Pearly penile papules are a string of raised bumps around the penis head's rim. These nodules resemble a string of pearls, hence their name. Often they are confused with genital warts or other infections but in truth, these lesions are not contagious, infectious, or malignant.
In fact aside from the embarrassment or emotional discomfort that they may cause the individual, there is no medical reason to remove them. Many men however place great weight on the appearance of their penises.
In addition, they feel uncomfortable in sexual situations when they have the condition and fear that their partner may assume that the papules are contagious. This results in them not being able to perform in sexual situations or simply avoiding them totally. Logically most men with the condition would prefer that they be removed.
1. Home Kit
A PPP kit is an at-home ionizer treatment system that vaporizes the papules.
Not all men are comfortable going to the doctor for the treatment of a condition on their private part, and some may not have the funds for complicated surgery.
This kit will be the answer to your woes if you feel that way.
The kit contains all the materials one would need for the home treatment—a high-precision ionizer tool, numbing cream, alcohol pads, a step-by-step guide, and even an instructional video to help you do it successfully on your own.
2. Excisional Surgery
Guys with a low pain threshold may want to veer away from this even if the procedure is covered by a local anesthetic.
A more experienced dermatologist needs to perform this procedure as they have the expertise to do so without sutures.
After excising and using electrosurgical feathering, the dermatologist needs to simultaneously coagulate the tissue while taking out the papules from the glans. This will result in a smoother outcome and restore the original shape of the patient’s penis.
The procedure takes an hour to complete, while recovery may take as long as three weeks. It’d be best that the patient takes a leave of absence from work and refrain from heavy lifting during recovery.
3. Cryotherapy
The method uses extreme temperatures to freeze and destroy targeted areas.
The therapy utilizes a liquid nitrogen spray gun that gives a 15-20-second freeze-thaw cycle that will burst and shrink the papules and prevent them from growing back.
The procedure takes no longer than 30 minutes, while recovery takes up to three weeks.
4. Radiosurgical Excision
Radiosurgery uses electrodes to heat up the tissue to temperatures above 50 degrees Celcius or 120 degrees Fahrenheit. With this temperature, the proteins and cell membranes of the PPP’s tissue cells are destroyed.
Just like cryosurgery, this is a relatively fast procedure that only takes no longer than 30 minutes, while recovery may take up to three weeks. A dermatologist usually performs the procedure in an outpatient setting.
5. Fractionated CO2 Laser
It’s also compatible with dark-skinned patients since there’s minimal hyperpigmentation.
The laser uses a device with a wavelength of 10,600nm and penetrates deep into the skin. The PPP will usually go away permanently after the third treatment.
Treatments are generally spaced two months apart. And, faster healing is observed typically after five days of treatment.
6. Erbium Laser
Also known as YAG or yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment, it is a non-aggressive, non-invasive laser treatment that uses a laser in an ablation mode. Efficient removal is observed after three treatments in an outpatient clinical setting.
The Erbium laser has a wavelength of 2,940 nm, has a faster healing process than the CO2 laser, and penetrates the skin much less.
This treatment is well-tolerated and gives complete clearance of papules, with minimal complications and discomfort. YAG also has the most cosmetically desirable outcome of all the PPP treatments available today, although it costs more than the others.
7. Electrodesiccation
The papules are thermally ablated using an electrode in a monopolar mode. The electrodes send an alternating current that destroys the tissues of the papules. The electrodessication may be finished with a curettage process, which scrapes off the tissue with a curette.
Some electrodesiccation procedures work without a curettage, so it’d be best to ask your doctor what’s best for your condition.
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Click here to find out more about PPP, their causes, prevention, and even ways to get them removed in the comfort of your own home.