Red slightly raised blotch on glans, had for years, caused by friction potentially?

I wash daily in the shower or bath and after going to pee with just warm water every time, then pat dry with a towel. I've tried stretching and in time it's got better, I'm hopeful of being able to stretch it over when erect in the near future.

So, the process of stretching is a long term project, you will not achieve anything in a matter of days, weeks or even a few months. Gentle progress is the way to go rather than radical change overnight. The picture I was asking of the underneath of your glans was to see whether there was any issues with your Frenulum, whether it was tight or there were any skin adhesions present.

I am an LS sufferer - you have no signs of LS ....

Yes it is tight for sure, but better than it was a few years ago. Sadly I have some red blotching most definitely caused by the constant rinsing after urinating. Going back to a point I've made before, I can't help but feel that rinsing with water literally every few hours is doing harm rather than good due to losing essential natural oils that occur under there, yet obviously leaving residue of urine in under the foreskin is not good either. Its days like today I feel like looking into other solutions, I worry that serious health problems will arise moving forward due to reoccurring constant irritation under the foreskin, whether it's caused naturally or (ironically) by the hygiene improving attempts to prevent the irritation.

What you are trying to achieve is a healthy balance so that the head of the penis looks as healthy as possible. So it is about being 'skin friendly' as possible so as not to irritate it further. Unfortunately the skin of the head of the penis is probably more susceptible to irritation, compared with most other skin areas of the body

For most males stopping using things like soap, shower gel and other body wash on the penis is a big part of this. Many men also use lubes regularly on the penis, and this can form part of the skin's intolerance.

In terms of constantly washing, aim to wash the penis around 2 or 3 times a day: other times use a clean paper tissue or some toilet paper to remove urine residue from around the head area. Experiment with where your foreskin is placed before you urinate: fully retracted, the head completely covered, somewhere in between these, to minimise skin contact.

Today my skin is dry and I have a red raw sore little area near the tip. It's also quite smelly. How have I done this? What's occurred? I have literally been washing with just mild warm water and trying to dry best I can with towels or toilet roll when possible. The water where I live is very hard, can that be effecting it? Is drying with a towel or toilet roll better? I'm at a loss. I'm genuinely fearful of this constant cycle im in of good days and bad days, I don't want to bring on a serious condition which could even result in cancer 😕

The likelihood of cancer is very remote. The only source of odour on a penis is stale urine. You certainly have an unusual masturbation practice. So as you have identified, you are in a constant cycle where the skin is unable to heal itself.

What happens when you masturbate in the usual way, do you use a lube?

At home, certainly a clean towel that only you use is best for drying: you need to gently pat dry skin that is damaged like this, and it is important to get it completely dry as skin that is damp can also prevent the natural healing process.

Have you ever seen a Doctor, Dermatologist or Urologist about this ...... ?

Masturbation the normal way is achievable but it can take quite a while as I'm unable to fully retract when erect at this moment. I don't use lube, do you think I should? Any safe recommendations? I have to admit that I haven't masturbated since the weekend so in terms of the latest red irritation, it's not due to the friction. I was wondering if it was something to do with the towel/paper drying, could that be the case?

I have seen two different docs regarding my private parts. I've only really ever had 2 really bad flare ups of balanitis where the head was totally inflamed, swollen, itchy and had discharge. Right now it is just that small red area (where I've been drying it), no discharge, not painful or itchy, etc

Sorry - Just to add to reply to your question, both docs just prescribed thrush cream at the time and it cleared up. They were happy with my usual situation (the general red blotch on original post of this thread) and said it was difficult to see and was nothing (in the docs office it was honestly barely noticeable, typical), and as I showed them I could retract to clean, they were happy I was able to maintain healthy hygiene when bathing or showering.

Issues of retraction are usually related to a tight foreskin, a short frenulum, or skin adhesions on the lower part of the head - this is why I asked for a photo of the underside of the head of your penis.

For the stretches look up this search term:

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• 3 Ways to Do - Phimosis Stretching - Wiki How

You should not apply anything including lube to the head of your penis until the skin has completely healed. Abstaining from masturbation for as long as you can will help the process: two months is good, 5 months much better.

In terms of the latest red irritation you mention you need to understand that the skin on the head of your penis is currently in a chronic situation, healing does not occur overnight, the process of the skin developing natural strength and resilience when it is like this takes and extended period of the absence of irritation. This takes an extended period of months, not a mater of hours.

Using a towel and paper tissue when you cannot use a towel is the only way to keep the skin around the head of your penis hygienic - you need to carefully wipe the pee-hole (meatus) with tissue, then wash at least 2 or 3 times a day, but you need to carefully dry the area with a clean towel being careful so as not to cause the skin further irritation.

The thrush cream would not help any damaged skin to recover, it merely removes one source of potential irritation. How long ago did you see these doctors?

It is likely that the damage to your skin, and the constant cycle of the skin on the head of your penis not being able to fully repair itself has existed some time prior to this ....

Thanks for the link, I'll check that out. It concerns me that my penis seems to 'heal' so fast then go back to being red and blotchy. The last time I saw a doc was literally 2 weeks ago and he saw 'absolutely nothing wrong' and to be fair at that time it was better. The lighting in the room also did me no favors. I will be showing the pics I've taken on the phone on my next visit as I think that's how I need to convince the doc that this isn't just something I'm making up.

Is there absolutely no safe lubricant or moisturizing cream I could put on the glans? Like vaseline? The reason I ask is I think the water where I live is possibly an irritant. My hands are also dry. The doc was convinced any skin issues I do have is due to the hardness of the water. I've even been advised to wash my hands less. So rinsing my penis a few times a day now I wonder is adding to my woes rather than easing them.

The glans today actually seems much better, less dry, not so irritated, etc. It literally changes on a daily basis, I just need to nail down what's causing the changes..

Water is the only "safe" thing to put on the the head of the penis when it is like this.

Did you actually say when this problem first showed? So, 'healing' will take months of building healthy and resilient skin - that is, if you keep ALL sources of irritation away from your skin .....

I see.. Would urine be considered an irritant also? I was told by the doc that too much water rinses away the natural oils and moisture which can cause dry, peeling skin - do you think that's what I've caused by rinsing the penis too much? I was rinsing literally after every time I peed, should I just do it like 3 times a day instead in your experience?

When your skin is damaged in the way that it is, potentially anything can be an irritant other than water, this is why it is the safest thing to use. When you have a situation like this, certainly, anything that is emitted from the penis can be an irritant too.

In terms of washing you would need to use an awful lot of water - and most men would use soap too - to take away the natural oils from the head of the penis. You have damaged skin, this is not caused by washing - so you need to carefully wash and fully dry using a clean dry towel that only you use.

Aim to wash 3 to 4 times daily - then use a clean tissue other times, and this is what I do when I am out of the house I go into a toilet cubicle and use toilet tissue to carefully remove ant urine residue from around the Meatus (pee-hole) as I have a permanent penile skin condition ......