Odd-looking patch on the penis

It is quite common to notice an area of skin on the penis that looks different from the surrounding skin. It may be red, shiny or scaly, or pale and thin like a scar. If it does not disappear in a week or two, you should have it checked by your family doctor or local genitourinary medicine clinic.

Most skin conditions that can affect other parts of the body, such as psoriasis, can occur on the penis, and sometimes the penis may be the only site.
If the patch is lumpy, it could be warts.
Very, very rarely, a funny-looking patch is a pre-cancerous condition.
A pale, thin-looking patch could be a condition called ‘balanitis xerotica obliterans’, which is usually treated with a steroid cream.

Written by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Edited by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Last updated: Friday, February 26th 2010

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Comments on this article

Posted by Optional on 02/07/2010 at 08:23:34 am

Hi, my partner has strange sore looking patches on his penis (looks a little like peeling when you have been sunburnt) however he says they are not sore even if it looks it no pain or anything, i have read the notes on thrush etc but i have no symptoms we have regular intercourse and oral an i do not have anything after it or have had nothing all the while he has this, he uses shower gel to wash under his foreskin and always has an has never been a problem before however he stopped and just used water but still no change occasionally there is a sort of cheesy discharge it just doesnt look very nice and we need some help any ideas? would really appreciate any info, thanks. c x

Posted by Optional on 28/06/2010 at 01:16:39 pm

After having sex last night I have noticed at there are 2 red patched o n the tip of my penis. They seem more sensative and almost like friction burns. Can anyone help?

Posted by Optional on 09/05/2010 at 03:10:27 am

i have tanned patches on my penis that i have had for a while now , im too embarrased to go to my doctor. what should i do and what could the problem be??

Posted by Optional on 29/04/2010 at 05:05:00 am

i am having problems i can't find anything i need i have white tiny lumps on my penis and its has been stretched and is red what will happen will my penis grow into the stretched foreskin or will it stay and not go away

Posted by jay on 16/04/2010 at 05:54:01 pm

what does it mean when you have a lump on the tip of your penis

Posted by Optional on 29/03/2010 at 12:23:15 pm

Hi,I am 25 year old healthy male, over the past two weeks i have started to develop a red enflamed area around the top of my foreskin which was itchy when limp and also painful when the penis was erect. I have been treating it as thrush for the last week using over the counter cream, which does not seem to have made much difference over the last week. Although it is less itchy, but the skin does get tight after an hour or so of the cream being applied. Does this sound like thrush? My wife has not got thrush, although will i keep contracting it back from her if this is thrush? This is the first time in our 5 year relationship it has happened.

Posted by Optional on 14/03/2010 at 08:33:25 am

I have what seems like stretch marks, visibly lighter skin, on the underside of my circumcised penis, running up the shaft from the ball sack, its not painful, just different in pigmentation, should I be worried?

Posted by adam ward on 12/02/2010 at 02:44:00 pm

my penis is sore after sex for about a day it hurts and looks patchy its really sore to pull foreskin back. have been with partner for seven years and haven't slept with anyone else. she feels fine after. it also hurts if i masturbate.

Posted by Anonymous on 30/01/2010 at 12:06:00 pm

After having shingles my penis became clogged with white stuff and was very itchy. I tried to masturbate and then I got a burning sensation on the left side of my penis head on closer examination a red patch about the size of a one pence coin had formed. I think this may be a friction burn and is annoying as the doctor told me I had Balantise and I am treating this with the cream he prescribed. But I forgot to mention about the friction burn as it was masked by the Balantise problem. my question is" Is the cream prescribed (Clotrimiazole) interfering with the healing of the friction burn? or will the Clotrimiazole help cure both? The Balantise was a cause of being prescribed anti virals during the early stage of my shingles when the doctor was un sure it was shingles and it must have given my immune system a knock.

Posted by Anonymous on 05/01/2010 at 02:46:00 pm

Random patch of redness on my foreskin, no other symptoms (I had bad hygeine, but when discharge came I began washing under the foreskin every day and I do now), so the discharge went. just a patch of red now on the foreskin..the actual glans itself seems to be fine. I'm a very anxious 17-year old lad, please help?