Treatment Options

It is standard practice for doctors to tell guys that pearly penile papules is a “normal variant” and that “no treatment is necessary.” This is in line with most medical texts that advise that the client only needs “re-assurance.” There are, however, one or two medical resources and case studies that support cosmetic treatment of pearly penile papules. The three main treatment options are:

1. Electrodesiccation with curettage: Involves high-frequency electrical current that dehydrates the papules then a curette is used to scrape away the tissue of the penile papules. Depending on doctor skill and use of the curette, this method can result in scarring and loss of elasticity of the skin after the healing phase.

2. Excisional surgery: Involves removal of the penile papules surgically. Additional tissue surrounding the penile papules may be cut away resulting in severe scarring and loss of elasticity of the skin after the healing phase.

3. Carbon Dioxide Laser: Involves burning of the papules using a high frequency laser machine that can be targeted and controlled to remove the penile papules. Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser is an invisible beam of light, produced by the “excitement” of CO2 molecules. The beam targets water, so that any tissue containing water will absorb the laser energy. This causes the papules to heat up and vaporize. The benefits of using a CO2 laser instead of  surgery (such as electrodesiccation with curettage and excisional surgery) is that CO2 laser is capable of sealing capillaries, blood vessels and nerve endings, which results in very little bleeding. All this results in a low risk procedure with a short healing time, and best of all a return of normal skin elasticity after the healing phase.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser treatment is the most effective in treating pearly penile papules (aka hirsuties papillaris genitalis) longterm. There are other types of laser, or laser type, treatments available such as fraxal laser, pulsed dye laser, and hyfrecator that some members of this site opted to try during the early years when finding a doctor to treat using CO2 laser proved difficult for them. While these other laser types all have varying degrees of effect, based on member reports, my own experience, and medical case studies, CO2 laser treatment should be your first choice. Repeated results of members of this site indicate longterm effectiveness of CO2 laser treatment over that of other lasers used.

As with any procedure, the skill of the doctor is paramount. Some members have had to have 1 or 2 touch up treatments to zap the last remaining papules, but this should not be the case with all procedures. It is well within the treatment parameters to zap them all in one sitting.

One of the great features of CO2 laser treatment is that any skilled dermatologist or urologist with basic training with a CO2 machine (more often used to remove skin tags and other growths) can adapt to treat pearly penile papules. This opens up treatment to practitioners world-wide.

Special Treatment Advice for Teens with Pearly Penile Papules

Other Treatments

Prior to the establishment of NoMorePapules.com in 2006 there were many companies, particularly wart removal companies, and websites proclaiming the effectiveness of their wart removal products on pearly penile papules. If you googled ‘pearly penile papules treatment’ back then, the first page of google would have been full of wart removal products. These products were never accompanied by any research, case studies, or even testimonials to back up their claims. Furthermore, their claims contradicted all the information I came across in my research into pearly penile papules. To stop these sites from preying on guys like me – guys with pearly penile papules wanting a cure – I started this page to name and shame websites. As a result many of these companies and websites changed their marketing and many ceased spruiking their products to pearly penile papules sufferers…and as a result google would not allow google advertising on my site, as my site debunked all the businesses that paid for google advertising using pearly penile papules as keywords.

Unfortunately, there are still websites out there that continue to prey on guys with pearly penile papules. Sites continue to claim natural potions and home remedies that just do not work and in some cases methods that are down-right dangerous. Being one of the main sites for pearly penile papules information, I often receive emails form guys disappointed that information from other sites have proven to be misleading.

One such complaint is use of wart removal products. It is a well documented fact in medical text and online medical websites that pearly penile papules is not responsive to topical or oral applications (See also my page on What is PPP? and Home Remedies). Any doctor who is well versed with pearly penile papules will clearly state that there is no topical or oral treatment to “cure” pearly penile papules. This includes freezing and wart removal products. Credible doctors should not be recommending this as a treatment option for pearly penile papules (I have detailed horrendous reactions to wart removal products below).

To safeguard yourself from erroneous websites and radical claims I ask you to take a few moments to read through the content of my site, particularly this page and my Home Remedies page.

