Long term penis problem (inflammation, candida? I don't know)
Posted , 2 users are following.
So one day in the past (like 2 years ago) I got what I'm sure is candida. I had swollen foreskin and white liquid seeping all the time. I used a cream and it went away.
But that was only the start of the problems. My penis never returned to true normal after that.
Some time after, the skin started peeling again, it was irritated and hurt to touch. I assumed it was the candida again and started using creams.
For the last 2 years, I've been fighting this on and off. When I use creams regularly, my penis looks something like this, on average:
This is what it looks like most of the time. Some discoloration on the edge, sometimes inflammation and it hurts to the touch most of the time when it's not erect.
However, when I discontinue using creams, this is what it starts looking like:
This is what it's looking like right now. It looks like the skin is peeling but it might be some sort of excrement. It hurt to touch. This is what it starts looking like every time I stop using creams after a few days.
One time when I stopped creams, it even started looking like this:
That's on the skin. It didn't come off. They were bumps on the skin.
Now, for the longest time I was sure it was candida but the thing is - what cream I use doesn't matter. Aloe vera, coconut cream, shea butter, anti fungal cremes like clotrimazole etc etc., they all have that same effect of bringing it ''close to normal''. There doesn't seem to be a difference with anti fungal creams.
I've tried everything. Pills, creams, different pills, teas and all kinds of stuff. Nothing worked. I do however notice, this my penis almost always looks good when I wake up. I assume it might be because of the lack of movement and thus, irritation. It looks and feels almost normal. After a few hours in the day, it get inflammed again. That might give a clue.
I would really, really, appreciate if someone could solve this for me. Doctors haven't been able to but I've been struggling with it for a long time. You have no idea what it would mean to me.
Thanks.
0 likes, 6 replies
gggg
Posted
Forgot to mention, irritation definitely affects the look. When I masturbate, move a lot, go to the beach etc. it always looks worse.
And also, when I stop using creams, when it comes to that ''shedding'' stage, it always smells bad. Always the same smell.
Wee_Dugie gggg
Posted
So you have had something in place that has been giving your penile skin a severe problem for around two years.
You say you had a swollen foreskin and white seepage from it. It does not sound that you ever got this formally diagnosed, or the possible presence of other STD’s tested for? I would therefore guess that the cream you used was what you obtained yourself, rather than being prescribed something from a Sexual Health professional or any medical professional?
You have also stated that you have fought off symptoms and you have used creams. Again, are these creams something you are self-prescribing or are you acting on any guidance from a health professional who has seen you in person?
Essentially, we have a situation for your penile skin that is severely not right. Do not think that I am getting at you personally because the symptoms you show in photo 2 and 3 are pretty much exactly the same that I had - and again I would guess my symptoms were in place for probably way in excess of 3 years, they would come and go, be much worse sometimes, and not that bad at others. And yes, I tried all kinds of skin creams and lotions - but not pure Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil or Raw SHEA butter. Mine was not sexual related so I did not try the regular anti-fungal or bacterial creams and lotions.
During you description you do not specify the role Doctors have played in this process for you, so I wonder if you have actually seen a Dermatologist, or better still, a Dermatologist who specialises in Genital Skin Disorders.
I am quite happy to work with you on an ongoing basis so that we can find a solution to this: I would insist on two specifics, that all correspondence is within your Forum Post here, and that if I suggest you must at least get the opinion of a Genital Skin Disorders specialist that you actually go see one. Associated with the later, there is a potential that your original STD / STI infection was never treated correctly and that you may additionally need to see a Senior Sexual Health Specialist who has experience of treating long-term issues.
It would help if I knew which country you are in?
Here is my essential ‘What to Do’s’: STOP applying everything that you have previously applied to your penile skin; the only thing that you should apply to your penile skin quite literally is water to wash it with.
It is essentially that you prevent soap or any form of body wash such as shower gel from EVER contacting the head of your penis, and as far as possible prevent these from contacting your foreskin as well. When showering draw your foreskin as far forward away from the body as you can to protect the sensitive and already damaged skin of the head and inner-foreskin.When you have showered and throughly rinsed all body cleansers away, expose the head of the penis and wash with the running water only, rubbing the area very gently with the inside of your hand.
When you get out of the shower dry your penile skin first to ensure it is 100% dry by carefully patting it dry with a clean dry towel that only you use.
If you have any further questions, and you can answer all what I have question marked, simply hit the Reply Button - I do NOT deal with Personal Messages ……
gggg Wee_Dugie
Posted
Yes, I've been to doctors. Dermatologists, doctors and urologists. None of them have a clue. They all just gave me creams. Anti fungal creams, skin creams etc. I don't think any of them know what's up.
Yes, I've been tested for STDs. I don't have any.
You mention having this. So what was it? How long did it take to get fixed once you figured out the fix?
As I've said, any time I stop applying creams, I get it looking like photo 2 and 3. I don't know where that ends up but it starts being uncomfortable.
Wee_Dugie gggg
Posted
So you say: " I've been to doctors. Dermatologists, doctors and urologists. None of them have a clue. They all just gave me creams. Anti fungal creams, skin creams etc. I don't think any of them know what's up. "
... so if none of them can accurately diagnose what you actually have, yet they are prescribing medication to you, what does that suggest? Other than it being a process of a medical professional has a patient in front of them and they need to be seen as doing something about it. So they guess, often pick the most likely thing that it COULD be, then prescribe the most LIKELY thing that will successfully treat that. What they are relying on is that you keep going back and eventually they hope to get to the bottom of what is actually going on after you have tried a whole variety of different medications.
So mine was a severe skin condition, called Lichen Sclerosis - this is not necessarily what you have - but what I was doing was searching for the right thing to apply that eventually I hoped would sort it out. What I was doing was making the situation worse and my skin had no chance of recovering, certainly from all the things I was applying to it. So my advice would be to stop applying all the different things that you are currently applying, as, simply, these are not providing you with 'a cure'.
What you need to do is to return your penile skin to the natural state, then take it from there and see whether you actually have a permanent skin condition present. This is not an overnight process - I have already provided the other essential detail in my previous response, so please read through that carefully and put as much in place as you can. What you most likely will get is that the symptoms will initially worsen, then when the skin is not trying to deal with a whole load of chemicals that are not providing you with a cure, and, you are excluding things as basic as soap and any form of body wash from getting onto your penile skin it may then begin the process of developing the natural resilience that it should have. Even if you do have a severe skin condition, this will then become more obvious to what it actually is. If you don't, then the skin will begin the long process of natural recovery if do all the good stuff that I have been talking about. Unfortunately, the Dermatologist should have been able to recognise what you actually had, and as I have already explained, they may have hoped that you kept going back until the correct diagnosis was made and the right form of treatment was put in place.
I wonder whether you were previously prescribed a steroidal ointment or cream? If you still have these, or can remember what they were can you detail them for me?
gggg Wee_Dugie
Posted
Never steroidal. I used many creams, some of which were anti fungal and some of which just soothed the skin.
If I stop applying cream, I will get the same thing as in pictures 2 or 3. Where does that go? I'm afraid to let it go on and find out.
Wee_Dugie gggg
Posted
So which creams are you currently using? Is it possible for you to see a Dermatologist?
Essentially, you are in a situation that has been going on for around 2 years - what you need to something to change what you currently have. My suggestion is that you either return the skin of your penis to it's natural state, or you get something like the correct steroidal ointment from a Dermatologist to help your skin recover.
What you have is that you are stuck in a cycle, continuing to do what you are currently doing merely continues that cycle, what you need is something to break the cycle, and, help your penile skin become healthy again .....