What are causes blackheads on the penile shaft? Are they symptoms of STDs? Learn more about causes, when infected, symptoms and their fast and effective treatments including home remedies and prevention measures.
If you have penile blackheads, you should not worry. This is because they may not be that risky or a life-threatening problem. However, they often cause concern among many men. Let us begin by understanding the meaning first.
These are little or small black bumps, dot or spots on the skin of the penile shaft. These black bump-like pimples are symptoms of acne that form when the skin pores on this part are blocked.
How are skin pores blocked? It is simple, when sebaceous glands overproduce excess sebum, it can form plugs (comedones) on the pores by clumping with epidermal cells that shed from the skin. When these comedones are exposed to the air, they are oxidized and turns black i.e blackheads, on the other hand, when the comedones are not open, they will form whiteheads.
Actually, doctors have not linked them to any STD but they can facilitate the infections leading to the formation of pimples that may be big and painful.
Where else in the body can you find them? Well, apart from occurring on your penis, blackheads can also be seen in nose thighs, legs, scalp, shoulders, breasts, neck among other parts of the body.
Common symptoms include a darkened, slightly raised non-painful and non-inflamed bumps. Other signs may include the following:
There may be other more symptoms, which will vary from one person to another
Below are the common causes:
Well, as we have indicated earlier, the major trigger of blackheads is the excess production of sebum by sebaceous glands. The excess produced sebum can block the hair follicles leading the formation of the black bumps on dick.
Again, sebum can build up with dead skin cells and dirt to block the hair follicle leading to the development of these black bumps on dick. There are several factors that can influence the production of sebum including hormonal changes, consumption of oily foods, and genetics among other factors.
Blackheads and even other types of acne lesions tend to be more common in adolescents. Doctors have linked this phenomenon with the hormonal changes during this period. During puberty, the level of hormone androgen rises among many teenagers. The rise in this hormone may influence the excess production of sebum hence initiating blackheads formation in both boy and girls.
They can also have their roots from some medications such as corticosteroids, lithium, androgens and birth control pills. These medications in some cases will tend to surge the levels of hormones influencing overproduction of excess sebum leading to the breakout of these small bumps on the dick.
Apart from excess production of sebum being the major trigger, certain climatic factors can also influence the formation of these black bumps. High humidity and hot climates can also lead to their development. For instance, hot humidity can lead to excessive sweating that can trigger the formation of the blackheads.
It is also possible that your penile shaft skin is blocked by certain skin products. Some of these skin products are waxy and can clog the pores leading to the formation of blackheads and other forms of acne lesions. They can also lead to penus pimples. So it is advisable to use skin products labeled non-comedogenic as they will not clog your skin pores.
Their symptoms are those of mild acne triggered when the hair follicles are blocked. When they get infected, they can develop to pimples on the shaft.
WebMD.com notes further that, “mild acne usually causes only whiteheads and blackheads. At times, these may develop into an infection in the skin pore (pimples). Severe acne can produce hundreds of pimples that cover large areas of skin”
These types of pimples on your dick covers a large area of your penis shaft and can grow to cysts lesions (deep and large pimples). They are usually painful and leaves scars on your skin. Therefore acne, whether mild or severe needs a prompt medication.
Are you there experiencing this problem? Are you wondering how to get rid of such bothersome condition that can be mistaken for STDs? To treat them effectively, take time to know why they occur in the first place. Below are some of the most suitable blackhead removal procedures:
Many treatments are available at drug stores and such medications do not require any prescription. The medications are available in the forms of creams, gels, and pads. They usually contain elements such as benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol or salicylic acid. These products used topically on the skin to kill bacteria, dry excess oil and force the dead skin cells to shed off.
In circumstances where over-the-counter drugs cannot improve the state of your penile blackhead, your dermatologist may recommend the application of strong prescriptions. This will depend on the nature of the given blackhead.
According to Healthline.com, “Medications that contain vitamin A, such as tretinoin, tazarotene, and adapalene keep plugs from forming in the hair follicles and promote more rapid turnover of skin cells.”
Other types of topical medications containing benzoyl peroxide and antibiotics can also be very appropriate. Remember these kinds of medications are applied directly to your skin.
This form of mild acne can be removed manually. In such cases, you can carefully pop them but it is a good idea to use special tools or extractor. You can perform this process alone after getting instructions from your skin specialist.
Several tried and tested home remedies can help in getting rid of blackheads. Let us now go through all of these remedies and check in various ways in which they can cure the problem.
More home remedies may include:
When they don’t respond to the mentioned home remedies, please stop the application of these home remedies and see your dermatologist for further treatment especially when you have severe acne or infected blackheads.
Can their occurrence be avoided? Though some roots i.e. hormonal changes during puberty is so challenging to prevent, the opposite can also be true-some causes can be prevented. So here are some of the precautions that can help avoid them:
Though they are usually not life-threatening they are can be unsightly. To some, the problem can be very severe when they become infected.
Again, those that do not respond to over-the-products and homes remedies may require you visit a dermatologist