Blotchy red rash/irritated skin on penile head (lasted for over 3 moths now)?
Posted , 410 users are following.
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
dean33264 Jason1327
Posted
Hey
So just wondering I've had the same symptoms for almost six months now so went to see a genital skin specialist after trying everything and after chatting to him for over an hour discussing all my symptoms he seemed pretty certain its Reactive Arthritis (Reiter's syndrome) and now that I'm reading up on it, it seems more and more likely that that's what it is. Not sure if anyone else mentioned it but just thought id put it out there.
JBrizzle1526 dean33264
Posted
So what is your treatment? I just bought an ozone machine and am one week into using it.... it seems to be helping.
dean33264 JBrizzle1526
Posted
Well that's the thing there is no treatment, you really have to read up on it. More than four out of five people with reactive arthritis will recover completely within three to 12 months. During this time you may find that your symptoms are worse some days and better other days. There are some ways to minimize the side effects but you still have to wait it out. I got prescribed some anti inflammatory tablets and corticosteroids cream. There are some other creams available that suppress the immune system but only with prescription.
JBrizzle1526 dean33264
Posted
I see. I will have to do more research on it. in the meantime, let me know what you think of ozone therapy. I dont think im interested in suppressing my immune system or applying anymore creams haha. gotta be careful with steroid creams that doctors swear by... end up with RSS (red skin syndrome)
jj2013B JBrizzle1526
Posted
Do you have a link to ozone therapy? Never heard of it.
dean33264 JBrizzle1526
Posted
Not sure about ozone therapy it might be a placebo effect but you never know since there's not much study done on this condition yet. But when you look into it you'll find out the condition is called Circinate balanitis and its a symptom resulting from reactive arthritis, they recommend pimecrolimus 1% cream to help alleviate the balanitis but it is an immune suppressant cream so up to you if you want to try it. I might give it a shot but will discuss with my derm to see what he thinks first.
MBetter Jason1327
Posted
Jason, can you provide an update on this, i had this for years and the only thing i can figure it is is lichen planus, did you ever get down to the bottom of it?
jack74665 MBetter
Posted
for you what happens, for me the condition is red rash appears on the gland and irritation during urination, i am almost certain it isnt a STD, as the last time i did anything sexual was last year and this condition recently started in march of this year
MBetter jack74665
Posted
that is how mine started, i was exposed to baby perfum and it mad it super irritated/ contact dermatitis, althought before this i did notice some initial swelling in the area, 5 years ago, over time the inflammation which i had on the side of my meatus subsided to an extent but left me with what i can only define as excess skin on one side of meatus, eventually this skin got shiny, i know i didnt have an std and i recieved mant tests from urologist at the time, inclusing cytoscopy, prostate test, kidney scan etc, best bet is to go to a dermatologist and actually find out what it is, yours may be yeast, ive been treating with tea tree oil and dmso for 2 years as i found this forum where similiar people suffer with this same condition, coined "bxo", im just about done with my treatment, what it basically does is burn the skin off the glans and you get a skin peel within a week, im adopting an immune protocol diet because whatever this is it must be autoimmune related and to fix that you need to fix your gut, i went a month without treating this and it basically healed perfectly but i still have some inflammation on that side of meatus with shiny skin, stubborn, whatever this thing is, im just going to go get this biopsied from a dermatologist if this continues to worsen once i stop this treatment, i legit threw everything i could at it over the past 5 years, colodial silver, calendula cream, perrins creme complete, tee tree oil, it cant be bacterial or fungal the tea tree oil and dmso would have killed it a long time ago, my last stab at this is i started to take AHCC which i heard heals HPV and oral lichen planus, basically does wonder for your immune system but its very expensive, may help the skin as well, i hope with the correct diet this can eventually go away.
jack74665 MBetter
Posted
i am going to a dermatologist next week to see what my specific condition is, before i went to a doctor and he gave me a cream but it didnt work , i hope the dermatologist could help
jack74665 MBetter
Posted
also i dont think i have a yeast infection as i am still a virgin but the last sexual thing was as of january 2018 and my rash and irritation began march 2019
jack74665 MBetter
Posted
so i went to the dermatologist and he said i have balantitis, and reconnmeded pro topic
JBrizzle1526 MBetter
Posted
so are you cleared? did all of that work? Nothing seems to be working for me.
jack74665 JBrizzle1526
Posted
me neither
Gibba Jason1327
Posted
Hi guys, let me start by saying that I have found a cure that worked for me which I will share after giving a little background on my personal situation. I truly empathize with each and every one of you as I had been dealing with this for about a year so I truly know how hard it is at times.
Mine seemed to start, as many others did, with a yeast infection that never really went away which led me to many doctor visits and eventually to this forum. All tests negative and diagnosis of repeated diagnoses of Balanitis. I was truly frustrated and quite depressed. This was causing me a great deal of stress in my relationship and pushed it to the brink.
I was prescribed Viaderm (steroid cream) which made the red spots go away but they kept coming back and I was sure the steroid cream was causing damage so I stopped using it. I tried Man1 Oil which seemed to provide some relief to the dry skin / flaking on the glands. It however was not solving the problem.
