1. Community
  2. Men's health
  3. Penis Disorders

Blotchy red rash/irritated skin on penile head (lasted for over 3 moths now)?

Posted , 410 users are following.

Jason1327
Jason1327

Part of the skin on the head of my penis has become slightly red and is causing some pain/irritation.

It first appeared the day after I used a condom so I think I must have had a reaction to the latex or some other substance in the condom.

The tip of the penis became super sensitive and noticeably hurt whenever it touched my underwear.

The skin was and still is noticeably red close to and directly around the meatus. This redness gets worse and bigger after I've come out the shower or masturbated.

An hour or so after ejaculation, I get a slight burn/irritation at the very end of the urethra when I urinate and this can last for a few days before subsiding. This has put me off from masturbating as much now.

This has lasted for about 3 months now with no signs of improvement.

I saw a doctor and was prescribed timodine/hydrocortisone cream and this didn't have much effect and am slightly worried it may just make things worse so have stopped using it for now.

It almost seems as if the redness comes from within the skin rather than on the surface.

I don't think its balanitis as I haven't had that for over 12 years when I was a kid and that was with the usual smegma discharge etc, whereas this is just redness. 

I've attached images to show how it looks straight after showering, which is when the redness is at its worst and the contrast between the normal skin colour and the redness can be clearly seen.

16 likes, 1576 replies

1576 Replies

Prev Next
  • g03366
    g03366 Jason1327

    Edited

    Hi, do you find that the inflammation occurs after prolonged sitting down? I have a similar pigment, it is definitely subdermal, and I find that it happens when I am resting on my perineum. Usually tingling accompanies this. I have been sitting on a U-shaped cushion, and found that this alleviates matters in the short-term.
    • bman43059
      bman43059 g03366

      Posted

      Same thing going on. Last May started getting stinging pain there too. Turns out it was a digestive issue and got that resolved but I too have been on a heavy dose of antbiotics and have this irritation that seems to be sub dermal. Can not figure out what is going on, even have been trying man1man oil to build the skin up but I am not sure how itll work. Super strange how the irritation comes and goes. 
    • Jason1327
      Jason1327 g03366

      Posted

      Hi,

      I've never noticed sitting down to bring on inflammation.

      If anything, I'd say for myself, standing might possibly make the redness worse due to gravity/blood flow.

      I find water/liquid to be the biggest aggravating factor.

  • Pauly77
    Pauly77 Jason1327

    Posted

    Can I just ad, there is no pain or tingling or anything when I go to the toilet or ejaculate, just visual exactly the same as you explained.
  • JamesNYC
    JamesNYC Jason1327

    Edited

    Ugh! I have struggled for 2 years with this exact same issue. I was on a high dose of doxy for 90 days a few years ago. It did seem to flare or begin around then. Any chance it's related I wonder. It's been mentioned a few times in this thread. Thanks for all the transparency and great communication from everyone. We have to get to the bottom of this.

    • maryass
      maryass JamesNYC

      Posted

      I believe doxy is somehow the reason many of us are having this condition.

  • Magicweasel
    Magicweasel Jason1327

    Posted

    Hey guys,

    Very similar issue, been lasting for a month. Tried every combination of antifungal and hydrocortisone, nothing worked. I also don't think it's balanitis because I've been keeping my penis extremely dry and it's not going away.

    Are you guys corcumcised or nit?

    • bman43059
      bman43059 Magicweasel

      Posted

      Did you notice it getting worse after the hydrocortisone? A doc told me to use that for about a month and cant tell if it actually did more harm.
    • Jason1327
      Jason1327 Magicweasel

      Posted

      I am uncirmcised, but my foreskin hasn't covered the glans since I was about 13.

      Balanitis is an 'umbrella' term used by doctors to diagnose any kind or inflammation of the penis without really knowing the actual condition or its cause.                                                                                               My interpretetion of 'Balanitis' (or Thrush) was what I used to get as a kid; sore penis and foul-smelling smegma discharge. I only used to get that because I never pulled the foreskin back to clean.                           What I have now is nothing of the sort and is purely a reaction to an irritant.

  • austin90667
    austin90667 Jason1327

    Posted

    I have the same thing going on too... I used a condom almost 3 weeks ago and ever since then I have developed a rash of some sort at first I thought I got herpes lol but there isn't any pain or blisters just red blotchy kinda dry skin and it gets worse when I take showers! When I first wake up it's hardly noticible , I went to the std clinic today and they said it was fine and they couldn't see anything.

  • Pauly77
    Pauly77 Jason1327

    Posted

    Can I just ask, has any of you had sores or lesions in your mouth or on your tongue since this has happened??
    • lee18983
      lee18983 Pauly77

      Posted

      Hello Paul, yes I did get like ulcers quite rarely and I presume I used to get 1 on my tongue every now and then aswell which as you could imagine hurts like a bit*h when trying to eat
    • travis94440
      travis94440 Pauly77

      Posted

      hey its a long shot as this was four years ago but I have all these issues and I also have sores in my mouth mostly on my tounge like white patche

Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.