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Wart Removal Products

Let me start by informing you of research that illustrates why wart removal products do not work on pearly penile papules:

Pearly Penile Papules is considered a “normal variant”. This essentially means that it is a “normal” growth on the body, just like a mole or a freckle. It is often referenced as a strain of human papilloma virus (HPV) of which there is over 100 strains (with over 30 being sexually transmitted). This latest research challenges the relation pearly penile papules has been given to HPV and its subsequent description as a virus:

“Pearly penile papules clinically resemble the sexually transmitted papular variant of genital condylomata. Histologically, however, pearly penile papules consist of fibropapillomata that lack the characteristic morphologic features of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. To study the possible association of HPV infections with pearly penile papules, we examined tissue specimens from 13 men with pearly penile papules with and without associated penile condylomata. Biopsy specimens were tested for the presence of HPV DNA by the polymerase chain reaction. None of the pearly penile papules contained HPV DNA sequences, whereas four of seven cases clinically suspected of being condylomata associated with pearly penile papules contained HPV DNA. These results confirm that pearly penile papule lesions do not contain HPV DNA; therefore, the distinction between pearly penile papules and penile condylomata is clinically significant.” (Ferenczy, Richart, Wright: 1991).
Available: PubMed online database: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2047052

Definitions:
Condylomata – Otherwise known as Condylomata acuminata; Penile warts; Human papilloma virus (HPV); Venereal wart; Condyloma

What this research is essentially saying is pearly penile papules do not harbor any viral characteristics, therefore, cannot be considered in the HPV family of virus strains. From this basic premise, we can further conclude that products known to be effective in treating warts and other HPV infections by attacking the viral characteristics can, therefore, not be effective on pearly penile papules.

The outcome of this study is supported by the many reports I have received over the years of guys attempting to remove their PPP unsuccessfully with wart removal products. Freezing, a popular wart removal method, has also proven to be ineffective (and some say can result in a very painful experience). A common experience relayed to me is the area gets irritated and dry from the wart removal products, with one experience of their penis turning black and blue for a short period of time. I have not come across any successful cure of pearly penile papules using wart removal products.

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Cryosurgery or Freezing

See also: http://dermnetnz.org/procedures/cryotherapy.html

Cryosurgery or freezing is often a first treatment option offered by doctors who are not familiar with or educated about pearly penile papules. Most likely due to the papules similar appearance to warts. Unfortunately, according to reports, cryosurgery or freezing is not effective in removing pearly penile papules.

Cryosurgery is better known as an effective treatment for warts and in some cases other skin lesions. Treatment for a wart involves the application of liquid nitrogen at a temperature of 196 degrees centigrade below zero. This causes the skin to blister below the wart. The blister will then form a crust and fall off within a two week period. Ordinarily, freezing warts leaves little or no scar in the area treated. There may be some slight pigmentation changes (light or dark) remaining for a few weeks after treatment, however, will progressively fade over time.

A side effect of freezing can be extreme pain from the possible development of a small blister adjacent to the treated area. This may last for a day or two. There is also a slight risk of scarring to the nearby skin, or damage to underlying tissues, tendons, or nerves. Other potential problems include tenderness, secondary infection, and cloudy or yellowish drainage from the blisters when they break.

I have received a number of reports from guys that have undergone freezing for pearly penile papules. Unfortunately, the reports have not been positive, with treatment with freezing lacking the desired results. Here are a few comments I have received:

* “Freezing is very painful!”
* “It just dries the area out”
* “All it did was irritate the area”
* “It left dark marks for weeks!”
* “The papules stayed put!”
* “It had no effect on my pearly penile papules at all.”

To sum up, here is a warning from a member of NoMorePapules.com :

“In case any of you out there want to freeze the papules off…this doesn’t work. You can freeze a mole or wart (which may come back) but it doesn’t work on papules. I had a Dr try this method when I first found out what they were. It hurt like hell. It basically just burned a big area of my [penis] head and the papules stayed put! I decided to look into treatment again with all the advancement in lasers etc and found this site.”

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Toothpaste

I have included toothpaste on this page as for many this will be the first hope of cure guys will encounter when searching the internet. There is no shortage of people on forums that have claimed that applying toothpaste has “cured” them of pearly penile papules. Sometimes within days! There are, however, just as many, if not more, people that claim toothpaste does not work.

