Over a year of nonspecific inflammation.
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I apologize for posting on here about this before but I’m just really freaked out. I have no sex life now, and I may even lose my job because even just wearing clothes at this point is miserable.
So last August I was diagnosed with chlamydia after having unprotected sex. within a month I had it cleared up with antibiotics, retested a few weeks after treatment to confirm that I’m negative. I've had redness, dryness, itching and burning on my glans during and ever since. Even the shaft (when the skin is pulled back) is pinkish or pale red now. If my finger or clothing or anything brushes against it it itches intensely.
The burning is usually worse if i precum a little, and typically only if the skin is in place. Once pulled back it almost always gets itchier and just irritated feeling.
When i'm erect the lesions are more noticeable, and almost shiny/crystallized looking, and again very dry.
Urine really burns if it contacts the penis. Just wiping everything dry is very uncomfortable.
I had a biopsy done and it came back non-specific. I have had fungal as well as antibiotic treatment both orally and topically. Have had topical steroids and corticosteroids as well. dermatology gave me no advice either besides "could be contact dermatitis". I don’t know if maybe I didn’t apply exactly enough of the medicine each time or what..
I’m really contemplating circumcision at this point, at least to rule out balantitis. and I definitely don’t think it’s a cure-all like a lot of doctors but I’m not sure what else to try..
Seems to me like more of a skin condition, but the fact it became a problem at the exact same time I got chlamydia is very strange.
0 likes, 16 replies
morgan08
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morgan08
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I just want to point out that on the first picture, on the left side of the penis the piece that kind of looks like a scab is where I had a biopsy done quite a while ago
morgan08
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morgan08
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morgan08
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morgan08
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Worriewart247 morgan08
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have you seen a urologist?
morgan08 Worriewart247
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Yes i have. He thought just typical balanitis maybe caused by yeast (though ive never had a discharge or any of the mucous stuff) so gave me antibiotics and antifungal medicines. no improvement so i saw dermatology. I can’t pay $200 to have a patch test right now, I had one several years ago and if it’s dermatitis I feel like it’s just from having irritated skin for so long that it’s stuck in some sort of cycle, because I make sure to be very careful about soaps or chemicals or anything. All that really touches it is water and my underwear, so for a whole year nonstop seems strange that its a contact allergy or irritant? So dermatology was not interested at all and when I went back to my urologist he took a biopsy which came back non-specific, but it does state that they didn’t find fungus.
Balanitis symptoms dont mention much burning or intense itching. And at this point since the shaft is irritated i figure it wouldve turned into phomosis at this point. When I look up pictures of that condition it seems like shinier, moist lesions.
Wee_Dugie morgan08
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Just to respond to this:
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Have had topical steroids and corticosteroids as well. dermatology gave me no advice either besides "could be contact dermatitis". I don’t know if maybe I didn’t apply exactly enough of the medicine each time or what..
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If any steroid based medication is not applied correctly and sufficiently often enough you will not gain sufficient benefit from it - and in effect, are wasting your time and missing out on a potential cure.
My advice to you would be to find a Dermatologist that specialises in Genital Skin Disorders - contact a major sexual health or GU medicine facility in the area or region in which you live and ask them how you can contact one
morgan08 Wee_Dugie
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Thanks for the reply, that’s basically what I’ve read. I’ve honestly just been scared to apply more of those medicines because I know they can thin your skin or give you a separate case of dermatitis or something if it’s the wrong treatment. and then if i apply it, do i also need to moistuirze so it doesnt get drier? everything I put on it makes it so itchy just from my finger touching it.
Also what does GU stand for? I know you read and reply to a lot of these posts, but in your opinion does it resemble anything you've seen? I have no swelling or pain in the foreskin that i can tell, just very red underneath and especially if the skin is forward i get a weird burning sensation. Worse with erections or way worse with friction or sex. Glans are very itchy especially if exposed for long. Anyway thanks for your time, its been driving me insane man haha.
Wee_Dugie morgan08
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The role of topical steroids is to enable unhealthy skin to become healthier and to eventually repair itself.
Your distressed unhealthy skin is stuck in a cycle where appropriate healing cannot take place - what you need is a medical professional that fully understands the issues genital skin has when issues such as what you are experiencing can be made healthy again.
