Warts

[AntBanks]

i am a 22 yr old sexually active male, when i was 19 i noticed what was a very small grey colored dome shaped bump at the bottom left side of my penis right where the pubic hair begins to grow, it didnt have any fluids in it and it was very smooth not rough at all, being as though it was so small i did something not so smart, i picked at it with my nails until it came off, my skin eventually scabbed and it healed and my skin returned to lookin normal, a while later it came back in the exact same place looking exactly the same as before, i end up playing doctor and scraped it off again only for it to come back in the same place, after i continued to do this for a yr i noticed that it was growing back twice as worst and getting bigger and widening, i guess i could have infected whateva it is i have to make it look real bad, not long afta i grew what i think was a cysts in my pubic hair region which i ended up playing DR. again and popped it, alot of puss came out and blood, when my skin healed it i ended up getting a lesion in that exact spot that looked exactly like the one i have on my penis, so finally i went to see a DR. he said it was warts but also said it looks exactly like secondary syphilis, i neva had the blood work done so i still dont know if thats whats causing this, i went to anotha derm. who also said warts so he burned them off, 2 weeks lata i got the lesions again, he burned them off again, 2 weeks later i got it again, he burned it again, 2 weeks later there back, its almost as if they belong there, they grow back as my skin starts to heal from the burning im starting to think its not warts but something i badly infected to make it look that bad, and burning them isnt getting to the root of the problem, i know warts can come back, but every 2 weeks for 2 yrs?? i also noticed that sex plays an issue with these things coming back, every time i have unprotected sex with my wife, i notice one has grown on me, i dont wanna keep burning my penis every 2 weeks, and i dont wanna keep going to a dr every week im not rich, what can this be??

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I certainly agree completely with your question: "I know warts can come back, but every 2 weeks for 2 yrs??"

It's hard to know whether these are warts, moles, cysts, or just the results of trauma from picking.  (Secondary syphilis doesn't sound likely at all.  If the doctor had serious concerns along those lines, he should have ordered blood tests.)

My advice is this.  For one month apply bacitracin ointment on all bumps twice a day.  Sex is fine but picking is forbidden!

At the end of a month, see another skin doctor (preferably not the one who is certain they're warts.)  Chances are you'll find that whatever the bumps are, they can stay there.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[AntBanks]

thank you, my 1st doctor did order me for a blood test but i neva went because of all the other sypmtoms syphilis causes i neva once had, only these lesions so i went to another DR. i am gonna try what you said though, thanks for your advise

[AntBanks]

im sorry but what kind of bacitracin ointment should i use because i think there is 2 kinds, what is the exact name i dont wanna get the wrong one