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"In this article, we&amp;#039;ll describe the different types of spots that you might notice on your penis. Penile spots are not usually a sign of anything very serious. But sometimes it&amp;#039;s good idea to show the spots to your GP, or (better) to a doctor at a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic.   Please bear in mind that most spots that you might find there are likely to be completely harmless.  It&amp;#039;s understandable that men can be very concerned if they notice penile spots. They&amp;#039;re frequently worried that they may have some form of cancer. In fact, spots are almost never a sign of cancer of the penis. Men also get alarmed about the sometimes rather unpleasant physical appearance of a &amp;#039;spotty&amp;#039; penis, and what their sexual partner or partners might think of it. This is quite understandable.   However, very tiny and harmless &amp;#039;bumps&amp;#039; on the penis, alarming though they may be to the organ&amp;#039;s owner, are unlikely to be noticed by a sex partner.  Where could I seek medical help? If you&amp;#039;re concerned about a spot (or spots) on your penis, please ask a doctor to have a look at it.  You could go to your GP, or else get a confidential opinion from your local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic, often now called a &amp;#039;sexual health clinic&amp;#039;.  The consultants there are the real experts in disorders of the sex organs. Please don&amp;#039;t feel embarrassed about going to see them because they&amp;#039;re used to this type of problem.  The average GUM specialist examines at least a dozen penises every day, so yours is nothing new to him or her.  To go to a GUM department, you don&amp;#039;t need a referral letter from your GP. But it&amp;#039;s advisable to first telephone the clinic in order to find out when they are open, and whether you need an appointment.  In the UK, clinics may possibly be listed in your telephone directory under &amp;#039;Health Service&amp;#039; or &amp;#039;Hospitals&amp;#039;. Or you can ring your nearest large hospital and ask where the GUM clinic is.  Alternatively, go to the Family Planning Association website and navigate your way to &amp;#039;STD clinics&amp;#039;. Then type in your postcode \u2013and you&amp;#039;ll be given details of the nearest clinics to you.  Another useful route is to Google the words &amp;#039;GUM Clinic&amp;#039;, plus the name of your home town.  Very common spots Now let&amp;#039;s look at some really common penile spots: Fordyce spots These are tiny white or yellowish spots, found on the head of the penis or the shaft.  If your skin is brown or black, they may look more prominent. They are normal.  They&amp;#039;re minute sebaceous glands and are just part of the natural structure of many penises.  Many men also have them around their lips.  Fordyce spots are not sexually transmitted and they don&amp;#039;t do any harm. There&amp;#039;s absolutely no need for any treatment.  Pearly papules Pearly penile papules are also normal. They are very small bumps, the same colour as your skin, but with a pearly appearance. They usually appear around the glans (head) of the penis in a row.  Again, they are not sexually transmitted, and they don&amp;#039;t need any treatment. But if you really want them removed for cosmetic reasons, this is sometimes possible.  Hair follicles As you know, virtually all men have quite a few hairs growing around the base of the penis. And often, the hairs extend some distance up the underside of the organ \u2013 particularly in people of Middle Eastern background.  Human hairs grow out of a tiny &amp;#039;pit&amp;#039;, which is called a &amp;#039;follicle&amp;#039;. And very frequently, the follicles on the penis may be quite prominent. This is nothing to worry about and no treatment is needed.  Septic spots  Obviously, people do often get pimples, or &amp;#039;septic spots&amp;#039; on their faces and on other parts of the body. They&amp;#039;re particularly common in young adults.  Sometimes a small pimple appears on the penis. This is not a serious matter and no treatment is needed.  Do not squeeze the spot, because you may spread infection.  Don&amp;#039;t have sex with anyone till it&amp;#039;s completely gone. However, if something that you think is a pimple hasn&amp;#039;t gone away within a week, ask a doctor to check it out.  Genital warts In contrast, genital warts do need treatment. And they are transmitted by sexual contact.  They are pink, brown, ivory-coloured or black (depending on your skin shade).  