I believed, and still do, that this was sub-dermal and coming from within as opposed to atopical dermatitis type of reaction. So I decided to start treating my body and mind in a different way. So ultimately here is what worked for me.
I started consuming 3oz. of pure wheatgrass juice every morning on an empty stomach. I purchased it from Dynamic Greens in Stouffville, Ontario (Canada) they ship internationally. You simply add the frozen cubes to a cup of water, let melt and drink. I also began adding 6oz. wheatgrass to a bath and sitting in it for half an hour each day. You can search the benefits of wheatgrass on the blood and skin. I feel that it has a tremendous impact on whole body wellness.
After the bath, I use virgin, organic, cold pressed Coconut oil on my penis glands as a moisturizer. I have also incorporated a meditation practice into my daily routine which focused on healing. I am a firm believer that our body wants to heal and will do so if we provide it with the right ingredients (foods) and the right thoughts (positive affirmations). Our cells are always regenerating and we can influence them to heal our ailments.
I also visited a Naturopathic doctor for the first time as I was no longer willing to lean on the traditional medicine treatments. He "prescribed" a remedy which is related to skin rashes. I have been doing all of the above mentioned self treatments over the past few weeks and haver noticed major results! I have stopped looking at my penis every few minutes and stressing about it. I have even shed some tears of joy after noticing the results.
I truly wish healing for each and every one of you struggling with this. I urge you to try some of the treatments that have worked for me and also to get your mind inline with the positive healing thoughts which will serve you best. Best wishes for all.
harrynull Gibba
Posted
Amazing my friend! Congratulations on finding a solution 😃
I'm very much on board with your methodology, I also do meditation with a focus on healing and such. Could you tell us what ingredients are in this remedy for skin rashes?
Thank you!
Gibba harrynull
Posted
So sorry for the delay in response as I have had a relapse and condition returned 😦
To answer your question first, the remedy was Rhus toxicodendron which is essentially derived from poison ivy. I took it for several weeks while practicing all of the "treatments" i described in my earlier post. During that time I was abstinent and noticed some great improvement. My glans was returning to normal and I was happy. But I knew it was not completely gone. I began experiencing some testicular discomfort likely due to not ejaculating in several weeks so I masturbated which relieved the pressure but then I noticed the red spots coming back. One good thing about it was not it confirmed that the spots/rash were not exclusively coming from intercourse with my girlfriend.
After another week or so I caved and had sex with my girlfriend which caused the spots/rash to reappear just like before and I have been back to square one again 😦
During this whole time I have kept applying coconut oil daily as I find it really does help relieve the redness and hydrate the glans skin. So I made an appointment with a Chinese doctor who believes this is psoriasis and recommends drinking a natural herbal concoction that he makes specific to my symptoms. I am planning to give it a shot once I return from a business trip at the end of the month.
Just wanted to report back. Here is a photo of it currently. This was taken with flash on the camera.
jj2013B Gibba
Posted
Is it painful?
A biopsy will determine if it is psoriasis or something else. It could be mycoplasma genitalium. Or lichen dermatitis.
Since it is related to your gf, is there a lubricant or perfume she uses down there?
Finally, there are cases of men or women being allergic to their partner's genitals. But I doubt that is it.
Gibba jj2013B
Posted
Thankfully it is not painful nor itchy. I am not interested in having a biopsy.
And to clarify, I was implying that I believe it is not directly related to my gf because it came back after masturbation as opposed to after intercourse with her. She does not use any lubricant or perfumes down there anyways.
I used some pure/natural calendula cream on it and it has transitioned to the flaking stage which to me signifies healing. I should also note that I went for a swim in a chlorinated pool between now and my last post and it has definitely improved which I am not sure had any effect. Here is a pic taken today (again with the flash on).
Gibba
Posted
Sorry I added the wrong photo. Here is the latest one taken today.
Albert51211 Gibba
Posted
I have had a very similar problem for 5 months now, it all started after oral sex with my GF, never had any issue before, and been together a long time. At first it started with pain during erection, and feeling like my glans skin very streched, with very dry glans during erection, later on with some icy sting in my groin, and pain in my groin, never had any other lesions other than dry skin. Went to a doctor an prescribed ATB, Azitro, ceftriaxone, metronidazol 2g. Problem never really got aways, did a STD test afterwards, including Mycoplasma Genitalum, all came back negative. Only thing that came positve was a urethral culture for S. aureus. Got on another round of Antibiotics. Urologist did a prostate examn and found a my prostate a little boggy, prescribed some pills for prostate inflamation (serenoa repens) and we did a a culture after a prostate estimulation, culture came back negative. Had mild improvement over time and my glans (when flacid) looks almost the same as yours, when erect I can not distinguish any lesions whatsoever. Having sex is a little uncomfortable after the act itself, during not so much. Currently on mupirocin gel and 80% improvement, dont know if the effect will last. Prostate antigen came back normal, urine with some leucocytes, culture negative.
C56026 Albert51211
Posted
Can this be candida? i think candida is overlooked, but its very hard to get rid off. My case i had similar sympotoms and i think it directly related to the Gut.