Sensitive topics for Men: Something down there that shouldn't be there...

I know this is a sensitive issue and being a dermatologist doesn't mean i only see patients for aesthetic purposes... Half my practice involves skin diseases. This is one article for the GUYS... well only some guys. Being one of the few male dermatologists in our hospital, I usually get to see these patients and get referrals from other doctors regarding this problem.

To you guys out there, if you see lesions or growths down there (pubic/genital/perianal/inguinal areas) and you know it shouldn't be there, don't hesitate and have it checked right away. It may just be a simple condition like an  irritant or allergic contact dermatitis, a fungal infection or a bacterial folliculitis... it could just  be a benign growth like a mole, cyst, skin tag, etc... Or, it could be something more serious like STD's or something that could be cancerous. The most common skin-related STD's that I see are viral infections: Genital warts(HPV) followed by Molluscum contagiosum (MCV) and Genital Herpes(HSV).

Those who don't  seek consult right away usually have the following reasons... one of which is embarrassment in telling and showing the doctor (especially if it's a female doctor) since its a taboo topic in our culture and other reasons are fear of knowing the disease they have, fear of the parents or partner finding out, fear of the treatment that will be done and ignorance or not caring about it at all.

Depending on which condition, most of these are usually easy to treat especially when caught early on. There are various ways of managing them (medical or procedural) but most guys fear the pain involved in doing a procedure on their private parts. There are actually lots of ways to make the whole procedure painless but people don't know that because the topic as I said is taboo in our culture. Most of them usually tell me that they should have had it checked way before if they knew that the procedure didn't hurt at all.

If you prolong it and just brush it aside, one or all of the following could happen: nothing... if it is a benign lesion, multiply or increase in size or in some diseases spread systemically making it more difficult treat... be transmitted to other people, especially your loved ones. So don't prolong it and have it checked. Prolonging it may lead to worrying about it all the time and this could make a person develop anxiety, depression and a decrease in libido. So do it for your health, do it for your partner.

Since this is a sensitive topic  you can send an email directly at slacsonmd@gmail.com for any questions or you set an appointment.