Many male adolescents are worried about sexually transmitted infection (STI). The penis is a likely site for to appear. A yellow mucoid discharge from the urethra associated with painful urination can occur with gonorrhea while a scant almost painless discharge occurs with chlamydia urethritis.
Other can cause skin changes on the head and shaft of the penis. Genital herpes produces painful blisters that can remain for several weeks. A painless smooth ulcer characterizes syphilis while chancroid has a painful and irregular ulcer. Genital warts occur more commonly along the shaft of the penis and occasionally around the urethra. They are usually fleshy colored in appearance and painless and are likely to be transmitted to a sexual partner unless a condom is used. One should be certain to contact a physician for further advice. Warts should be differentiated from pink pearly penile papules, which many adolescents develop around the head of the penis. These small one- to three-millimeter bumps are totally harmless, are not a sign of STI and cannot be transmitted to a sex partner.
An insect called the mite causes scabies, which produces an itchy red bumpy rash in the genitals including the penis. This is different from crab lice, which are insects that bite the skin around a pubic hair to obtain blood, and then lay their eggs called nits, which are attached to the pubic hair. Lice also cause itchiness and a clinician should be contacted for treatment.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may enter the body through cuts in the penis that could occur during sexual activity. There are no telltale symptoms on the penis if an adolescent has been infected with HIV. A condom would protect the male from acquisition of HIV as well as other STI’s including hepatitis B.
A few adolescents develop a painful condition called priapism, which is a prolonged involuntary erection that is not associated with sexual stimulation. Although most adolescents who develop priapism do not have any disease producing the problem, a few teens with sickle cell disease or other blood problems can acquire a tendency for priapism. A physician should be consulted for treatment. It is perfectly normal for male adolescents to awaken with an erection, which usually subsides after urination. Some adolescents develop impotence of the inability to attain an erection under sexual stimulation. In most cases this is not due to a medical disease, rather it is due to anxiety.
