What Causes Purple Discoloration On The Penis Head?

Posted on Thu, 5 Jun 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 5 Jun 2014 Answered on

Sat, 21 Jun 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : While taking a hot bath I noticed that the head of my penis by the shaft turned a shade of purple, like a bruise. After cooling the color returned back to normal state, Age 60 with no major past medical conditions

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
It is normal

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic

I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your query and I have understood it.

You're normal. The color of the genitals can vary. Purple is OK, even very dark is too. The skin is vascular. It is not an infection.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Kakkar (10 minutes later)

Recently, I have had an issue where I've have a discomfort as though I pulled a muscle just above my groin area. The pain is slighter than last week but still persistent and I've been taking Advil for it's anti-inflammatory qualities. Could this be related to the purple coloring from the hot bath (possibly something related with a broken blood vessel)? I noticed this purple coloring last week when the groin pain began and did not see it again until tonight.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (49 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
It is Normal

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

No, I don't think it is due to a broken blood vessel.

Glans as you know is richly supplied with blood.

The color of the glans penis may vary from pink to pale blue or purple. This is due to the blood vessels(capillaries) under the very thin skin that covers it.

Color may vary with the degree of erection, ambient temperature and whether the person is circumcised or not.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar