Syphilis, nicknamed The Great Imitator, is easy to miss because it looks like a lot of different things. In the first stage it can be confused for a cold sore, a bad pimple or an ingrown hair. The rash seen in the secondary stage of syphilis might look like poison ivy or an allergic reaction to a skin product. Even doctors get fooled and often misdiagnose. What’s more--sores can hide in places where the sun doesn’t shine, and since they are painless, symptoms often go by completely unnoticed. Many guys who test positive had no idea they were infected.
Syphilis has three stages, and never skips a stage. Symptoms depend on the stage of infection and ranges from a painless open sore to cardiovascular problems to no symptoms at all.
Stage 1. The first stage is the most infectious stage. It begins with an open sore that appears within the first two weeks to three months of infection and does not scab over. Sores show up at the point of contact, and can be anywhere, but are often found on the dick, anus or mouth. Sores can also be internal and impossible to see. Sores can be painless and sometimes very small, often allowing them to go unnoticed. If sores are noticed, they are often misdiagnosed as cold sores, blisters or insect bites. Sore(s) will eventually disappear and if left untreated, syphilis will advance to stage 2.
Stage 2. Stage 2 includes a non-itchy rash of red spots that lay flat and appear on palms of hands or soles of feet, or sometimes on the back. This rash may be dismissed as an allergic reaction to soap or poison ivy, or confused for chicken pox. Some people with stage 2 syphilis may notice their hair thinning, or a mucous patch on their tongue that looks like a blister from hot food. These various symptoms will eventually go away, allowing the disease to progress to the third stage which can be deadly.
Latent period. In the latent period, someone infected with syphilis won’t have any symptoms. See how sneaky syphilis can be?
Stage 3. Syphilis gets into the central nervous system during the final stage and symptoms start causing serious internal health problems. Syphilis can cause blindness, psychosis, cardiovascular complications and eventually death. Treatment at this stage becomes very difficult. Getting tested regularly will avoid letting syphilis progress this far. If you know you have it, you can treat it!