Skin tags/warts?

I have seen this question many times, but I still can't tell the difference between them. My situation is this:  I shave the top of my pubic region with a trimmer on the lowest setting, and the hair at the base of my penis with an electric razor.  6 months or so after i began using the electric razor, a fleshy growth appeared at the base of my penis.  it is now about 6 months later, and there are about 10, but much smaller, all at the base on the top, but mostly on the sides.  I stretch my penis to shave the base properly, and I heard shaving the pubic region may cause skin tags.  Just today, I snipped off the large one with a sterylized nail clipper without much pain at all, and I can kind of pull the other small ones.  The only indication that I have that they may be genital warts is that skin tags and warts can be so similar.  What is your opinion?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Thegrowths that you have got on penis can be due to skin tags or molluscum contagiosum. Molluscum contagiosum are multiple, small, dome-shaped papules, often with a central depression or plug and is a viral infection. Warts are tumours or growths of the skin caused by infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV).They are contagious when in contact with the skin of an infected person. Exactly what it is can be confirmed only after examination and biopsy.

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.