The characteristic appearance is of a &amp;#039;wobbly&amp;#039; projection \u2013 a bit like a tiny strand of seaweed.  Occasionally, they grow out of the opening at the tip of the organ.  They are caused by one of the human papilloma viruses (HPV), which like living in warm, moist parts of the human body.  Genital warts are easily passed on during vaginal, oral or anal sex.   Most genital warts are treated at GUM clinics, though some people try self-treatment. It is strongly recommended that you go to a GUM clinic if you suspect you have genital warts, partly to make sure that your diagnosis is correct.  Treatment is either by application of special paints or creams, or else by removing the wart altogether \u2013 for instance with an electric probe or laser. This is virtually painless. Do not have sex until the doctor says that you are completely cured.  Molluscum contagiosum Molluscum produces tiny, dome-shaped, pearly lumps on the skin. These spots are pink or brown (depending on your skin colour), and they usually have a little dimple on top. If they are squeezed, a little cheesy-looking material comes out from under this dimple.  Molloscum contagiosum is caused by a virus that is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. For this reason, a lot of children develop the spots, often on their chests or sides, after playing with other kids.  However, among adults molluscum is often passed on through being in bed with somebody. Quite frequently, the spots appear on the penis, though they could be anywhere else on the body.  If you think you&amp;#039;ve got molluscum, go to a GUM clinic \u2013 where they see this condition frequently, and are used to diagnosing it correctly. Often, the doctor will advise you that no treatment is needed, because the spots will get better of their own accord in a few months.  But while you have them, you definitely shouldn&amp;#039;t have intercourse \u2013 or even go to bed naked with anyone.  Less common spots There are some more serious causes of spots on the penis. Fortunately, they&amp;#039;re not very common in the UK.  Syphilis Syphilis is a very serious STD. Fortunately, there are now only about 3,000 cases a year in Britain. Most of these are in gay men.  After an incubation period of nine to 90 days, syphilis announces its arrival when a painless lump (about the size of a 5p piece) appears on the penis \u2013 or at any other site of sexual contact.  Depending on your skin colour, the lump will be dull red or brown or black. It soon breaks down into a raw place (an ulcer), which is also painless.   What helps to make this disease so dangerous is that the ulcer soon goes away \u2013 and you may well think you are cured. You aren&amp;#039;t.  If you have the slightest suspicion that a bump or ulcer on your penis might be due to syphilis, get to a GUM clinic rapidly for an examination and tests.  Happily, this infection is very curable \u2013 if caught early. Do not have sex with anyone until you&amp;#039;ve been pronounced cured.  Herpes Herpes causes tiny blisters, rather than actual spots, on the penis (and at other points of sexual contact). It&amp;#039;s caused by a virus, which is transmitted during sex (includling oral sex).  The first symptom is usually a reddish or brownish discolouration on the penis. This soon breaks down into a number of small blisters, filled with straw-coloured fluid.  These can be painful. They usually last for several weeks, and then vanish. Unfortunately, that doesn&amp;#039;t mean you are cured.   If you have the slightest suspicion that you might have caught herpes, get yourself to a GUM clinic as soon as possible.  You will be given treatment with an anti-viral agent. You will be given you advice about how long you should abstain from sex \u2013 and what precautions you should take when you resume.  Tropical venereal diseases Several tropical sex infections cause a little brownish or pinkish bump on the penis, which looks quite like the lump caused by syphilis (please see above).   Often the glands in your groin swell up too. So if you&amp;#039;ve recently had sex in a tropical country \u2013 or had sex with someone who&amp;#039;s come from a tropical country \u2013 you could be a risk. If in doubt, go to a GUM clinic for expert diagnosis and tests.  The diseases they&amp;#039;ll be looking for are:   Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV); Chancroid (soft sore); Granuluma inguinale.  Other people also read:     Based on a text by Dr John Dean, specialist in sexual medicine Last updated 02.11.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/sexual-health/a12010/spots-on-the-penis/>