Acne on the penis

Men are generally more concerned about the health of their penis. Therefore, if a man's penis shows any abnormality, he will always fall into a state of extreme anxiety. In addition to acne on women's genitals, there are also many men who have acne on their penises. This problem always makes carefree male compatriots embarrassed, so what is the cause of acne on the penis?

1. Pearly papules

Also known as penile pearly papules, the skin lesions are on the edge of the glans and the coronal groove. They are millet-sized, pearly white, pinkish or skin-colored papules with no subjective symptoms (no pain, no itching, no discomfort). It is a normal physiological variation that will not affect health and generally does not require treatment. Those who suffer psychological discomfort can use laser removal.

2. Sebaceous gland ectopy

It is a sebaceous gland disease that occurs after puberty and is more common in middle-aged people, more common in men than in women. It manifests as millet-sized flat papule-like lesions without obvious skin protrusions, clustered and distributed, mostly light yellow or a few light white, and can be seen in the oral mucosa, the foreskin and glans of men, and the labia majora and minora of women. The cause of the disease is currently unknown, and it is generally believed to be related to endocrine factors, local irritation or trauma. Skin lesions generally have no conscious symptoms and generally do not require treatment.

3. Balanitis

Balanitis refers to inflammation of the inner layer of the foreskin and the glans penis, which manifests as local redness, itching or pain, and may have edema. According to the different causes, it can be divided into simple and infectious types. Balanitis caused by smegma irritating the foreskin and glans penis is called simple or non-infectious balanitis, which often occurs in people with prepuce or phimosis; infectious balanitis can be caused by bacterial or fungal infection; secondly, drug allergy can also cause it, which manifests as local redness, swelling and itching.

4. Genital herpes

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by herpes simplex virus, mainly type II herpes simplex virus. It can recur and often occurs at the junction of the skin and mucous membranes of the male genitals. It manifests as local clusters or scattered small blisters, which rupture to form erosions or ulcers after 2-4 days, accompanied by local burning and pain, enlarged and tender inguinal lymph nodes, and systemic symptoms such as fever, headache, and fatigue. It finally heals with scabs. The entire course of the disease is about 2-3 weeks, but it is easy to recur. The treatment is mainly antiviral, pain relief, and prevention and treatment of secondary infections.

5. Herpes zoster

It is a skin disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The virus is neurotropic and can remain dormant in the neurons of the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord for a long time after infection. When the body's resistance is low or when the person is tired, infected, or has a cold, the virus can grow and multiply again and move to the skin along the nerve fibers, causing severe inflammation of the invaded nerves and skin. It usually appears in the intercostal nerves, lumbar nerves, and trigeminal nerves on the chest and back, and when the disease attacks, local lymph nodes will swell, manifesting as groups of blisters on erythema distributed along the nerves, and severe pain. The disease rarely occurs on the skin of the penis.

6. Inflammation (follicle and surrounding inflammation)

Rash is a purulent infection of the hair follicles and the surrounding tissues deep inside the hair follicles. The main pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus. It manifests as local redness, swelling, heat and pain, which may become purulent. It can usually be cured after antibiotic treatment.

7. Condyloma acuminatum

It is a sexually transmitted disease caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, with proliferative damage in the anal genital area as the main manifestation. Most cases occur in young and middle-aged people aged 18-50, and the incubation period (from infection to onset) is 3 weeks to 8 months. Initially, it manifests as small local flesh-colored or pink papillary swellings, which gradually increase in size to cauliflower-shaped, cockscomb-shaped, and papillary growths. The surface is rough and keratinized, and there are often no obvious spontaneous symptoms. It is easy to relapse. Topical application or wet compress of 3%-5% acetic acid solution for 5-10 minutes can cause whitening in the infected area, which is the "acetic acid white phenomenon". However, the specificity is not high and it can also be seen in other inflammatory diseases.