Last updated on August 15, 2020
Question:
I’m 17, and I woke up today and went to the bathroom, when I looked down I noticed something was weird on my scrotum, so I looked at my scrotum and saw these small red spots, mostly just on the left side. They are not bumps, but instead just small dots where the skin was red. There is no pain, and no itch, just the dots. I was wondering if this was cause for alarm or not.
I’m a hypochondriac, so I’ve looked up a thousand different things in the past few hours, and I came to this site. You seem like you know what you’re talking about so I feel that you can help me.
Also if it helps, I have never had sex, and my mother told me that it was probably just a heat rash, but I find such empty answers hard to ease my mind.
Answer:
The best thing is to look for common, simple answers before jumping to wild ones. As one doctor on the radio likes to say, “Why look for zebras when a horse will do?”
I hope you also understand that I don’t see what you see. I only have your description to go upon.
Since you just noticed them after getting up in the morning, it is possible that your mother is right that it is nothing more than a heat rash. It is also possible that it might be an infection or jock itch that just started to develop and you noticed the redness before any of the other symptoms kicked in. Fortunately, most skin problems are not emergencies, so let’s do some simple things to see if the spots fade or not.
If it was the heat, then most likely the spots would have faded a few hours later. But even if that wasn’t so, I would like you to try treating it like a heat rash, just to rule out the possibility. First, find a body powder to sprinkle lightly on your genitals. This will absorb any excess moisture and keep your clothing from rubbing the skin. Second, for the next few nights use only a sheet to sleep under to keep you from overheating and sweating at night. Third, don’t wear any clothing at night for the next few nights — again, to keep from trapping moisture and to keep you cool. After a few days, check to see if there has been any change or new symptoms.
After a few days, write and let me know what has or has not changed.