Fordyce spot, or herpes? - Herpes Message Board

lovinthev8 · 03-31-2007, 10:36 PM

I'll make this simple and to the point.

I had sex with one girl. Her and I were both virgins before we met. We had oral sex all the time, and protected intercourse. We have since split up.

Every now and then for quite some time now, I tend to get a little dot that appears around my genitalia. I always excused it as a fordyce spot due to the fact that's what it looked like. I even have a few fordyce spots on my face here and there, so when I saw a picture of what fordyce spots look like on the genitalia I just figured ahh that's what I have.

But sometimes the spot I get looks like a pimple, and in some cases I can pop it. Gross, I know. But I have to be honest and tell you everything to get a clear idea of what's going on. So part of me thinks it's just body acne that's developing south of the border, and another part of me thinks they're fordyce spots. Heh, maybe both? Maybe some are and some aren't.

Any input?

keepsgoin · 04-01-2007, 07:13 AM

I'm not familiar with fordyce spots but I looked up a picture and that's not what herpes looks like. They will look more like an ingrown hair or pimple(red and swollen) but they do not have a postule to pop. They may ooz out some clear stuff if you squeeze them but you can't "pop" them. It is possible to get herpes type 1 down there so even though you were both virgins, you say that you had oral sex which can be spread to the genitals. In case you don't realize it, cold sores are herpes type 1. Your best bet is to have the sore checked for herpes the next time you have one. Probably if the sore is in the pubic hair and it can be "popped" it's probably just an ingrown hair. But if it's on the penis where there is no hair...something resembling a pimple can be herpes. That's all my husband's herpes looked like...he never once put two and two together to think he had herpes until I broke out in a horrible OB!

lovinthev8 · 04-01-2007, 02:04 PM

Well, I've got one dot that looks like a red sore but it's not sore at all. It looks like the pimples I get on my face, cause not all of the pimples I get are whiteheads. But besides that it looks like a fordyce spot.

I guess I'll just have to make an appointment and get checked out. I hope it's nothing to worry about.

EDIT - I just did a ****** search and found a government site about herpes. They said in there "The first outbreak usually occurs within two weeks after the virus is transmitted, and the sores typically heal within two to four weeks."

This dot has been with me for a considerable amount of time, well past 2 weeks. I've had pimples here and there around my genitalia since I can remember, but then again I tend to have light acne all over my body (especially on my shoulders) so I always just excused it. I've had ZERO sexual contact for a year until two weeks ago where I had protected (and no oral) sex. I guess I should stop over-worrying about this?

lovinthev8 · 04-02-2007, 04:47 AM

Just a bit of an update, since this sore/pimple/object in question is on the underside of my penis I started to realize that it's constantly trapped from air and maybe that's why it was looking a bit different than the other pimples I've gotten in my time. Last night after a long thorough shower I kind of positioned myself so that wasn't the case. I woke up and the sore is smaller and not as red.

I decided to still go to the doctor's though just to make sure everything is okay. After all they're only a mile up the road.

Also I did do some searches for pictures of herpes in its beginning stages, and it seems to look considerably different. It looks like a small cluster of dots, but they don't look like pimples, which are round and very uniform. These look like they vary in shape and size, however even the smallest one looks to be bigger than a typical pimple. Granted the pictures are nothing to go by, but after looking at the pictures I'm more confident it's just a pimple now. I think the only reason it really scared me was because... assuming it is a pimple, and knowing full well I popped it, maybe that's why it got the redness it did. Because after popping it, the open sore was just sitting underneath everything kind of trapped from air. Perhaps that explains it.