Toothpaste is one of those home remedies that you hope will work but just does not live up to those miracle cure claims. In the early years of my research into treatments I myself tried toothpaste numerous times. I tried different brands, different coloured pastes, gel toothpaste, herbal toothpaste, cheap toothpaste, expensive toothpaste, and even a powdered toothpaste. Nothing worked. Having tried the toothpaste method myself, I can honestly say that toothpaste does nothing except alter the appearance of the papules temporarily. But don’t just take my word for it. It is easy to give it all go, just don’t expect them to drop off overnight.

Tea Tree Oil

The same can be said for tea tree oil and any other home remedy. They just simply do not work. Please read my page on Home Remedies.

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Site Reviews

The following site reviews reflect my own views and opinions based on my own research into pearly penile papules and my own personal experience with pearly penile papules, and in dealing with other guys with pearly penile papules through the many years of operating this site. These reviews also incorporate comments from other guys with pearly penile papules who have passed on their own valuable experiences.

Pearlypenilepapulestreatments.org
Pearlypenilepapulestreatments.org/go/pearlypapulesremoval
http://pearly-papules-removal.blogspot.com/

These sites claim to be able to cure pearly penile papules in 3 days. It offers an e-book download detailing ineffective methods of pearly penile papules treatment including usage of toothpaste and tea tree oil. The site is also using pictures taken off my own website (update: pictures from my website have been replaced) and mirrors a lot of the information on NoMorePapules.com. Please be wary.

Pearlypenilepapules.com

This site is selling an e-book that details a do-it-yourself treatment using a an electrolysis machine (more popularly used for laser hair removal). The site also mirrors a lot of the information from my site. While a lot of the information on the site is beneficial, I have received an email from a customer informing me of his disappointment with the e-book and the method detailed within. I will take the opportunity here to re-state my position that no do-it-yourself procedure is worth the risk where there is potential for permanent damage and/or infection. Please be sensible with your choices.

Forces-of-Nature

For years the Forces of Nature product was advertised as a natural treatment for wart, mulloscum and other HPV infections only. It is only in the last 12months (2005-2006) that they have started to advertise its apparent effectiveness as a pearly penile papules cure by creating a new page/website that specifically states pearly penile papules.

The page in question clearly states “100% Organic Treatment Proven Effective for Pearly Penile Papules”. The product is the exact same product advertised for wart removal. Reading further into the site this product works due to the special formulation – “The active constituents of Warts No More are highly specialized and are proven to defeat the wart and HPV virus. Warts No More also contains a very high level of thujone, which has been proven to kill the wart virus.” The product’s effectiveness on pearly penile papules is not supported by any research, testimonials, pictures or even a paragraph to say how it works its magic.

The company most likely pins its hope on outdated information that pearly penile papules is a virus or viral infection. As the research above shows, pearly penile papules does not appear to harbor any virus or viral tissues. If there is no virus or viral infection present in pearly penile papules for the product to attack, how can this product work on pearly penile papules?

For warts and other HPV viruses – sure – but for pearly penile papules? I think not.

In 2007, a member of NoMorePapules.com contacted Forces-of-Nature by phone. The first time contact was made a consultant informed him the product was not effective for pearly penile papules. The member obviously confused, revisited the forces-of-nature site to see if his mind was playing tricks. It was not. The member again contacted Forces-of-Nature by phone. On second contact the consultant informed that WartsNoMore was “not really guaranteed” for pearly penile papules and they had no real testimonials from customers as their product is sold over the internet and people are usually “private” about these sort of things.

So, how does a statement like ”Proven Effective” get reduced to “not really guaranteed”. Simple. Due to a product that is not effective in treating pearly penile papules.

Update: I am pleased to see that Forces-of-Nature have done the right thing, by removing their claims that pearly penile papules cannot be cured by their products.

Home Cure

This site sells a product which claims to cure “penis pimples/whiteheads/spots”. It does not provide any further product information or details on exactly what you get. The site does not specify pearly penile papules, however the sites vague/broad description and lack of detailed information can easily mis-lead.

In my opinion its market is more aimed at guys with sebaceous prominence and HPV viral infections such as warts and not as a cure for pearly penile papules.

Pure Healing

This site does not claim their product works on pearly penile papules, however they do advertise on google under the search phrase “pearly penile papules”. Again their target market is for wart and other penile lesions that harbor viral characteristics and not as a cure for pearly penile papules.

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If you would like to contribute to this page or have any experiences you would like to share please send me an email.