need some imput

hello, i would just like to say that this is a great informational site... i need some help.  in may, i started dating a girl.  we had uprotected sex.  in early june i noticed a small red bump, in the middle of the shaft of my penis, just below the head, but right above the circumcision line( i am circumcised) the skin in this area appears to be more wrinkley than before, but this could just be a conclusion that i have drawn because i have never really examined this closely before. anyways,  i asked her if she had ever had any symptoms of hpv, which is what i figured it to be, and she said no, but she has had an abnormal pap before, which she excused as having sex the night before she went in.  Anyway, the bump has not changed, spread, or hurt.  I went to see my health care provider and she said it did not appear to be hpv or herpes.  She just told me to use hydrocortisone.  

I am not currently on any drugs, but just before the bump first occured, i quit using tetracycline.  

i read in earlier questions about hpv that you said that they usually form in the middle of the shaft, which is where my bump is.  

should i seek further advice, or take my gp's advice?

If it is hpv, what are treatment options?

I am very scared about this situation, and i just want things back to normal.  Please give me your advice

thanks again

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Genital warts (HPV) can occur anywhere on the genitals, and on the penis anywhere from tip to base.  Your health care provider should have been able to recognize a wart, although some are more experienced than others in this area.  Maybe a skin tag (i.e., increased prominence of normal skin).

Tell your partner that having sex the night before a pap smear won't change the results.  HPV is by far the most common cause of pap smear abnormalities.  But even if you have a wart, you probably didn't catch it from your new partner; warts generally take several weeks to show up.

If your penile bump is growing or if other lesions appear, get it checked out again; otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks for your kind comments about the STD forum.  Best wishes--

HHH, MD