Herpes or Not?

[OCDMAN]

Hi Doctor.  My story is as follows:  Mutual masterbation (masturbation) with a woman almost four weeks ago.  Not certain if some of her vaginal fluids came in contact with my penis (from her hand).  Don't think so but not sure.  There was no sex of any kind: no oral, vaginal or anal.  Twenty-three days after said event, I noticed two small reddish bumps on my penis.  They were no larger than the tip of a ball point pen.  Probably wouldn't have even noticed them at all if I hadn't been in a hyper-vigilant state (due to guilt no doubt).  The bumps caused no pain or itching at all. After a day or so the bumps started looking like whiteheads that I used to get on my face when I was young.  They also had hairs sticking up through them, so I plucked the hairs out with tweezers and popped the bumps and washed my penis.  One of the bumps went away over night and the other went away in a day or so.  A day later I noticed a couple more bumps at random places on penis.  Some appeared to be whiteheads around a hair and others were just reddish.  I would say that in all over four days there have been six or seven bumps.  If left alone, they seem to go away on their own in three days or so.  They are not clumped together and they are not blisters.  Herpes sores wouldn't go way that fast would they?  Would herpes sores appear one-by-one over a period of three or four days?  I had sex the day before the first bumps appeared and used a condom.  I wonder if the condom irritated my penis.  I don't seem to have the classic symptoms of herpes do I?  What do you think?  I might have been getting these bumps for years, and I just never noticed them before now.  I understand from several good sources that contracting any STD from genital-to-hand-to-genital contact is very rare.  

Thank you for your time and the valuable service you provide.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Your description does not, as you suspect yourself, sound anything like herpes.  It sounds as though you have clogged follicles, possibly aggravated by the condom, but not necessarily.  Your best bet is to leave the bumps alone and show them to a doctor if they're still there next time you have an appointment.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[Westcider187]

Hi i had unprotected sex just under two weeks ago about 3 days after the event took place i noticed small red marks on the head of my penis behind my foreskin as the days go by there seems to be a few more they are very small tho and one has seeme to dry up slightly there is no pain ichting or anything could this be herpes? thanks

[OCDMAN]

Hi again Doctor.  Well it seems that all of the bumps are gone.  There's just a tiny bit of red where one was.  In a span of four days they all appeared (at different times) and disappeared.  I suppose I shouldn't have bothered you.  Surely herpes sores don't come and go that fast.  I hope.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Correct.

Dr. Rockoff

[Sean_S]

Hi my names Sean, I'm 18 years of age.I have developed red pimple like sores on my penis. They do not itch nore sting and do not match up with the tradtational herpes pictures I'v looked up. I'm not even sure if it is herpes and I'm to nervous to go to a doctor at this point or friends and faimly. I'v only had 2 sexual partners and I'v only had oral sex with them. Both said they have not had any sexual partners before hand.As I said I'm not sure what it is as I have developed rashes in that area before i have ever even had a seaxual parnter but this one seems deffernt.  I hope you can offer me some sort of help. I did take 2 pictures of the pimple like sores in question if that helps any.

Sean

[Sean_S]

Anyone here?