I would suggest a specialist dermatologist would be the only health professional that can help you with this.
Best to abstain from masturbation or sex until your skin has fully healed, as, simply, this in itself can be sufficient to prevent healing from taking place anyway.
GU = Genitourinary Medicine - in many countries across the world there are not only sexual health specific services but there are in addition to these GU medicine services.
Many such services are based in hospitals, particularly those where doctors and other specialists do their medical training and initial practice - the most common specialist at such a facility would be a urologist and those that become other sexual health related specialists
morgan08 Wee_Dugie
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Hey thanks for another reply. I’m going to abstain from everything and I might try the topical steroid ointment again for a few weeks. I have looked online and even asked a few doctors but nobody here in kentucky seems to know about a genital skin derm specialist. they all just look at me like i'm crazy lol, I know they exist in other parts of the world. I see dermatology again in November, they may try a different steroid or patch testing but honestly i dont expect those to fix this. when I used all these medicines before, I was using at least 80% of the reccomended about with no improvement of symptoms. A lot of things say one fingertip unit, but then they say apply steroids in a thin layer on the penis and with that much cream that’s more than a thin layer so its confusing
Wee_Dugie morgan08
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What is the ointment you have called and what is its % strength?
Is it an opaque ointment or a white cream? In terms of amount to use on your distressed penile skin a fingertip unit is far too much, I use between a fifth and a quarter of a unit - aim to achieve a thin layer that you work in to the damaged skin. Use gentle massage type movements so as not to distress the skin any further. For the skin to absorb the active ingredients you need to use the massage action for 2 to 3 minutes at least.
In terms of finding a specialist dermatologist finding the professional bodies that dermatologists belong to could be an option for finding one in your area.
Essentially, when dermatologists complete their training, or wish to join another professional association there will be one of several representative professional bodies that all dermatologists will belong to.
Typical names would be 'association of dermatologists' - but here is a specific one: " The American Academy of Dermatology " - if you do a search and find several names of these associations what they will typically provide is a listing of the professional practicing members they have in each area of the US and their contact information.
morgan08 Wee_Dugie
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it is 0.1% Mometasone furoate ointment. Ohh okay, I did use close to a fingertip unit a couple times. Hopefully if i use much less now it wont have any adverse affects. i will try massaging it into the skin better like you said. Just worried that any steroids or topicals might just give me secondary symptoms or rash, you know? It seems to me like a form of dermatitis or possibly psoriasis, but images i find of those usually look scalier or bumpy. with lots of flaking skin. Balanitis is super common but i have no swelling or adhesion of the foreskin even after one year. and no discharge/smegma. And not "pain", i mean its uncomfortable as heck sometimes but just burning and itching are the main symptoms and it makes the tip of my glans very red after peeing. zoon's balanitis is the only one it could be i think it looks more like moist, bright red spots. I think its worth noting that the very front of my penis, on either side of the frenulum is still a healthy purple color and never looks red and distressed like the rest of my glans and underneath the skin.
morgan08 Wee_Dugie
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the ointment isnt totally white. I'd say opaque. they went with ointment because of the dry skin appearance
Wee_Dugie morgan08
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Mometasone furoate is a Medium strength corticosteroid and: is used to treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, allergies, and rash. Mometasone decreases swelling (inflammation), itching, and redness.
So, going back to what you initially said here:
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I had a biopsy done and it came back non-specific. I have had fungal as well as antibiotic treatment both orally and topically. Have had topical steroids and corticosteroids as well. dermatology gave me no advice either besides "could be contact dermatitis".
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You need to be directed specifically and clearly about getting the best out of the most effective medication - it sounds like you have tried more than just the Mometasone, this should have been a process of finding which ointment would be the most effective for what it is you have going on, and this simply has not happened.
Just a brief note on images online, these are often from the most clear cases showing the worst of what can happen, realtively 'milder' looking symptoms can still have a considerable impact.
You need an experienced Dermatologist to help find a solution to what you have going on - my best suggestion is to find a genital skin conditions specialist dermatologist.
Once you find the different professional associations for dermatologists some of them may have interactive social media sites that you can post a simple question, such as how you find a specialist in the area or region in which you live