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
stan35409 Jason1327
Posted
did you ever get a diagonsis or relief? been dealing with exact same situation for over 3 months and so far nothing from dr or dermotoligist that has helped
milesray Jason1327
Posted
First, I must apologize . I have followed this post for nearly two years since my issues started. I have great medical insurance and can travel thus went as far and seeking care at Mayo Clinic. After 10 months there ( more on that later) I still do not have any real answers but do have some conclusions. Before I write a bunch more, which I will do, I have a question for everyone in this group.
How many of you have oral symptoms that started about the same time. What ever is happening to me appears to be in the submucosal tissues. My mouth tissues ( hard and soft palate) have become thicker and fibrous( I had biopsy with election microscopy to confirm this). Now effecting my upper esophagus and bronchial as well - slowly spreading over the last nearly two years.
I am strongly in the HPV camp and will make my case for that as I commit to make contributions to this group.
So anyone have genital and oral issues start about the same time?
Best,
jesse86431 milesray
Posted
i don't really notice anything orally myself but my wife complained of a sore throat for months that wouldn't go away. She didn't exactly describe it as sore either, just irritated and scratchy.
she had a few tests with cameras down her throat etc and none showed any reason for concern.
she doesn't really mention in anymore but its possible thats because she has just learned to live with it.
that experience sounds slightly coincidental. We engage in unprotected oral so its all very possible.
What have your doctors tested and concluded. Please share as much as you can about your story and treatment and any relief etc.
jackie04357 milesray
Posted
yes I had bleeding gums when my genital issues started. haven't had any oral issues since though. I just recovered from what I believe was a bad case of influenza when this issue started for me so I thought the bleeding gums was happening due to the antibiotics I took or my weakened immune system.
aubag25 milesray
Posted
I do have strange oral symptoms. Sore throat which can last for quite a long period without any other symptoms. Half a year ago i had strange coughing issues like something was stuck inside my throat, almost made me vomit when coughing started. Abx didn't help at all, it just went away on it's own.
Phils3454 milesray
Posted
Can you share a picture of your oral symptoms?
jtheige milesray
Posted
I had a severe sore throat that coincided with the start of my glans and meatus issue as well as the low-risk warts (in my skin folds). A sexual health doctor who treated me for everything prescribed regular antibiotics for the throat infection but it did not resolve completely. The issue wasn't fully resolved until I got treated for SIBO about six months later and also had a further gut reset after a combo colonoscopy/ endoscopy procedure.
Earlier than that, I went to an ENT doctor, he scoped my throat and noted the swollen tonsils and the throat irritation. He said the throat pain was due to acid reflux and recommended I see a Gastroenterologist (which found and treated the SIBO issue and performed the colonoscopy/ endoscopy)
Afterwards, they performed CT scans of my throat, chest, abdomen and pelvis area. All that was noted was a benign adrenal nodule and tonsil calcifications (stones).
My GP had noted that my tonsils looked enlarged so we then chaulked the swelling and stones up to being a result of the previous throat infection. The stones eventually showed in the back of my tonsils and I removed both. Since then. I have started to irrigate both with a low pressure water pick.
Here is a pic of the stones...
Otherwise, I have been better with everything other than the meatus/ glans irritation. I have recently added a few drops of Vitamin D oil to my daily Chaga Oil treatment and it keeps it at bay pretty well. Again, I believe that is because my issue is psoriasis and psoriasis loves oil. I believe it is psoriasis due to all the previous trauma (and overtreatment) to the skin and the link between low-risk HPV and inverse psoriasis.
Personally, I am starting to link all these symptoms back to the beginning and the only commonality I find with me now and then is stress and anxiety. I would argue that stress and anxiety is the main prevalent theme between all of us as well. Stress, anxiety and Dr. Google indeed make my condition far worse.
When I control them and stay away from Google I dare say I am almost back to normal (with the exception of the daily oil treatment).
jtheige
Posted
By the way. my irritation almost disappears when I'm erect... to the point where it is completely unnoticeable. The redness and texture is only present when I am flaccid. I have no issue retracting my foreskin either.
jake28951 jtheige
Posted
I totally agree. I wouldn't say I'm normal when I ignore it and google but things are definitely worse when I'm here trying to figure it out and thinking about it all the time. I just keep hoping someone will share an accurate diagnosis so I continue to jump online and look at strange penises.
jesse86431 Jason1327
Posted
just went to the dermatologist.
he examined my penis very closely with his led magnifying glass.
