I have red spots on my penis that look like craters

Last updated on September 13, 2020

Question:

Hello,

I’m 18, and I’ve had protected sex twice. I’ve had these red spots on the shaft of my penis for a while now. They are painless and I don’t know what the cause could be. I shave the shaft of my penis and it seems like it gets more irritated when I do it, so I’m thinking that may be the cause. Also, it looks like crater-like holes with hard bbs under it. It also gets dry and flaky sometimes. I was thinking that might be blocked hair follicles.

If you could give me back any feedback I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you! 

Answer:

Please understand that since I can’t see what you see, I have to give good, educated guesses. I’m assuming that these spots showed up since you had sex. The craters that crusts over are called “ulcers.” The symptoms you give actually match several problems and because of this I would like you to go see a doctor very soon. One of the possibilities is the STD syphilis, which is a serious disease that must be treated with antibiotics. Psoriasis is another possibility which is not a sexually transmitted disease and is treatable. There are a number of other possibilities but since at least one serious one is in the mix, I want you to see your doctor.

Shaving your genitals can cause problems. The skin is thin there and shaving causes small nicks in the skin which can allow bacteria or fungi into the skin. It is possible that you have a skin infection unrelated to the fact that you were committing fornication.

“Protected sex,” i.e. having sex with a condom on reduces the odds of getting a sexually transmitted disease, but it does not eliminate the possibility. There are numerous reasons why, from not putting on the condom before initial contact with the other person, to slippage, to small tears or holes. Add to this that you were shaving your genitals and you make it easier for an STD to take lodging in your penis.

What I would also like you to consider is that what you did was sinful. See:

Please let me know what the doctor says and how you are getting along.

Question:

Thanks so much for your help! I’ll let you know what I find out.

I looked up pictures of syphilis and mine look nothing like that. These craters aren’t as deep as these and don’t look infected. There are just red and small indentions in the skin with hard spots under them. Sometimes it gets dry skin over the spots. I just don’t think it’s an STD. 

Answer:

Good! Like I said, I can only go by what you said and I can’t see what you see, so little things like “how big” is hard to determine.

If you would like, let’s assume that you got an infection from your shaving. Get some antibiotic ointment and put it on all the spots twice a day. If you don’t see an improvement in several days, then go see a doctor. If you do see an improvement, continue the ointment until after the spots completely fade away.