If not warts - what?

Hello,

Let me start off by saying - thank you for this forum.

Okay 3 items:

1.  About 4 months ago I noticed these lines of bumps on the head of my penis (have no idea how long they'd been there). They go from the back of the glans (glands) to about half way to the urethra hole. They're only on the top of the glans (glands) in the middle and gradually fade away from left to right. These bumps all line up, kinda like crop rows following the natural folds of the glans (glands) both horizontally and vertically (I can pull them apart and see 'normal' skin between them). They are slightly darker than the rest of the glans (glands) and only very, very slightly raised, or if I spend time looking at them (with eyes and hands) they get kinda red. At that time 4 months ago, I had an STD doctor look at a larger bump at the end of one of these rows she said "It just doesn't look like a wart to me." She spend some time looking at the glans (glands) so I'm assuming she looked at the rest of them. They haven't noticeably changed over that 4 month time. I haven't had sex in over 9 months (protected).

2.  At that same time I noticed a small 'finger' like mole colored growth at the base of my penis (where the hair meets the shaft).  It was about 1 mm in diameter and maybe 2-3 mm long, it was flimsy and easy to move around.  I, after reading online, checked it with vinegar to see if it turned white.  Well...it never changed color (stayed the color of a mole), but it totally dried up and fell off within a day (over 4 months ago) and has never come back.  The STD doctor inspected the area, and said nothing looked abnormal.

3.  Also had the STD doctor check a small bump (1 mm wide, 2 mm long, slightly raised - flesh colored) just above my cicrumsion scar.  It only has any type of texture when you rub it in a specific direction, all other directions it is almost totally unnoticeable.  She said it looks like a clogged pore (or something like that) and said not to worry about it, said it didn't look wart like.  It hasn't noticeably changed since then - just occasionally gets red and irritated when it gets rubbed by my pants.  By irrtated I mean it stays flesh(ish) colored and the area around it becomes slightly red.

Basically, I want to know if these aren't warts (specifically 1 & 2) what are they?  Also, how common are items like #3 on men, and do they go away after time?  Any ideas how to remove these items?  Every time I look at them I kinda go a little crazy.

Lastly, for my piece of mind, I'm going to a dermitologist in a week to get a second opinion - ideas for thinks I should ask?  Like looking for particular things, requests for tests, etc.

Thanks again for your time, please enjoy your week.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

It sounds to me as though the reassurance the STD doctor gave you was appropriate.  These various changes may indeed be blocked pores, moles, or other anatomical variants of normal that can't be removed for the most part, and don't need to be.  Please leave the bumps alone for now so as not to confuse the issue, and let the dermatologist tell you what you need to know.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff