[Question #5290] STI/HSV question or what on earth could this be??

75 months ago

Hello. About 2 plus months ago I recieved oral sex (not protected) from a female of unknown status, then prior to that again with a different female i lnow again a month or 2 prior asked both and said both were clean. Fast forward to a a week ago i noticed redness on the head of my penis. looks like a smaller rectangular patch of skin. When originally touched it it felt normal. no itching, burning or pain. Now it feels more like dry skin and if I look close enough it seems to have a little bit of cracked skin. I have had no other symptoms at all. no blisters etc. When I showered this AM the "dry skin" peeled off almost like a sun burn with very little effort again just leaving redness.

I have had this redness blotchy area for about 7 days now..I feel like now it itches a small but but im guessing its because im constantly thinking about it...

Was not sure if this sounded like anything to be concerned with STI related, ive read the othet questions and thought i was outside the window of HSV since this instance occured more than 60 days ago, any insight would be greatly appreciated.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

75 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services.

You needn't worry. No STD causes symptoms of the sort you describe. And the large majority of genital skin conditions are not STDs. (On the bookshelf at my left elbow as I write this is book titled Genital Dermatology Atlas. As the name implies, it's filled with photos of genital skin conditions. Of its 300 pages, only 15 deal with STDs.) This sounds like it could be eczema, lichen planus, psoriasis, or any number of other kinds of dermatitis. But no STD causes the sort of appearance you describe, and almost certainly it has nothing to do with your sexual exposures 2+ moths ago. Also, oral sex is low risk for all STDs and virtually zero risk for some.

If the abnormal patch doesn't clear up in the next week or two, or if it's getting worse or new spots appear, see a doctor, ideally a dermatologist. But in the meantime, don't worry. Almost certainly not an STD, and probably nothing else serious either.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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75 months ago

Doc...all clear and thank you. Never really had something like that pop up...Appreciate it.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

75 months ago

Thanks for the thanks. I'm glad to have helped!---