Strange Spot on Penis

[oxscared]

Dear Doctor(s),

Thanks in advance for your help. I am a bit freaked out at the moment. While jogging earlier today I felt a discomfort at the base of my penis and testicles--not a stinging or acute pain, really, but sort of a tightness, if that makes any sense. I was a bit concerned by this and checked it out on getting home, and found the following: next to one of the normal sebaceous things at the base on the underside of the penis, and demarcated by what looks like an ingrown hair (a black semi-circular line under the skin) is a very specific patch of dark/red skin which generally looks strange. It's probably 3-4mm across.

What concerns me about it is that when the skin of the penis is relaxed--ie, not stretched at all--it folds around this spot in a way very much suggestive of a 'crater.' The spot is clearly lower than the surrounding skin when it's relaxed. However with the skin more than slightly stretched the spot does not really appear lower than the surrounding skin, just darker. The spot is definitely not broken, oozing, or anything like that, and it's not at all painful to touch or stretch.

The cratered appearance of this spot when the skin is relaxed--and my prior discomfort--are making me very nervous. Then again, when the skin of the penis is not bunched up around it but rather stretched out it looks much more normal.

My last sexual activity was receiving oral a week ago (unprot)., with protected vaginal two weeks before that.

Should I be concerned that this thing could be a manifestation of herpes? Or would a herpes ulcer involve unambiguously broken skin? Am I being totally nuts?

Thanks...

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Thank you for the follow-up.  I'm pleased that things are working out for you.  EWH

[oxscared]

Thanks for your response. I was still a bit nervous this morning and managed to get a same-day appointment with my GP--no small feat at an NHS practice here in the UK--and he agreed that this whatever-it-is is nothing to worry about.

Thanks again.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You are not being totally nuts.  At the same time, this is not herpes.  There is nothing that you describe that suggests that this is herpes of any other STD.  On occasion there is normal swelling of skin in various parts of the body, possibly related in your case to the exercise which accentuates normal fissures and striations in the skin.  What you describe is nothing to worry about.  No testing is warranted.  If my reassurance is not sufficient, I would suggest yo see a dermatologist who will likely tell you the same thing.  Hope this helps.  EWH

[oxscared]

I should add: on further inspection the dark thing doesn't look like an ingrown hair. I'm not really sure what is making up the edge of this patch.