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Hypopigmented macules and papules on penis head years after unprotected anal sex
Good day to everyone. I'm a 35 year old African American male of dark skin complexion.
25-30 years ago at the age of 9, I had anal sex with a female a few years older than me. Neither of us knew what we were doing, and It only lasted for about 7 seconds due to the pain it was causing her.
I noticed a week or 2 later that their were a cluster of red pin head sized papules all over the glans of my penis. After some weeks those papules started to change into pinhead sized hypopigmented macules, while some remained papules that look similar to lichen nitidus/planus. And for the last 25-30 years this is how it has stayed.
7 years ago was the first time I found out about lichen nitidus/planus. and since the papules looked so similar to lichen nitidus/planus, I settled for it being the cause. So I never looked further into it with a doctor.
But recently I've learned about syphilis, and the horrible long term neurological complications if it's untreated, and since I suffer from severe ocd it's got me really scared thinking that it could have been syphilis this whole time.
For those who don't know, long term syphilis causes neurological and psychiatric issues. And I have severe ocd which started a few years after the anal sex incident so that only reinforces this belief that it could have been syphilis. (Also I experienced a head injury a few years after the anal sex, so it could also be a cause for my ocd. Which I'm hoping it is.)
In 2001 at the age of 13 I went to my gp for a sports physical for school, I didn't mention the bumps, but the doctor noticed the bumps, and quickly asked in a calm voice if I had a girlfriend, and if I was having sex. I quickly said no, and he left it alone. So I don't think he was too concerned.
let me know what is the most likely cause for this condition, their is no other symptoms with this condition like itching etc. Just cosmetic . Please get back in touch as soon as possible, thanks.
25-30 years ago at the age of 9, I had anal sex with a female a few years older than me. Neither of us knew what we were doing, and It only lasted for about 7 seconds due to the pain it was causing her.
I noticed a week or 2 later that their were a cluster of red pin head sized papules all over the glans of my penis. After some weeks those papules started to change into pinhead sized hypopigmented macules, while some remained papules that look similar to lichen nitidus/planus. And for the last 25-30 years this is how it has stayed.
7 years ago was the first time I found out about lichen nitidus/planus. and since the papules looked so similar to lichen nitidus/planus, I settled for it being the cause. So I never looked further into it with a doctor.
But recently I've learned about syphilis, and the horrible long term neurological complications if it's untreated, and since I suffer from severe ocd it's got me really scared thinking that it could have been syphilis this whole time.
For those who don't know, long term syphilis causes neurological and psychiatric issues. And I have severe ocd which started a few years after the anal sex incident so that only reinforces this belief that it could have been syphilis. (Also I experienced a head injury a few years after the anal sex, so it could also be a cause for my ocd. Which I'm hoping it is.)
In 2001 at the age of 13 I went to my gp for a sports physical for school, I didn't mention the bumps, but the doctor noticed the bumps, and quickly asked in a calm voice if I had a girlfriend, and if I was having sex. I quickly said no, and he left it alone. So I don't think he was too concerned.
let me know what is the most likely cause for this condition, their is no other symptoms with this condition like itching etc. Just cosmetic . Please get back in touch as soon as possible, thanks.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Unfortunately, I can't tell you what the cause is. It can be caused by a number of different things - lichen planus, lichen sclerosus, angiokeratomas, psoriasis - and you'd have to have a biopsy to determine what is causing yours.
It's not syphilis, for sure. A syphilis sore is a round, open, painless sore that appears 10-90 days after infection, and lasts for 3-6 weeks. It will go away with or without treatment.
If you don't get treatment, the next stage is a rash that you get over different parts of your body. That will go away, too. At some point, you'd have noticed the symptoms. Also, you can get a test and easily determine if you have it or not, and put that matter to rest.
It would be really unlikely that a child just a few years older than you - around 12 or 13? - would have syphilis.
If you were 9, and are 35 now, let's say this happened in 1996. In 1996, there were 11,387 in the entire US. (https://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/std/STDD011.PCW.html) It's highly unlikely your friend was one of them, and then infected you.
For comparison, in 2019, 129,813 cases of all stages of syphilis were reported. (https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2019/overview.htm)
Since you're so concerned about what the spots are, why not see a dermatologist?
It's not syphilis, for sure. A syphilis sore is a round, open, painless sore that appears 10-90 days after infection, and lasts for 3-6 weeks. It will go away with or without treatment.
If you don't get treatment, the next stage is a rash that you get over different parts of your body. That will go away, too. At some point, you'd have noticed the symptoms. Also, you can get a test and easily determine if you have it or not, and put that matter to rest.
It would be really unlikely that a child just a few years older than you - around 12 or 13? - would have syphilis.
If you were 9, and are 35 now, let's say this happened in 1996. In 1996, there were 11,387 in the entire US. (https://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/std/STDD011.PCW.html) It's highly unlikely your friend was one of them, and then infected you.
For comparison, in 2019, 129,813 cases of all stages of syphilis were reported. (https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2019/overview.htm)
Since you're so concerned about what the spots are, why not see a dermatologist?
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
