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Rash on Penis head and Penis head is shiny

Posted , 3 users are following.

ryan21316
ryan21316

My penis has a white-ish rash/spots all over the head. The head also looks very 'shiny'. Any help is appreciated as I'm quite worried.

For a bit of background, I've have tight foreskin but am able to fully retract my penis.

Since about 5 days ago I've had a crazy smegma built up on the head of my penis and under the head, i've had to have 2 baths these weak to try and get rid of it, then it would come back the next day.

Today i washed all the smegma away in the shower (i never use soaps/oils, only warm water) and i couldn't wash some away. This looks to be a sort of white/red rash or spots all over the head. My penis head also looks shiny. Its not causing me any pain, but i do get a small itching sensation sometimes (not sure if thats just in my head but thought it would be worth to mention it). 

I haven't had sex in months, although I did do oral sex with a girl about 2 weeks ago, so i guess to rash started to appear a week after that. Although I don't think I have a STI i thought that was worth mentioning too.

I do have penile papules all around the top of my foreskin, which I've always had and been to a doctor years ago and they are all fine

Does anyone have any idea what I've got? Could it be an STI or some sort or other infection? Do you think i need to get treatment for this or just keep cleaning it well every day?

Thanks

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • ryan21316
    ryan21316

    Posted

    I've done some more searching and i think it may be a yeast infection?

    I'm a type 1 diabetic and the last couple weeks my blood level has been all over the place due to travelling and going out. 

    Also, one more thing to note if that my foreskin has seemed tighter this week. I already said i had tight foreskin, and it still is tight when erect, but this week its seemed harder to pull my foreskin back even when its flaccid. Is this what happens when you have a yeast infection?

    I think i've said everything now so hopefully someone can help me out!

    Thanks, i really appreciate any replies

  • Pepasan
    Pepasan ryan21316

    Posted

    I think you are probably correct in thinking it’s a yeast infection - my son is type 1 diabetic and although we haven’t discussed his penile health (he’s over 40 now) he did have a similar skin rash on his back when initially diagnosed in his late teens. Any pharmacy should be able to advise what cream to use. Probably Daktarin or Canesten.
    • ryan21316
      ryan21316 Pepasan

      Posted

      Thanks for your response. Does this sort of thing go away on its own? Or should i definitely buy something?
  • ml66uk
    ml66uk ryan21316

    Posted

    It looks like candidal balanitis (a yeast infection) to me too.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't say you need to see a doctor for balanitis, but from that picture I would, even without knowing you were diabetic.  Diabetics need to take extra care down there though, as there's a greater risk of lichen sclerosus (aka BXO or balanitis xerotica obliterans).

    You could either see your GP, or if you're in the UK, you could go to a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic - google "GUM clinic near me" for details.

    If you could update this thread and tell us what the doctors say, it would be appreciated.  Good luck.

    In the meantime, these are my standard links for balanitis, but like I said, I think you need to see a doctor:

    https://patient.info/health/balanitis-leaflet

    https://patient.info/doctor/balanitis-pro  ;

    (written for doctors)

    Washing (with water, no soap) daily, and taking a leak and washing after masturbation or sex will probably help, and you could also try Canesten cream or Daktarin cream.  Loose fitting cotton underwear may help, and some sites recommend washing underwear with non-biological washing powder or liquid.

    • ryan21316
      ryan21316 ml66uk

      Posted

      Thanks for your response.It may be difficult for me to see a doctor at the moment because I'm very busy.

      Would this sort of thing go away naturally? assuming i clean it well and control my diabetes well?

      Or do you think i should buy a cream and try and treat it myself?

    • ml66uk
      ml66uk ryan21316

      Posted

      It may well go away by itself, but I would strongly recommend that you see a doctor.
    • ml66uk
      ml66uk

      Posted

      Diabetics often have problems with balanitis and phimosis, and this isn't the sort of thing you want to delay.  If you're in the UK, there's a good chance you could get an appointment at a GUM clinic, or even a walk-in this weekend, and I think you'd be mad not to.  It's far more common on this forum for me to tell people "personally, I wouldn't see a doctor...", but I really think you need to get checked out.

