Redness on tip of penis under foreskin

thanks for the reply, I feel I use good hygiene when washing, and dont use any soaps on the penis. The redness does continue down to the shaft, but only under the foreskin- the skin on the outside of the penis is perfectly normal. I have suffered from eczema my entire life, and my skin is very sensitive and dries easily- for example I cant swim in chlorinated pools due to the dryness and itchiness it causes to my skin. Do you think this could be related? Could the redness be due to insufficient moisturizing or skin care do you think? I have been considering a visit to a dermatologist. Thanks for your help

What you must ensure is that you keep anything petroleum oil based well away from the sensitive area of your penis. So this is pretty much all skin creams and lotions. When you have skin conditions elsewhere on your body, skin elsewhere can be susceptible to outbreaks like this - so you need to be very careful with what you apply to the skin in this area.

Perhaps the best approach would be to check this out with a Dermatologist and they can advise on what you can use to moisturise the head and foreskin area of your penis.

thanks for your help

The issue I am having is that I don't use any sort of moisturiser or other cream under the foreskin or around the penis, so I don't think that I am doing anything to aggravate or irritate the skin, do you have any other ideas of what it may be?

If we use a simple description for what you have it can be described as a contact irritant. The more contact with different things that can cause irritation the worse the skin of the head of your penis will be. Remove the sources of irritation and eventually the skin will return to the way it used to be. Unfortunately, you also have eczema to deal with and while you may not get outbursts of the condition anywhere on your genitalia, the skin of your body has this compromised situation that it is already trying to deal with.

In addition, the complication factor with this area of skin is that during sex or masturbation there is a whole lot of friction going on and this greatly exacerbates any condition, and / or any irritating factors that may be present.

So, in terms of what else may be a contributing factor in terms of what the skin of the head of your penis is trying to deal with, as I say, you need to think of ALL the things that it is in regular contact with. If you are not even thinking of soap powder to wash your clothes with, then you are not looking broadly enough.

While there are 1 or 2 soap powders that are good for sensitive skin - the best alternative is Liquid Soap Flakes, and this is available from most sizeable supermarkets, usually in their own brands. You use this in your washing machine in place of powders and suchlike - do not use fabric conditioners or any additives such as this.

I would suggest that at least everything that is in direct contact with your skin should be washed with the liquid soap flakes, including underclothes and towels, at least.

Are you washing the head and foreskin area of your penis with water only and protecting it from bodily cleansers you may be using when taking a shower? Drying this area of skin is just as important as well - you need to ensure the skin is completely dry when you have washed it or taken a shower. When you urinate you need to either wash and dry, or use toilet tissue to remove any residue of urine from anywhere on your penis. The same is true for masturbation or sex - any thing that is emitted from the penis can be a potential irritant, so needs cleaning away as soon as possible.

A condom on the penis can have severe consequences for compromised and irritated skin - therefore exposure to having a condom in place needs to be kept to a bare minimum. When a condom is removed you need to thoroughly wash away any presence of the chemical that are on the inside of the condom - and again, thoroughly dry.

These are the kinds of broader, but essential issues that you need to think about to help keep the skin of the head and foreskin of your penis as healthy as possible.

You do not say whether you feel you have a good working relationship with a Dermatologist at the moment? Or, perhaps you have already given up on getting meaningful support and practical help from a specialist such as this?

thanks for your in-depth response, I have never been to a dermatologist before and I live in the UK where the current wait for a dermatologist on the NHS is 1 year. Of course I could go through a private dermatologist, if you believe this would be my best course of action. I was prescribed a cream with canestan mixed with hydrocortisone acetate about 10 days ago, which I used but had no beneficial effect. I am unsure what to do now.

What you were prescribed is not what the skin of your penis requires, otherwise it would have had some beneficial effect. So what you can do is use this as 'leverage' with the Doctor who prescribed what you have recently used.

Essentially, I would take this approach to seeing an NHS Dermatologist

• go back to your GP and say this has been going on for 8 months plus and you want it sorting properly as what you have been prescribed so far has had no beneficial effect
• if you get a no-go for an immediate referral to a Dermatologist that are other means of accessing a Dermatologist. You will need to take the Sexual Health Route - what you have began at the time you had unprotected sex, and what you have is a Genital Health issue - therefore, either:
• go to a Walk-In Sexual Health Service - larger UK cities will have a duty Urologist or Dermatologist who you can ask to see, or at least ask to be referred to at a Hospital in which they are based
• go to a GUM Clinic at a General Hospital in your area - again say what has been happening for 8 months+ and what you have been prescribed has been no good for what you actually have
• there is one other option, do a online search for - NHS - genital Skin Disorders - then the City or large town nearest to you, or the region, or county in which you live you will then see the contact details for these ring and ask whether you can self-refer or how you would go about getting the earliest referral via a Doctor or Sexual Health Service

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  The essential is, treat the skin of your penis 'in a kindly manner' by excluding contact with all and any chemicals and it some point in time it will begin to respond positively. If you can get the help of a Dermatologist who actually prescribes something that will be beneficial for your penis that process will take less time .....