Variations in
Appearance of the Penis
Skin blemishes
and variations of the penile shaft and glans
Many
variations of the normal penis are cause by circumcision: skin bridges are
the prime example of this. Frenulum breve and other variations are
congenital; while Fordyce spots and papules are a feature of the penile skin
that develops through life, often causing great distress to the owner of the
penis concerned.
Frenulum breve
Refers to a situation where the frenulum
is too short. The example on the left is rather a mild case; the one on
the right is not. This will certainly make intercourse uncomfortable, and
if the frenulum tears during sex, as it may well do, it will heal with a
scar which effectively makes it even shorter than it already is, leading
to a repeated cycle of tearing, bleeding and healing. Simple surgery can
solve the problem. R Stuart has a comprehensive website on frenulum breve.
Click
here to go to it.
Webbed penis
Refers to a situation where the skin
of the penis and the scrotum is connected so that it looks like they are
webbed. This can produce discomfort during intercourse and may look
unsightly. If the webbing is extensive, surgical correction may be
possible.
Circumcision scars
and skin tags
Incompetent circumcision may result
in protruding skin tags and uneven development of the penis at puberty. This
website has a comprehensive collection of pictures showing what can
happen as a result of a botched circumcision. A
page with some relevant pictures is located here.
Note
that the circumcision scar seems to produce a ring where the color of the
skin of the penile shaft changes. This represents the point at which the
inner and outer foreskin were separated during circumcision. It is
"normal", at least in the sense that it occurs on all men who have
had the enforced removal of their penile skin imposed on them at birth.
Skin bridges
These little tags between the coronal
rim of the glans and the skin of the shaft are formed as a result of a botched
circumcision. This
is a useful link for more information.
"Double"
urethral meatus
Although this occurs rarely, the
penis can form two urethrae during its development. The duplication may be
complete or partial, and the duplicated urethrae may be functional or non-functional.
In the photo here, there appears to be two urethral meati (openings) separated
by a thin piece of tissue. If it is only the opening which is affected in
this way, the dividing tissue may be removed. In more serious cases of
extensive urethral duplication, surgical intervention may be need to correct
the problem. This should not be confused with hypospadias, where two openings
may develop on the shaft of the penis, one representing the correct
location of a normal urethral meatus and one representing a hypospadic meatus.
The raphe
The raphe is a normal element of penile
development; it is the line along which the component parts of the penis
fused during their development in the uterus. It is more prominent in some
men than others and extends along the surface of the scrotum.
Fordyce spots
These cause men a great deal of
distress and anxiety, and it is true that they can be unsightly when whole
areas of the penis are covered with them. However, they are normal, in the
sense that all men have them (and so do some women, on the skin of their
labia). They are modified sweat glands, of a type which form only on the skin
of the genitals, and they cannot be removed by washing, scrubbing, ointments,
lotions or potions. A more complete discussion of Fordyce spots can be
found on http://www.the-penis.com/problems.html
Pearly penile
papules
Another every distressing skin
blemish, though I believe this one can actually be treated by a
dermatologist (I think by using cryogenic freezing techniques). Anyone
with personal experience of their removal is most welcome to write in and
let me know how its done. Or you can research the subject on Google.
Phimosis
Tightening of the foreskin so that
it will not draw back over the head of the erect penis is known as a
phimosis. Phimosis is often present from birth, but since the foreskin can
only be drawn back in boys as it gradually separates from the glans from
the age of about five onwards, this is often not discovered until the boy
has grown up a bit and begins to enjoy penile play or starts trying to
draw his foreskin back to wash underneath it. In many cases the phimosis
is only discovered when a boy begins to masturbate at puberty, when he
finds that his foreskin won't slide back and forth over his glans, or the
tightness of the skin over his erect penis produces an uncomfortable
erection. In some cases the
cause of the phimosis is a fungal infection, which may mean circumcision
is needed. However, there is a simple enough stretching technique which a
boy can try to resolve the problem. It's
described here. R Stuart
has a very good
website on the subject.
Prominent veins
If your penis has a load of
prominent veins on it, there isn't unfortunately much you can do about it
other than learn to live with it. It might be an idea to thrust gently
during intercourse because exposed and prominent veins like this can
sometimes responds with inflammation to vigorous rubbing. Or maybe you should
just use extra lube!
Wrinkly
skin on soft penis
Although I have had a few queries
from bys about how they can solve their "wrinkly skin problem",
I don't think there is anything abnormal about this. The penile skin has
to expand and contract as a penis gets larger and smaller during its
erection, and when it retreats into its sheath of foreskin, as in the
first picture, it will naturally assume a wrinkled look. As you can see
from the images of that penis getting erect, when it is bigger, the wrinkled
appearance disappears.
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