Balanitis as symptom

[IwouldntKnow]

Hello.

I'm a 26yo uncircumcised male. I've noticed a couple of times I have some red spots in my glans and the inside of the foreskin. This are not painful and they dissappear quickly (a night,  a day or so)  and I've had a few recurrences. I notice sometimes white mucus,  which it think it's smegma.

Apparently I got a negative test a few weeks ago,  which the laboratory told me it was normal to get 0.00. However this was done before 8 weeks of my last contact.

Questions are:

1. Does this sound like Balanitis?
2. In which cases is balanitis a sign of herpes? Only during initial infection? Or recurrences too?
3. If it is caused by herpes,  could it be painless? Could it be accompanied with smegma?

Thank you to anyone that can offer some help.

[IwouldntKnow]

Thank you again for the answer.

I cant talk about a single sexual contact I can pinpoint this too. Been with a new partner, but this could be an older infection (one not covered in the last test I took).

If this is a MILD (and I mean mild) episode with only a red area, some bumps, maybe some itching (again, no pain or obvious ulcers), is it reasonable to rule out herpes as a cause? Cant an outbreak just look like this without ulcers? (as far as I know, yes...)

The smegma could be completely unrelated.

Thank you, sorry.

[Fleetwood20]

If infected, symptoms would appear within a week of the sexual contact resulting in transmission. This didn't happen.

Herpes lesions do not disappear completely in a couple of days without ulcerating. This didn't happen to you.

Herpes lesions do not have white discharge/mucous.

[IwouldntKnow]

Thank you again for your help Fleetwood. As usual.

May I ask why not? Is it the quick disappearance? The absence of pain?

Thanks.

[Fleetwood20]

Your symptoms are not related to herpes. This will be independent of your herpes status that you have tested for (but may consider a retest).