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
Phils3454 Jason1327
Posted
Because of timing for when the test would be most effective at detecting it after exposure. First time I tested too early, 2nd time I did it in the appropriate window. Third time because I'm paranoid.
jim93155 Phils3454
Posted
I've made several posts previously as to how I have successfully treated my issue, which is the same as most describe here. Red rash that flares up with any friction. I talked about my issue with coffee and some of the things I had found that helped me. I was basically able to keep mine at bay using the Cera Ve itch relief lotion, but I finally found the root cause of the issue, which is the real key to ridding yourself of it.
I was having some red spots on my face as well, so I finally went to a dermatologist who decided to test me for allergies. It turned out I was allergic to a couple of items that are found in many personal hygiene products. One of the main ones was aluminum, but there were a couple of other items with long names. And the reason ditching coffee helped is because some of the pesticides and chemicals used in coffee growing contain one of the items I am allergic to. So yes, the coffee was part of the problem even though my doctor said it was unlikely.
Once I knew what these items were, I was able to start looking at the ingredients of all of my products and several had these same ingredients. Once I eradicated those products, guess what? Yes, my problem has been clear for over a month now. I'm guessing many of you are suffering from the same issue, something you are allergic to. Even my underwear was an issue, as they were infused with some antimicrobial treatment which has some of the stuff I was allergic to.
Your allergies might be different, so go get tested and be sure that this is not the root cause of your problem. The final straw for me was when my ears started to be sore and red and the skin was peeling on them as well. That's when I said it's time to see a dermatologist who immediately said it was some type of allergy most likely. Anyway, you might look into this if you are still suffering from this issue.
Darty17 jim93155
Posted
What kind of testing did they do? What tests, skin pricks, or something else? there's just so many things out there, be hard to pinpoint many of them down.
jim93155 Darty17
Posted
They did both the skin pricks and the blood tests. I think they found my major issue in my blood tests. Dr said something about antibodies in my blood that were created by my body trying to fight off the allergies.
Patrick_Bateman Jason1327
Posted
Please skip to the last 2 paragraphs for the interesting part if you don't feel like reading the whole post.
I went back to my dermatologist... he still insists that i have HPV. To quickly recap... he issued a blood panel for all stds... i tested positive only for HSV-1. He did a urethral swap & "scrape test" which both tested positive for HPV-33 & 82 respectively.
He will not write me a referral to a fancy infectious disease group of specialists in the area who mainly deal w AIDS & Hepatitis. I'm a little let down by that. I will have to get a referral by doctor-shopping GPs until someone considers my case important enough i guess.
I have one special thing to note though. And if you're reading my post & thinking you have a fungal, bacterial or other type of infection, then please don't read my posts bc they're not for you . I am firmly convinced of my diagnosis, so just stop reading if you're about to reply, "well it could be something else!!" & spare us both the wasted effort & time.
The interesting thing to note is that i have been sick w a cold or the flew for 5 or so days. During this sickness, i felt NO scratching-feeling or parasthesis on my glans from rubbing in my boxers. The skin even looked different (as in less like balanitis & more like normal penile skin).
It made me think back to everytime ive had the cold or flu since i contracted HPV 3 years ago... whenever i was sick w cold or flu, i did NOT feel the scratching sensation on my glans. Could it be... that for those of us suffering w HPV, that when we're sick & our immune systems are busy engaging the cold or flu virus, that the scratchy symptoms & balanitis subsides as a function of that? In other words, are our symptoms (those of us w HPV) really the result of our immune systems constantly engaging in a fight w the HPV virus... w the primary battlefield being our glans?
This has really been a revelation for me... so i am interested in everyone's thoughts. Why else would things seemingly go back to normal on my glans when i get a cold or the flu?
CanadianMale81 Patrick_Bateman
Posted
"the result of our immune systems constantly engaging in a fight w the HPV virus... w the primary battlefield being our glans?"
100%. It's like this for any chronic or autoimmune disease.
Patrick_Bateman CanadianMale81
Posted
Yes... w the somewhat obvious implications of my post being that when the immune system has to engage another threat (the cold or flu virus) it mobilizes defenses elsewhere allowing the HPV strain(s) to just live in the nerves & skin of the glans w/o any resistance.
Joeshmo Patrick_Bateman
Posted
HPV 33 and 82 are cancerous and not usually linked to warts (common sexual type) does he believe you have cancer? im jus curious?
Patrick_Bateman Joeshmo
Posted
True, they are high-risk strains. High-risk strains can also produce warts... sometimes very small warts. He says i do not currently have cancer... but that he would like to cauterize off a small wart on the left side of my glans. After my exposure 3 yrs. ago, i had to small warts develop pretty much symetrically on either side of glans. He cauterized them both off... & the left one returned following my script of 5-FU.
I had never had any skin (or other) issues like warts w my penis prior to protected oral sex w a stranger 3 years ago.
C56026 Patrick_Bateman
Posted
do you think the gut issues can be related to immune system response?
Patrick_Bateman C56026
Posted
Well, this revelation has me thinking about my gut health as well. Ive always had sensitive digestion... whether from nerves or some kind of IBS-related issue. At 27 or 28 i was convinced to try cutting out all wheat & gluten... & it has made a huge difference. I wish i had never eaten wheat or gluten looking back on things & comparing to how i feel now. Never been tested by doctor tho (don't think I'm celiac, just really wheat/gluten intolerant).
Having said that, i do still have stomach problems from time to time. BUT, now i'm thinking of how when i have cold or flu... i do NOT experience any kind of digestion issues. i am still right now sick w flu... but i have an appetite so i have been eating this whole time. My bowell movements are more normal & regular when i'm sick (wtf?).
Not sure i'm a good person to compare regarding stomach issues tho bc of my historical digesitive issues... but it's a good question bc my gut gives me a break for some reason when i catch flu or cold (maybe related to immune response & inflamatory bowell disease which you seem to be suggesting). It's as if my HPV symptoms & subtle digestive issues give me a holiday when my immune system has to gear up to fight a whole body virus. Therefore, it's as if the scratchy feeling on my glans rubbing against my boxers & my balanitis is a direct result of my immune system attacking the HPV virus on my glans skin. It's the daily battle (& stalemate) that is causing the discomfort & redness, perhaps.
I am not on antiobiotics btw... those kill my gut & a GP in the family advised that i am experiencing viral flu or cold atm.
C56026 Patrick_Bateman
Posted
I think you are spot on, I have not been diagnosed with HPV yet(cleared of all others). But I found my symptoms are quite close to what you are expecting. I am uncut btw, and had sensitive Gut all my life but after stranger protected sex the whole thing started.
Joeshmo Jason1327
Posted
i think it should be stated their are other Penile conditions outside of Herpes and HPV...If you havent developed blisters sores or bumps in 3 months congrats you are either antisymptomatic or you do not have it..Anti means you dont develope symptoms..At all...So to have symptoms but teat negative is a straight teller chances are its a skin condition or something else. Dry skin which most people in this thread have.are not common std symptoms but can be caused by a magnitude of reasons
Phils3454 Jason1327
Posted
How many of you have had oral/throat issues? I have had very bad inflammation in the back of my throat that may or may not be related, for several months. I am seeing an ENT but I probably won't know any more until I ask them to do a biopsy if this doesn't go away by my next appointment.
Also it's funny I have seen so many people mention gut issues here. I started having gut issues about 6 months before these other issues. and I can say based on my sexual history while the throat and penile issues could be related to sex, my gut issues came at a time when it definitely wouldn't be.
I'm currently on an anti inflammatory and medicine for acid reflux to treat the throat. though after 2.5 weeks I haven't noticed much if any improvement.
I will also say I got the penile inflammation like your pictures around the same time I had some other skin issues including behind my ears and my inner thigh. the behind my ears and inner thigh have cleared up though. So I also thought it could be eczema. Some stomach conditions can cause skin rashes.
I'm really curious what is and isn't related. Honestly at this point I don't know if I have HPV, GERD, SIBO, and autoimmune disease or something else. But I'll try and stay on it. At this point my throat is my biggest concern.
Patrick_Bateman Phils3454
Posted
My throat issues include two incidents within 3 years where i had a small wart develop on the roof of my mouth near the back. Prior to 3 yrs ago, i have never had a sore in my mouth. Each time it remained for 2-3 weeks before subsiding on their own. They were an annoyance but not painful.
Stomach-wise, I've had sensitive digestion my whole life. Cutting out wheat & gluten fixed most, if not all, of my digestion issues.
Phils3454 Patrick_Bateman
Posted
Well in your case it clearly sounds like HPV. Though usually warts last longer than that.
Joeshmo Patrick_Bateman
Posted
get Vaccinated for HPV....Even if you already have it...It orevents other strains most which are cancerous
Patrick_Bateman Joeshmo
Posted
Ok... i will request that. Does not the vaccine (Gardisil?) only vaccinate for types 6, 11, 16 & 18? Still a potential help if so...
milesray Phils3454
Posted
My oral and groin issues started at the same time - 12 weeks after a new partner that later (after more persistent questioning) reviled she had HPV surgery/history.
I just made a larger post moments ago with a larger update. I am making a full court press to get to the bottom of this - even relocating to rochester mn to access the Mayo Clinic. Luckily I can work online and have the financial resources to see this through
I will post more as I know more.
Best,
Joeshmo Patrick_Bateman
Posted
you can be vaccinated even if you have HPV it wont cure it but it can prevent future strains...The body will fight off HPV on its own it jus takes a span of 2-3 years and if you dont have warts chances are you wont
jesse86431 milesray
Posted
Please do... like I have said before, my only explanation is HPV. My wife has both high risk types and has had a few Leep procedures on her cervix.
If you google pics of early stage cervical dysplasia it is similar to the pictures of many of our glans.
I have no other explanation.....my wife and I have no other symptoms except she had a throat issue that led her down a long path of tests but eventually went away or she learnt to live with.
Google: "male partners of cervical dysplasia patients" or "male atypical/subclinical HPV" "HPV and Balanitis"
There's lots of info that points to HPV.
Joeshmo Patrick_Bateman
Posted
i believe it does but it also prevents Warrs HpV as well