Question: Hi,

A few months ago, I experienced acute and local pain in my penis for a number of weeks. Upon examination of the pain, I noticed two blue, dilated, distended looking veins, presenting themselves above the skin, had suddenly appeared from either side of the base of my penis. It was a frightening experience, because these veins had suddenly appeared, and looked grossly abnormal to me.

I had it checked by my local GP, with extreme anxiety over it, who said nothing looked abnormal or out of the ordinary. It was frustrating, because I knew a vein on a penis would be something completely of the ordinary, and would be expected, right? This isn't the case in my opinion, even if I'm not qualified to have such an opinion. However I have lived with my penis for 24 years, and would be the first to know when something has changed. Either way I was bemused and left disappointed, because even having the Dr press and run her finger along the veins caused pain, along with a warm burning sensation - whilst she was reassuring me it's 'normal' and 'healthy'.

I'm 100% certain I have had penile superficial thrombophlebitis. However the thick, dorsal vein running along and on-top of the penis is fine. I have always been aware that it's there, and there was no pain in that vein/artery at all. I have read a couple of journals on 'Mondor's disease', and I am fully aware that this kind of problem is self-limited and resolving with the help of anti-inflammatory's and applied heat. At the time I didn't take any medication, or aggressively treat it. I simply put up with the pain. it's just that now I have acquired these lightening bolt looking, almost varicose I would say, veins..

I'm in a long term relationship, and sex was a no-go for quite a number of weeks. The pain was too intense within these veins on either side of my penis to even attempt an erection, let alone want one. Unfortunately, this did, and has psychologically impacted my erection quality for quite some time, and lead to anxiety that I may have damaged the vascular network to function my penis properly. After the pain had gone, I couldn't achieve a solid erection. However, I think this has improved recently, after constant reassurance from my girlfriend that it's manifested into a psychological problem from what's happened. I know it's a psychological problem [I think], because when I look at my penis, cosmetically it's now dissatisfying, and I'm reminded of the pain I went through with it..

Cause and trigger? Well, firstly, what I would like to ask is, does blood thicken and become prone to clotting more when the body is dehydrated? The only thing I can link the trigger to, is having sex one evening, after drinking, whilst I had become sun-burnt on this particular day from a hot summers afternoon..

I had become really unwell the next day, from the previous days heat of the sun, and knew I had been caught off guard. There was no immediate pain in my penis the following day; however as the following weeks progressed, I started noticing pain, which progressed to very acute, burning pain..
My question is, how have these veins appeared like that? I haven't had them before, and from the photographs I have provided, it's clearly obvious of the vein I am talking about. It's lightening bolt shaped in nature, and branches off across the surface of the penile skin. It looks to me like the vein has taken some serious over pressure, and has caused it to swell out onto the skin like that..? Vasoconstriction? Blood clot?

I haven't done anything out of the ordinary, or have practiced any risky business for this to happen..

Hi Dr. XXXXXXX

Thank you for the response. This makes me feel better that you have actually recognised the abnormality I am on about, and I'm not actually going mad for complaining about my penis. The pain has now gone away for a number of weeks, however the veins still remain on the surface of the skin...

You have said that these inflamed veins will resolve themselves spontaneously, eventually. However, If you have described these veins as tortuous, and engorged, then basically you are saying that these superficial veins have become varicosed?

If they are varicosed, doesn't this mean that the leaflet valves within the veins have become damaged, and won't repair?

How important are these superficial veins on the surface of my penis? I take it the superficial veins don't play any role within the erection process?

If that is the case, would sclerotherapy or phlebectomy not be possible to remove these veins from the surface of my penis? As a urologist, I'm sure you're the best person qualified to answer that question..

XXXXXXX