Pearly penile papules

LAST UPDATED: Jul 27, 2021

Introduction

Pearly penile papules are small, skin-coloured to pink papules, occuring predominantly around the coronal margin of the glans penis. They are a normal finding and can be seen in up to 50% of men.

This chapter is set out as follows:

Aetiology
History
Clinical findings
Images
Management

Aetiology

The cause is unknown, lesions are not infectious
Pearly penile papules are more common in men that have not been circumcised

History

Lesions are asymptomatic but often give rise to anxiety in young patients

Clinical findings

Distribution

Lesions are numerous and often arranged in rows / rings around the corona or sulcus of the glans penis

Morphology

3 mm, skin-coloured to pink, rounded or filiform papules
Lesions become less apparent with age
Differential diagnosis - lesions are sometimes misdiagnosed as Fordyce spots, which arise as multiple, small, smooth, yellow-white papules

Clinical Images

Please refer to notes on image rights at bottom of the page with regards to individual image ownership.

Management

In general, treatment is not needed and patients should be reassured that pearly penile papules are normal

Occasionally a patient may request treatment as they are distressed about the appearance of the lesions. Laser ablation, and electrodessication with or without curettage, may destroy the lesions but there is a risk of scarring

Disclaimer - the author PCDS cannot accept responsibility for any misleading or incorrect statements, and the management of individual patients remains the direct responsibility of the individual doctor. We do however hope that visitors to this site can contact us regarding comments that are considered misleading or incorrect so that we can continue to improve the site.

Image Rights - The PCDS would like to thank Dermatoweb, DermQuest (Galderma), and others who have contributed images. All named individuals and organisations maintain copyright for the relevant images.