Questions in The Dermatology Forum
are being answered by Dr. A. Rockoff, a board certified dermatologist, affiliated
with Tufts University School of Medicine.
Subject: Psoriasis on penis? Topic Area: Psoriasis
Forum: The Dermatology Forum
Question Posted By: Colin on Thursday, May 23, 2002
Hello,
I'm a 23 year old that has for the past four
months or so, had a few red spots on the head of my penis. They were/are
about the size of a pencil eraser, and there were two of them. Now
there's just one area. The size never changes -- remains exactly the
same.
They are flat, and have never burst or anything like that.
The skin looks totally intact. They are slightly shiny on top. They
arent round... One was ovalish and the other was sort of triangle
shaped.
At first I just left them alone, but they didnt go away.
So I thought I'd try 1% hydrocortizone. This got rid of one totally, and
the other mostly. But there is still a little flat red spot left where
one of them was.
I went to a dermatologist, and he said it was
most likely psoriasis, and gave me Lidex cream to apply on the small
spot that remained. It didnt seem to help...
Also it looks like I
have some broken blood vessels in the same area. I notice a few dark
dots the size of a pen tip that appear to be vessels broke where the
little veins join together. Is this something to be concerned
about?
Could this be psoriasis? Or some sort of vessel
disorder?
I think Im probably just over-reacting, especially in
light of the dermatologists thoughts that it was just psoriasis. I dont
know if the broken blood vessels are anything to worry about... But I
just wanted to ask you to get another doctors
opinion.
Thanks, Colin
Answer Posted By: Derm-M.D.-ASR
on Thursday, May 23, 2002
If the spots got better with over-the-counter
hydrocortisone, even partially, then the dermatologist is more than
likely correct. Psoriasis or eczema of the penis (both very similar) can
cause red spots lik the ones you describe.
Once you get rid of
the scale, the skin looks red for quite some time. If you look hard, you
can see blood vessels, but these don't mean anything.
I think
your best bet at this point is to do nothing. The vessels should become
less visible as the redness gradually subsides.