      "I'm a type 1 diabetic and the last couple weeks my blood level has been all over the place due to travelling and going out."

      You need to look after yourself better.  You can be a party animal and still keep your glucose levels in a normal range.  Diabetes is serious.  Someone I used to go skiing with who had diabetes type 1 died of a heart attack aged 36, and another needed to be circumcised.  That second one may well have needed to be circumcised anyway at some point, but he's very open about the fact that he left it far too late to see a doctor.

      You could also ask at the diabetes forum here:

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/browse/diabetes-692

    • ryan21316
      ryan21316 ml66uk

      Posted

      Thanks for being honest, I appreciate it.

      Just to let you know my diabetes is actually perfectly controlled 99% of the time. Every check up I've ever had has been good, and the tests they do for my average blood levels are always good - but yeah my blood levels have been bad for a couple weeks and what you said is right. Travelling and going out isn't an excuse.

      Are you advising me to see a doctor because you think it could be something more serious? Or because its a yeast infection, so i could see one anyway, coupled with the fact I'm a diabetic, and the infection could cause me other problems either now or later?

      Thanks for the help so far

    • ml66uk
      ml66uk ryan21316

      Posted

      Sorry for being preachy, but some diabetics don't realise it's a big deal*, and in your case, I'm worried partly about the phimosis, but more about possible BXO.

      (* google "'I went blind and feel partly to blame" or "diabetes blind site:bbc.co.uk" )

    • ml66uk
      ml66uk ryan21316

      Posted

      I have a comment waiting to be moderated, but here's most of it again:

      Sorry for being preachy, but some diabetics don't realise it's a big deal*, and in your case, I'm worried partly about the phimosis, but more about possible BXO.

      (* google "'I went blind and feel partly to blame"wink

    • ml66uk
      ml66uk

      Posted

      (that wasn't intended to be a smiley btw - it just appears if a double quote is followed by a round right bracket)

    • ryan21316
      ryan21316 ml66uk

      Posted

      The thing is I was able to pull my foreskin fine and clean it, and had no problems having sex when i had a girlfriend, i feel like my foreskin is tight right now due to the yeast infection and hopefully will go back to normal once I've got rid of this infection?

      Ive had a look and nowhere seems to be open to go to a gum clinic this weekend, so the next time i could probably go would be next friday in a week. Firstly, is this okay? Secondly, what shall i do up until then to not make anything worse? keep it clean, pull back the foreskin when urinating, that sort of stuff?

    • ryan21316
      ryan21316 ml66uk

      Posted

      Also, what you have been saying about 'BXO' - I've never had any problems down there, so assuming I'm able to get rid of this yeast infection in time won't everything just go back to normal? Why would i suddenly get BXO?

    • ml66uk
      ml66uk ryan21316

      Posted

      I thought GUM clinics were supposed to offer people appointments within two working days, but if they say you can't see them till Friday, I'd see if I could get an appointment with a GP before then if I were you, which would also have the advantage that if you need to go again in say six months or a couple of years, you might see the same person.  It's not necessarily that urgent, but it's not something I'd leave much longer than a week.

      It's certainly possible that you just have regular balanitis, in which case regular hygiene and an anti-fungal cream may well fix it in the next few days.  It's the white patches that concern me though.  If they're new, then they're probably nothing to worry about, but your pic doesn't look like most cases of balanitis, and the white patches could possibly be a symptom of BXO, which isn't really related to candidal balanitis, is a lot more serious, and is more likely for men with diabetes.  It doesn't really look like most cases of BXO to be honest either, but I'd expect a doctor to prescribe a steroid cream as well as an anti-fungal (possibly in tablet/capsule form) just in case.

      I may well be worrying too much, and I wouldn't be that surprised if it clears itself up in a few days regardless of what you do, but it's definitely more important for men (or women) with diabetes to get checked out if they have symptoms like that down there.

      I'm curious to see what a GP or urologist says, but good luck, and please let us know how you get on.

  • Pepasan
    Pepasan ryan21316

    Posted

    I agree you should really see a doc or sexual health clinician, however anti-fungal cream is worth a try.
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