White Bumps on Penis Ridge

Q. My partner has some dry, hard, little whitehead-type pimples along the ridge of the head of his penis. He is uncircumcised. When you pull back the foreskin, you see them uniformly spread along the edge of the outer ridge of the head. He says many uncut guys have that, but I’ve never seen it. I see no liquid from them, and they do not hurt him. He says they’ve always been there. I’m worried that it might be an STD.

A. I understand your concern. I see at least one man a month with this question. From what you are describing, your partner has a normal penis. What you are seeing are almost certainly benign pearly penile papules. These whitish bumps are common on uncircumcised men and men of Afro-American descent. They are located around the coronal ridge, which is the start of the head of the penis.