He mentioned that he could see little bumps and changes in the pigmentation. He told me these were just pearly papules (even though it started only after the unprotected oral) and the pigmentation is natural.
I explained that my wife tested for high risk hpv strains and had a leep procedure but this didnt concern him. There are medical studies connecting hpv from a female partner and balanitis. google "balanitis and female hpv"
He said that if hpv is really my concern he will get me the gardasil shot so i sill be getting them next week. He assured me that there was no signs of cancerous skin and that cancer is very rare in circumsized men. He could see no reason to do further testing or biopsy.
He then told me about a common "syndrome" where men who are guilty or anxious about some encounter focus their anxiety on the penis and that we start noticing everything. He said that the mental stress and genital focus can cause our nerves to act up and our mind to cause physical symptoms.
Basically he was saying its all in my head. Fortunately he did not do this in a condescending way so i wasn't offended. He just said there is nothing wrong with the skin at the moment that he can see and that his reassurance should allow me to obsess about it less and this would hopefully cause some of the psychophysical symptoms to go away. - in three years i have had periods where i don't think about this and have noticed no difference. Although perhaps the fact that i even checked for a difference meant that i didnt completely let it out of my head enough for my symptoms to go away.
Anyway, I expected this response so i am not frustrated. He offered to order a full sti panel again in addition to the gardasil so i took him up on that.
Next steps:
In addition to the red sensitive penis above circumsicion line i also feel a pinch in the penis head and a phantom pain in my testical and upper groin. Because of these symptoms i am thinking, infection, prostate or trapped nerve or hsv+hpv nerve issues still. To address these i will do the following:
i guess im not really heeding his advice but thats because i know i have physical symptoms that cant "just be in my head"
jake28951 jesse86431
Posted
I've heard this before. More than once actually. It's hard for me to completely disagree with it because I am always thinking and anxious about it. A dermatologist once gave me numbing cream and I actually didn't think that was a bad idea. Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction to it so only used it once.
Did your derm say that even if it's in your head, there could be physical signs of distress? Redness, bumps etc?
I know my symptoms started the day I started worrying about the possibility of contracting something even before I felt anything. Yes, it's infuriating and unsatisfying to think this could be the problem, but just about everything else has been ruled out outside of some rare, unstudied disease.
eg1706 jesse86431
Posted
I literally just posted a reply mate, this HPV theory.. the girl i slept worh came back postive for HPV (not 16/18). ive been advised by my derm, that her condition wouldnt have impact on me. the HPV has something to do with a females cervix.. i wonder if its possible this is the cause of my condition.
eg1706 Jason1327
Posted
hey guys, interesting read.
I too am suffering from this unexplained condition. I am so paranoid its from a sexual encounter, I drunkenly slept with someone i know unprotected and i beat myself up every day for it.
two weeks after this encounter i noticed rough red skin on the head my penis, its very leathery and i have small little red dots that come and go around the edge of the head.
I have no pain, no discharge, and I've been checked by several doctors and a dermatologist. I have been tested for every std twice, ive even swabbed for HSV 1/2, 5)3 tests came back negative twice.
i even did the mature thing and asked the girl to get tested. she also came back negative.
my condition is only noticeable when I am erect or have a shower. the redness is also on my scrotum/ball sack.. which also looks red/pink and irritated.
i have noticed an immense amount of small red veins/spider veins that run from my foreskin down my penis shaft.. my penis looks almost glazed with a shiny/fluro pink tinge.. i'm stumped.. and my anxiety is through the roof this is on my mind every single day. I have tried several anti fungals and steroid creams with no progress.
ive also been getting this weird tingling in my scrotum every now and then sort of like when the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
i am at a loss.. and it seems no one can answer this blotchy red/pink leathery penis problem.
Joeshmo eg1706
Posted
does it feel like a stinging on the one side and do you have trouble pulling back the foreskin almost as if its moist and sticky? Your symptoms match mine to the T
C56026 Joeshmo
Posted
it matches mine too. i am uncut and now i cant pull back my skin as well. almost like it dried up and smegma kond of whitness also build up faster than before. j am really surprised no one can help us. i have tingling in my scorturm all the way going down to leg. I have apppied all the cream in the world. doctor asked me to.get circumsized but i dont want to.do it.
but guys let me.ask you this , do you have gut issues to go with it? my bowel is different, its not healthy for sure. i have developed intolerence to milk..every time i eat something sweet or beer or coffee the symptoms get worse. it sometimes burn when i pee.