Genital warts/skin tags/something else?

To give you a little bit of a background about myself, I am a very sexually active male who has never been diagnosed with an STD. I am screened for STDs generally twice a year. About four months ago, I noticed a fairly large bump where the penis meets the pelvis. It isn't really on the shaft...more of on the groin region (but very close to the penis). I recently shaved my pubic region and realized that there are actually two larger bumps right next to each other (about 1.5 cm each) and a couple of smaller bumps in the same general area. They all seem to have hair growing out of them, which, to my understanding, is asymptomatic of genital warts. I looked at some pictures of genital warts, and it doesn't really look like them, but who knows. I've never had these bumps in this area before other than razor burn from shaving (which some of the smaller bumps probably are). All of that being said, I'm pretty much freaking out right now...does this sound like genital warts to anyone? I don't have any bumps on my shaft or anywhere else on my groin...only where the penis meets the pelvis. Any peace of mind or help would be greatly appreciated.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These small bumps can be due to folliculitis or cysts. You should keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment are also useful. In case the symptoms persist then get an evaluation done from a dermatologist and get cysts ruled out.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.