Q: I am 27 years old. I had eight painless pimples on my testicles, since I was 15 years old. I have never had unsafe sex with anybody. I met a doctor and showed him the pimples. He gave me Dipsalic about five years ago. I used it regularly and the pimples reduced to five in five years. I have no pain or itching problems. I am going to get married next year. But these pimples cause great worry. Is there any medicine, which can reduce them fast?

A:The painless pimples you are referring to could be steatocystoma multiplex. This disease is characterised by yellow to white papules and cysts that tend to develop on the chest and scrotum. They can range in size from 2mm to 2cm. When squeezed the cysts exude a yellow to white fluid. Steatocystoma multiplex is primarily an inherited condition -however many cases have been reported where there is no apparent inheritance pattern. Surgery to remove the lesions may be accomplished with excellent cosmetic results when the number of lesions is few. In many cases the number and location of lesions may preclude surgical excision. Draining the lesions with a large needle is also temporarily effective. Oral antibiotics in the tetracycline family have been tried with limited success. Accutane has also been tried with mixed results. Improvement was seen in some patients while in other patients the condition actually worsened. Dipsalic ointment should not be used at such a delicate area for a long time as skin atrophy and stretch marks may appear.