Penis Abrasion

Hello Dr.,

Three days ago, I masturbated over my boxers and basketball shorts.  Towards the end, I felt as if I had caused an abrasion and when I was finished and was showering, I did indeed notice an abrasion that stung.  It appeared as if some skin had been rubbed off on the shaft below the head, where my hand had been.  I'd noticed a little bit of mild irritation the day before when I'd done the same thing, but I did not notice any physical symptoms.  This type of thing had happened before, both when I had masturbated or had been masturbated by a partner over top of clothing, so I did not think much of it.

However, later that evening when I was watching television, a friend and I saw an advertisement for herpes medication and began to discuss the issue (stigma, etc) and I began to think/fear that perhaps something was there previously and I had simply aggravated it.  I've never had any unexplained abrasions/sores in the area and I've only ever had one true sexual partner.  Apart from that, I've only ever had one instance of unprotected oral sex (for which I was tested 9 weeks later) and other instances of kissing, mutual masturbation, and clothed frottage--all with the same partner.

The abrasion/sore is, at most, 1 cm in diameter, flat, and is not bleeding or giving off any discharge (pus, etc).  It is beginning to heal and there is a pin-sized scab next to it as well.  The area around it is not irritated, red, or swollen, or anything like that--just the abrasion alone.

I was wondering whether this sounds to you like a simple masturbation-induced abrasion or whether it sounds like I may have aggravated something else and should have it looked at by a doctor.

Thanks for your help and all the work you do.

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

Welcome to the Dermatology Expert Forum!

This does sound like a friction induced abrasion and it seems to be healing nicely. Information you provided clearly indicates that erosion appeared only after repeated forced friction with rough textile. I am sure you have learned from your prior experiences and will avoid penile injuries in future.

Of course, general advice is not to practice unprotected sex of any sort.


Wishing You Optimal Health,
Dr. Jasmina Jankicevic