genital wart?

[bza_00]

I am really concerned about this growth I found.  Yesterday, exactly three weeks after I had unprotected sex with this girl, I woke up with a faint itch around my groin.  I immediately checked it out and found this purplish growth about the size of a seseme seed on the shaft of my penis almost at the base.  It is fairly firm to the touch and it sits on top of the skin.  It is painless and hasn't itched since I first detected it.  

I know vinegar is not the best diagnostic, but I applied it several times to the bump and watched carefully for any signs of change.  There was no color change or whitening at all.  I don't know if there is any other condition that could produce a growth like this, but I am fearing the worst.  Attached are 4 pictures taken of the bump.  To the left of the bump is a red mark where I nicked myself while trying to cut away hair to get a better look at the lump itself.  

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l31/bza_00/dddfbc39.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l31/bza_00/bump_2.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l31/bza_00/bump_3.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l31/bza_00/bump_4.jpg

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I can't tell for sure from the picture, but I very well could be a wart.  If it is, it's not from the encounter 3 weeks before you saw it, but more likely from some other one, perhaps a long time ago.  This is not the end of the world, but you need to have it looked at.  If it is a wart, it can be burned or frozen off in a couple of seconds.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[bza_00]

Thanks Doctor, I will have it looked at asap.  Assuming they burn/freeze it off, what is the next step?  Do I just watch the area carefully for the next 6-8 months for anything else.  I am an otherwise healthy 26-year old.  I currently do not have any sexual partners right now.  How long do the majority of these infections last before they are suppressed or eliminated by the body's immune system?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Once you get it burned off, there's nothing else to do.  It's much easier to have this taken care of if you have one or two such warts than the people who get the sort of warts that come in dozens.

Dr. Rockoff