Spots on Penis

What are penis spots?

Worry tends to accompany the discovery of new spots when they’re on the penis. Knowing whether or not they are cause for concern can cause a scare.

Different types of common penile spots include:

• Warts – Flesh-colored growths that usually appear in groups or clusters. They are not painful, but are highly contagious.
• Red ulcers, no pain – An open sore that is essentially a break or hole in the skin, also known as a chancre.
• Blisters or lesions – Red, fluid-filled sacks or spots that appear in groups or clusters. They are a painful symptom of genital herpes. Once they burst, these spots become red and crust over.
• Raised itchy bumps – Mites that can be passed from close contact with an infected individual, including sexual contact. These mites bite, leaving red itchy spots behind on many parts of the body, including the groin and genitals.
• Concave bump – A reddened or shiny flesh-toned spot that is concave or sunken in is a distinctive characteristic of molluscum contagiosum. It can be spread during intimate or sexual contact.
• Hirsutoid papillomas (Pearly penile papules) – Flesh-colored papules that are spiny in shape. They often are found in a ring around the sulcus coronarius (the edge of the head of the penis just above the shaft). They are benign, harmless, and don’t disappear, but are not an STD and are not contagious.

Which STDs cause penis spots?

Syphilis causes a chancre or ulcer at the site of infection that disappears on its own in weeks. However, while the chancre goes away, the bacteria is still inside you and needs to be treated or it will progress into more serious stages of the disease. HPV (human papillomavirus) is the cause of genital warts, which are painless flesh-colored warts that occur in clusters on the penis and in the genital region (the area covered by boxer shorts).

Medically Reviewed by J. Frank Martin JR., MD on June 18, 2019