You’ve been to the doctor and now you know that you do not have some kind of sexually transmitted disease or have cancerous lesions on your penis. Those little white bumps are just pearly penile papules. But, maybe that doesn’t make you feel any better. The penis is the epitome of manhood- you get great pleasure from it, you make babies with it. But, it can also cause you a lot of grief. Now, you’ve got these, albeit benign, ugly bumps rimming your penis like a strand of pearls. You’re embarrassed to shower in the locker room and dates… well, forget about it. You worry she’ll think it’s a disease or in the very least, ugly. And, though they aren’t dangerous, they do cause some sensitivity that is not always welcome.
Sometimes the pearly penile papules go away by themselves, but sometimes they don’t and in worst case scenario, they come back in higher numbers. Not all treatment options work as well as others, but you do have varying degrees of treatment possibilities. To save your time, the following are a list of treatments to avoid and treatments to try.
What does not work?
Home Remedies- Over the counter products you get at the drug store will not work. The common wart removal products like freezing and the pads will not get rid of the bumps. Also, do not try to pop or scrape off the lesion. This can lead to permanent scarring and infection. You will end up worse off than when you just had the bumps.
Topical and Oral treatment- There are no proven effective treatments using a topical lotion, such as podophyllin, or a pill.
What does work?
Cryotherapy- This treatment involves freezing the lesion with liquid nitrogen. The lesion should peel, blister or scab and then fall off. Though it is performed in a doctor’s office, the results are varied and there is no guarantee it will work as well as you want. But if the other treatments make you squeamish, you can try it.
Electrodessication with curettage- This procedure, using a local anesthetic, is more effective in that it uses a special tool to scrap off the bump. It is commonly used for benign growths and minor cancerous skin lesions. Once the scraping is complete, the area is cauterized to stop the bleeding and seal the wound.
Excisional Surgery- This treatment involves actual surgical removal of the bumps and then sutures to close it up. Non-affected tissue may be removed along with the lesion. A local anesthetic is used. This may be more tedious and is certainly not the easiest method of treatment.
CO2 Laser Ablation- Numbing cream and lidocaine are administered to make the procedure less painful. The carbon dioxide laser is used to vaporize the bump without damaging the skin around it. There will be some pain, swelling and scabbing afterwards and complete recovery may take a couple of weeks.
Just remember, removal is not necessary. However, if you notice that their presence is affecting your self-confidence and intimate encounters are embarrassing, you now know that you have options. No matter what, it is a good idea to see a doctor for an official diagnosis. If you decide to, your doctor can then recommend the best method of treatment for you.