red bump on penis

[steves44]

Hello, I am a 21 eyar old male that has had sex with 5 people. I almost always have protected sex but this past september I was really drunk and I had unprotected sex with a random girl. Since this event I have not had sex. I hadn't had an symptoms of any stds before a couple of days ago. The other day I noticed a single red bump on my penis. I don't think its a hair follicle cause it seems to be above where the hair grows. The bump doesn't really hurt or itch but it is red and raised. It has been there about 2 days and hasn't seem to gotten any worse. Today I put a little neosporin on it. I was reading online that herpes can just sometimes cause red bumps so it has me worried. I am not really sure how to approach this situation. I think I might get tested for hsv through some website called tstd.org. This really has me worried and I am not sure what to do.

[steves44]

Thank you for all your help. I will take your advise. Thanks again

[Edward W Hook, MD]

What you describe does not sound the least bit like herpes.  Despite the fact that it is above your public hair, it really does sound more like folliculitis than anything else.  Folliculitis occurs when the pores in your skin get plugged.  This allows that normal bacteria that are present on just about every-one's skin to grow and cause what is essentially a pimple.  Some of these just appear as red bumps which may or may not be  tender while others go on to actually form pimples.  

There are no STDs that would take so long to appear.

If you are in North America, my advice would be to go to your local Health Department STD Clinic and  have an expert take a look.  Alternatively, you could go a your own local doctor.  The goal of this is for them to tell you what is going on and to help you manage it.  There is nothing to be embarrassed or worried about.  It is not an STD.

Hope this helps.  EWH