Includes References and Index

The perception of most patients and health professionals is that genital disease is mostly
sexually transmissible infections (“STIs”). This approach leads to a diligent search for a sexually transmissible disease (“STD”) while the patient is left waiting with anxiety and fears.
Once investigations are found to be negative for any sexually transmissible disease, many
patients are simply informed they do not have an STD and discharged from care. Often no
further treatment or advice is offered. Many patients are left uncertain of their diagnosis with
persisting symptoms and some still fear they have cancer.
In reality, most genital disease is skin disease of the male genitalia. Most genital skin disease
is either a common inflammatory skin disease involving genitalia, a benign skin disease with
predilection for genitalia, or genital dysesthesia. Only a minority of patients with genital skin
disease have an STD, and fewer have premalignant or an invasive genital cancer.
Most patients with genital disease are managed well by their family physician, sexual health
physician, infectious disease physician, urological surgeon, or gynecologist. This atlas brings
the perspective of a dermatologist who specializes in male genital skin diseases.
Managing patients with genital skin disease is both challenging and extremely rewarding.
Making the correct diagnosis is fundamental to helping our patients. Hopefully this atlas will
aid other health professionals in this field in making a correct diagnosis and offering appropriate treatments for our patients.