms, this is pearly rash. Let’s learn about the specific situation in detail below.

Pearly rash, also known as penile pearly papules, coronal sulcus or glans papules, is also called hairy penis or multi-papillary penis by some scholars. Currently, most scholars believe that this is a normal physiological variation, so it will not affect health and will not be infected or spread through sexual intercourse.

Causes

The cause and incidence of penile pearly papules are still unclear. Some scholars believe that this disease is a kind of abnormal physiological development. Some scholars believe that it is related to prepuce. Surveys have found that the incidence of penile pearly papules in young men with prepuce is significantly higher than that in men with normal prepuce. Some scholars believe that this disease may be related to HPV infection, but Ferenczy et al. and Zhang Kaijin et al. tested HPV in the lesion tissue and found no HPV. The author observed that the direct cause of this disease may be inflammatory reactions such as local redness and swelling caused by prepuce, poor local hygiene, long-term stimulation of coronal sulcus secretions and dirt, or other factors such as infection. If the patient needs treatment, it can be treated through laser surgery, cryotherapy, and drug therapy.

Clinical manifestations and diagnosis

Pearly penile papules are more common in men around 20-30 years old. The damage mainly occurs at the junction of the edge of the glans penis and the coronal sulcus and/or the frenulum. The lesions are 1-3mm in size, and the lesions are larger on both sides of the frenulum. The top of the papules is round and smooth, and some papules are hairy or thread-like. The papules are mostly not fused with each other, and are densely arranged in one or more rows. They are obvious on the dorsal side of the glans penis and may partially or completely surround the glans penis. The color of the lesions is mostly pearly white, a few are light red or skin-colored, and some may appear mildly red and swollen. There is no tenderness, no rupture, and the patient has no subjective symptoms.

The key points in differentiating and diagnosing penile pearly papules and condylar warts are that in the former, the lesions are limited to the edge of the glans, the number of lesions is larger, they are pearly milky white papules with a smooth surface, the lesions do not increase in size as the disease progresses, and the acetic acid test is negative; while in the latter, the lesions are not limited to the edge of the glans, they are mostly single and scattered, the lesions are larger, the surface is not smooth, and they are mostly cauliflower-shaped, they gradually increase in size as the disease progresses, the acetic acid test is positive, and histopathological examination shows concave cells.