What should you know about small penile warts?

Warts can appear as one bump or a cluster, with a smooth or uneven surface. Other penile spots can look similar, so self-diagnosis is unreliable. A clinician may inspect the skin and ask about timing, growth, irritation, bleeding, and sexual contact. Do not apply over-the-counter wart products intended for hands or feet to genital skin; they can injure delicate tissue.

A confirmed wart does not identify when the infection was acquired. Avoid blaming yourself or a partner, and discuss testing for other sexually transmitted infections when relevant.

Book a confidential appointment with a dermatologist, sexual-health clinician, or doctor. Until assessed, avoid picking or shaving over the bumps, wash hands after touching the area, and use barrier protection during sexual contact while remembering that uncovered skin can still transmit infection. Treatment may involve prescribed imiquimod, freezing with cryotherapy, electrosurgery, or another wart-removal method, selected according to location, size, number, and skin sensitivity. Do not share towels or razors.

Seek prompt assessment if a bump bleeds, ulcerates, becomes very painful, changes quickly, produces discharge, or is associated with fever or difficulty passing urine. Arrange review even without discomfort if new growths persist or multiply. Urgent care is appropriate for severe swelling, inability to urinate, or rapidly worsening pain.

Ask: Does this look like a wart or another condition? Do I need sexual-health testing? Which treatment fits this location? How should sexual contact be managed during treatment, and should a partner be assessed?