Balanitis or Herpes?

Balanitis and Herpes are both very common viruses affecting thousands of men across the world. One major similarity between them is they both cause inflammation on a penis. So, if you are experiencing inflammation on the tip of your penis, you might be confused whether it is balanitis or herpes or something else.

In this article, we will be going through both these viruses to help you determine whether your symptoms are related to either balanitis or herpes.

So, what is Herpes? Herpes is a common virus that results when you are infected with herpes simplex virus, also known as HSV. There are two different types of HSV which are HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 is a type of herpes that affects an individual orally, whereas HSV-2 is the type of virus that causes genital herpes and can be transmitted through sex.

Herpes has no cure and will affect a person for the rest of their life. However, some treatments can reduce the symptoms.

Unlike herpes, balanitis is a type of virus that only affects the glands and head of a penis. Since both viruses can affect the genitals of a man, many people confuse whether their infection is balanitis or herpes. 

While a person contracts herpes through skin-to-skin contact, a person can contract balanitis in various ways. The most common way is through bacteria present under the foreskin. The other cause of balanitis is STDs like herpes. So basically, balanitis is caused by herpes.