Fordyce Granules - A Short Explanation of What They Are

Small white or cream coloured (sometimes red) bumps on the penis or labia (also known to appear on the lips) don't necessarily mean you have a sexually transmitted disease. Of course you'll always want to be checked out by a doctor before assuming and trying to diagnose yourself. But if it's not a sexually transmitted disease, the tiny bumps on your body could be Fordyce granules. These are small overgrowth's on the skin but they don't pose any danger. They haven't been connected to diseases, cancer, or anything else related.

These Fordyce granules are often on a person's body from birth but during puberty is when they usually become more noticeable. They have been described as looking like a piece of rice and are very small. They're usually measured around one to three millimetres. The granules stay the same size and don't grow bigger. They can be found alone or in groups on the body (up to hundreds). They're not painful and aren't ingrown hairs or clogged pores like many people have mistaken them for. But they are found in areas that are surrounded by hair. They're called sebaceous glands which is similar to the term fatty projection. It is a gland that has simply protruded from the skin. Sometimes other glands close to the area will gather into a larger cluster that looks like cauliflower.

Often called Fordyce disease (named after a dermatologist) Fordyce granules usually aren't difficult to diagnose. Since they're not related to disease the doctors don't usually need to biopsy them. Sometimes though, they may be mistaken for something else and misdiagnosed. Or the doctor may want to make sure it isn't something similar that could pose a threat. In this case, it's best to let the doctor check them out just to be sure of what it really is. Only a doctor's diagnosis should be trusted when you find something irregular on your body.

A large majority of the population has been said to have these tiny bumps on different parts of their bodies. Men are said to be affected by Fordyce granules at a rate of about ninety percent. The number of women affected is slightly less at about eighty percent (maybe lower). There are different severities of these granules meaning that some people are more bothered by them than others. Because of cosmetic reasons, some people do choose to treat them in order to reduce their size and make them less noticeable.