Last updated on August 5, 2020
Question
There are bumps on the shaft of my penis that look like goose bumps. What are they?
Answer
Perhaps you are seeing are hair follicles. Yes, you can have hair on your penis. It won’t be a lot, nor will the hairs necessarily become long or dark, but hair on the penis is common among men.
When hair first develops, it is very fine, but the opening it must extend through in the skin is often very small at first. As the hair moves up, it pushes on the edges of the hole, causing a small bump. In time, the hole enlarges and the skin lays flat again.
Most likely you are seeing sebaceous glands through the thin skin of your penis. These are the oil glands which keep the skin of your penis soft and stretchable. When they appear on the shaft of the penis, they are also called Fordyce spots.
These glands usually become noticeable during adolescents when your penis grows. You can especially see them during an erection when the skin of the penis is stretched.
They cause no harm, they are a normal part of all men. How noticeable they are depends on how large of oil glands you have and how transparent is your skin. For most men, these spots fade as you get older. As you get older your oil glands slow down and thus shrink, and your skin thickens so you can’t see through it quite as easily.