Afraid that I have herpes, Urologist told me NO

[jrrobbins]

Hi Dr. Rockwell,

I am not sure if I have categorized this question properly.   While in the sauna, I noticed a dime sized red, rasberry colored area about inch below my penis head in the part of the circumcised foreskin that ruffles.   I didn't think anything of it as I thought it was friction from running on the treadmill.  Now 10 days later, it has grown into an elliptical shape, slightly bigger.  It has been healing and getting smaller.  I have no pain, soreness, itchiness, oozing, headaches, craters, or scabbing of any sort.  It could be a lesion. It was minutely raised in the beginning, ever so slightly.  Looking radially, I could see that it was slightly, very slightly mounded.  It looks like a wind burn, rash, it's not blistered, but its reddish, uneven surface, and when I spread the skin, it looks flat and smooth.  It is not as red as it was.  I also had a very tiny spot 1/4 inch away, like a little island that came and disappeared in two days.  

I haven't had sex in 2 years.  I have had unprotected oral sex on New Years this year and also two months ago.  She did not spend too much time there only at the top, and then stopped after 10 seconds.    

I saw a Urologist today.  He told me not to worry about it.  He said that he was positive it was not an STD, herpes or cancer.  He looked at it under a magnifying lens and seemed more confident.  He told me it was some type of dermatitis and that it will heal on it's own, or to use some hydrocortisone cream.  

Do you need any additional description of my symptoms?   I wanted to double check to put my mind completely at ease.  Why can't I even believe a doctor?  I convinced myself that I had herpes.  He told me that it just didn't have any of the ear marks of herpes. He said that he didn't even want to bother doing a viral culture.

I am feeling more at ease, but I would like to know based on my description if you could corroborate his examination,. or provide some other insight  

[bigdawg177]

Hi Dr.Rockoff,
         About a month ago I had an HIV/STD test done and all results came back negative.  A day or two after that i had sexual contact with a new girl. I had on a condom on but my penis would not stay erected for some strange reason. She asked if I had another one and I said yes so we took that one off and she began to play with it to try to get it back up. While doing that she was rubbing my head on her clit for about a min, maybe a min in a half . Less than 24 hours later I see a red pimple like bump on the left urethra of my penis. Ive tried popping it and a little puss comes out but it doesnt really go all the way down. Its been persistent for about a month. it doesnt burst, scab, turn into a sore or nething. Its just there... That one and only sit like bump.. It kinda looks like a stye that u would get on your eye. U know how u can pop those but it never goes all the way down until u take meds. It doesnt burn when i urinate, my lymph nodes arent swollen, everything is a ok, but this little thing is worrying me.. HELP

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Based on your description, I agree completely with your urologist.  This sounds like an irritation, not an STD.  Just leave it alone and let the redness go away, which it will.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff