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
marc-2961 Jason1327
Posted
i just came across this thread also suffering exactly the same as most of you, constantly red burning foreskin and head of penis, hurts when i pee, etc etc. ongoing for just short of 12 months, never subsides and is permanent, as someone else mentioned i am currently taking doxycyclene for something unrelated. but this problem was prominent before i even started taking that stuff to be honest. no resolution again like most of you i have tried various moisturizers and anti fungal creams. made no difference, it really does drive you into depression im totally fed up now, and pretty much lost all hope.
garry13966 marc-2961
Posted
hello mark, most of us find the solution only few left so don't loose hope as one day we will get rid of it ..
garry13966
Posted
could be this one because none of us discuss about this bacteria..
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garry13966
Posted
could be this one because none of us discuss about this one?
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garry13966
Posted
i found new bacteria name cellulitis it has the same symptoms as we all facing ..
Armo259 Jason1327
Posted
Hey everyone, I see a lot of people are suffering from similar symptoms to this as I have for the last 3 years. I think I finally found my solution, so I thought I would share it here since I see a lot of "Me toos" and not enough of "I fixed it".
Long story short, been dealing with redness under my foreskin on the glans (aka Balanitis) for about 3 years now after having unprotected sex. No STDs, no bacteria, no yeast, nothing. I got every test done under the sun, saw multiple doctors, got the biopsy (contact dermatitis was the result, go figure) and googled everything under the sun. But the one thing I noticed is that it always got worse AFTER sex or masturbation. Tried steroid creams which just took away the redness but not the pain, anti fungal creams, and anti bacterial creams. They helped alleviate the problem but didn't fix it. But here is what I have been doing and what I have seen help my problem a lot.
1.) BE GENTLE WITH THE LITTLE GUY
I cannot emphasize this enough. Since it only gets worse after sex and masturbation, I figured if I don't pull or rub or have sex so hard, it might help. Sure enough it did, a little. But a little was better than nothing. So don't grip as hard, go slow, and use a ton of lube or a condom if you have sex. Stop with the self-love time completely for a while if you can, but based on my case, that wasn't enough. Step 2 is what really helped.
2.) DAILY LUBRICANT/MOISTURIZE
This is a biggie so pay attention. I stopped using all creams, because they dry out your skin over time. Especially steroid creams, they will thin out your skin after so many uses, and the skin takes a long time to grow back to normal, I'm talking weeks (or so I read). So stop using it, or use it until the skin looks less inflammed and stop. What I use now is Petroleum Jelly (aka Vaseline), no scents, no additives, just plain 'ol jelly. Put some in the morning, wash it off at night, and re-apply after. If you are uncircumsized like me, the dry skin on the glans or head of the penis will not heal because whether you are peeing or getting an erection, the dry skin under the foreskin will keep tugging and pulling and rubbing against the head of your penis, which will cause it to keep getting red and irritated. The jelly acts as a barrier, protecting it from any friction, and if you have any cuts or cracked skin like I did, this will help a ton. So use a good amount, make sure to clean it off and re-apply daily. Hygiene is key when using this stuff. Make sure to clean daily.
3.) DON'T GIVE UP
This is my story, and I'm sure it isn't the same for everyone. If this helps even one person then typing this out was worth it. Keep looking for answers, talk to nurses and PAs, not just doctors. Doctors see so many of these cases and thousands of different things cause it, so it's not surprising they don't get it right for most of us. Just keep researching and trying new things, pay attention to what flares up the redness/rash, and investigate as much as you can. I'm not healed 100%, but after just one week of doing everything I just said, my glans skin finally doesn't look like I dragged it through a rug carpet. Good luck everyone, I'll answer questions if you need more details. If I end up dropping off like most people on these forums do, then assume I'm healed and all is well.
Armo259
Posted
Also, adding to the lubricate and moisturize part. I don't plan to use Vaseline forever, just till my skin heals from all the trauma masturbation, topical creams, and just overall friction over the years. After a few weeks with Vaseline (I'm thinking 4 to 6 weeks), I might switch over to Coconut Oil. It's not as an effective barrier as Vaseline, but it does moisturize and have vitamins that are good for the skin. Plus it apparently has anti-bacterial and anti-yeast properties, at least according to google, so take that part with a grain of salt. Just wanted to add this in case some people don't have Jelly or already have coconut oil. I recommend Jelly more, but if you have coconut oil, that isn't a bad start. It's definitely better though after you have healed up and just wanna keep you lil guy fresh and healthy though.
Joeshmo Armo259
Posted
sooooo I want to chime in on a HUGE Update...First I agree with Armo and here is why:
Caffeine. Say what???? Yes. i have been on here for 6 months and finally a doctor has helped me. The reason our tests come back Negative for "Infections, bacteria, etc" is because its not any of those things. We might say Yes i noticed it after sex as did i...But now having multiple partners NONE have had any issues. So what does this mean? its because the problem we are facing are not viral, infectious etc. Broke blood vessels which completely fill our penis.
I remember someone in here saying "My penis is ice cold at times" that is because its not getting blood flow correctly (mine did too) Another said it looks red and bumpy but no pain itching etc (those are broken blood vessels mine does the same) "Its worst after sex and masterbation" Yes...Because you have sent all the blood to vessels in your penis and blood flow may even already be there and are in vessels that are either tight or damaged. "My penis is veiny" (Again back to blood flow) "I feel it rubbing my boxers" because poor circulation makes the penis sensitive and therefore you will feel it more 'irritable' even tho there is no pain. "Pain in testicle" Because the strickening of blood flow"
So why caffeine? Because Caffeines #1 Side affect is tightening of blood vessels. i was drink 2-3 Extra strength 5 Hours a day on too of Redbull at times my oenis looked like it was going to fall off or shribble so small it would tuck in my insides...I have cut these off and DRAMATICALLY reduced my symptoms...Now i use lubricants during masterbation which has helped the skin not get sore...However the head and some foreskin is still red but by proper lotions i am hoping to repair the damage i have done. In the off chance you dont consume caffeine this is still an option many want to consider looking into...If your doctor is sure you didnt contract something quit thinking its major and start thinking simple..Also stress does not help so talk with your doctor about this and i hope this helps because i am doing much better and i couldnt have gotten that way without the help of watching what i am putting in my body...I hope this helps
Darty17 Joeshmo
Posted
Hey Joeshmo. Thank you for the update!
Did you doctor mention how these vessels heal? How long it should take, can it be done, how to help it (other than cutting out caffeine)? I ask because I had a blood flow study of my penis (ultrasound, had the injection to make it hard, watched everything) and my flow was normal all over the penis itself. This makes me think that blood vessels may not be the problem, but I am unsure if they would have been looking for that/noticed.
john18352 Armo259
Posted
Hi armo259@, how is it going now ?
I had a red area around the meatus but not pain while urinating ... the skin is just dry and irritated.
I've been applying a dermatologist healing zinc based cream, and added some Petroleum Jelly cream too, I can see a lot of improvement, the skin seems less red, and I am feeling better the whole day.
Once I stop applying cream, after a day or two, dryness comes back.
after 4-5 days, I'm having a hard time trying to move the foreskin (but this is not phymosis, it is the skin inside that is dry, if I force it here goes the whole area to be swollen and red like balanitis)
Maybe the dryness is due to urine or the rubbing of the penis tip in my underwear. ..
I am afraid I might have applied to much fluconazole cream 1 year ago, and that it has damaged my penis skin, but I hope this is slowly healing ...
Do you believe this is more related to Psoriasis / Eczema like ?
I'm having a lot of thoughts by surfing on forums, but I wonder how can I get any bacterial issues has I haven't had sex with anybody else than my wife. I had a period when I went to pee a lot more often but it seems that it can be psychological ...
Anyway, please let us know your updates !
thomas42824 Jason1327
Posted
hey jason,
i suffered from something similar to this for around 6 months. it started out as a yeast infection for me and then progressed to balanitis. after i got clotrimazole for it the symptoms went away after 6 days of use but then came back all of a sudden. since then ive seen a urologist and dermatologist who have all told me im fine and nothing is wrong. however i saw another doctor just a general pediatrcian for any glimmer of hope and she diagnosed me with erythrasma. i suggest you talk to your doctor about this because perhaps you might have it. when i told my doctor i had "balanitis that doesnt seem to go away" the doctor checked for erythrasma. hope this helps if youre still struggling with this.
BigDaddyShane thomas42824
Posted
What dis she prescribe you? How did it work on you? And are your symptoms completely gone? Thanks.
garry13966 Jason1327
Posted
i have same issue, when erect become dark red then after couple of hours back to normal and sometimes slightly pain in shaft not continues just for 2 or 3 seconds like pulse.. and during day time it become whitish greyish in colour but at night come back to normal light pink colour ..
does anyone has discolouration like this?
randy37536 Jason1327
Posted
How is everyone doing? I ended up having a lesion about 1 month ago that tested neg for hsv and healed in about 1.5 weeks. I was tested about 12 hours after it appeared. Shortly after things healed up the sensation was 100% gone but it slowly came back a few days ago. Now i feel a warm / nerve sensation a few times a day. Been to the doctor many times now with no answers.
Have any of you ever had a CT SCAN or anything where they use the UV fluid or ever used any weight loss / perf type drugs?
sav85 Jason1327
Posted
Cornflake123, too bad they deleted your interesting posts. Can you msg me the name of your med or try a new post that meet the requirements of the terms and conditions of this site? Many thanks.