Aa
Dry Spot on Penis (Syphilis?)
Dear Dr.,
I am writing this question regarding a sexual encounter I had on August 17, 2010.
I had unprotected oral sex, and protected sex with a female.
The next day or so I noticed a little peeling around a rough, dry spot on my penis head. Now this spot wasn't an open sore or anything and it was smaller than the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil. I had no pain and assumed it was just some irritation from the condom.
I did not think anything of it until I googled "Dry Spot on Penis Head". The findings from google were syphilis symptoms & I am primarily concerned because of the following description:
"Primary Stage
The primary stage of syphilis is usually marked by the appearance of a single sore (called a chancre), but there may be multiple sores. The time between infection with syphilis and the start of the first symptom can range from 10 to 90 days (average 21 days). The chancre is usually firm, round, small, and painless. It appears at the spot where syphilis entered the body."
Is a dry spot the same as this described single sore? The images on google for this single sore all look like the type that sometimes occurs in the mouth. The spot on my penis looked nothing close to the images on google or a canker sore. More just like a dry, rough patch that was a little harder than the skin around it. I actually just peeled a bit of skin of it and the skin under it is softer.
(FYI:Yesterday I noticed a canker sore in my mouth. We did not kiss. I don't think that the two are related but I just wanted to provide that info.)
I am writing this question regarding a sexual encounter I had on August 17, 2010.
I had unprotected oral sex, and protected sex with a female.
The next day or so I noticed a little peeling around a rough, dry spot on my penis head. Now this spot wasn't an open sore or anything and it was smaller than the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil. I had no pain and assumed it was just some irritation from the condom.
I did not think anything of it until I googled "Dry Spot on Penis Head". The findings from google were syphilis symptoms & I am primarily concerned because of the following description:
"Primary Stage
The primary stage of syphilis is usually marked by the appearance of a single sore (called a chancre), but there may be multiple sores. The time between infection with syphilis and the start of the first symptom can range from 10 to 90 days (average 21 days). The chancre is usually firm, round, small, and painless. It appears at the spot where syphilis entered the body."
Is a dry spot the same as this described single sore? The images on google for this single sore all look like the type that sometimes occurs in the mouth. The spot on my penis looked nothing close to the images on google or a canker sore. More just like a dry, rough patch that was a little harder than the skin around it. I actually just peeled a bit of skin of it and the skin under it is softer.
(FYI:Yesterday I noticed a canker sore in my mouth. We did not kiss. I don't think that the two are related but I just wanted to provide that info.)
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
That sort of sexual exposure further reduces the chance this is syphilis. If the spot persists or flares up again, get examined. Most likely it's a minor issue that can be easily treated.
My sexual encounter was about 3-5 min. of receiving unprotected oral sex and about 10-15 min. of protected vaginal sex. I am in the U.S. (Southern California), and my sexual partner was not a sex worker.
The quoted phrase from the web raised my concerns because I had a circular spot on my penis head that did not feel painful. I guess I am just a little paranoid. The dry spot has since decreased in size..and sort of peels off little by little.
Thanks for your help doc!
The quoted phrase from the web raised my concerns because I had a circular spot on my penis head that did not feel painful. I guess I am just a little paranoid. The dry spot has since decreased in size..and sort of peels off little by little.
Thanks for your help doc!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum.
It would be helpful to know more about the sexual encounter. If you are in the US and your partner is not a sex worker, and not an ethnic minority from the southeast part of the country, then the chance she had syphilis is virtually zero. Syphilis is rare in the US, with only 10-15,000 new cases per year in the entire US, with 2/3 of those in gay men and the rest mostly in the population groups just mentioned.
Second, your lesion doesn't sound remotely like syphilis. Among other things, syphilis cannot start the next day; 10 days is the earliest, usually 3-4 weeks or longer, as you learned. The photos you found on the web are typical. And from your description, I guess I don't fully understand why you found the quoted phrase of any concern. What you describe really doesn't sound at all like the description from the web. Am I missing something?
Most penile rashes or skin anomalies of the type you describe are not due to any STD, so it is unlikely the spot on your penis has anything to do with the sexual encounter 8/17. Most of the hundreds of causes of skin rash anywhere on the body sometimes involve the penis. If you are convinced it is abnormal and doesn't clear up on its own, see a health care provider. But I see no reasons to be concerned about syphilis and do not recommend testing for it.
Finally, I agree the oral canker sore is probably unrelated to any of this.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
It would be helpful to know more about the sexual encounter. If you are in the US and your partner is not a sex worker, and not an ethnic minority from the southeast part of the country, then the chance she had syphilis is virtually zero. Syphilis is rare in the US, with only 10-15,000 new cases per year in the entire US, with 2/3 of those in gay men and the rest mostly in the population groups just mentioned.
Second, your lesion doesn't sound remotely like syphilis. Among other things, syphilis cannot start the next day; 10 days is the earliest, usually 3-4 weeks or longer, as you learned. The photos you found on the web are typical. And from your description, I guess I don't fully understand why you found the quoted phrase of any concern. What you describe really doesn't sound at all like the description from the web. Am I missing something?
Most penile rashes or skin anomalies of the type you describe are not due to any STD, so it is unlikely the spot on your penis has anything to do with the sexual encounter 8/17. Most of the hundreds of causes of skin rash anywhere on the body sometimes involve the penis. If you are convinced it is abnormal and doesn't clear up on its own, see a health care provider. But I see no reasons to be concerned about syphilis and do not recommend testing for it.
Finally, I agree the oral canker sore is probably unrelated to any of this.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
