Annoying slight ichy feeling

[A Little Ichy]

I am uncircumcized 35 yr old man.

For the last 8 weeks or so, I have been having a very subtle ichy feeling in my penis.  When I started having this feeling, there was a small (1-2mm) red spot on the left side of my penis head-foreskin "valley" where the head meets the forskin.  A doctor told me to use yeast infection medicines (I tried two kinds one week each with some break between the two), which may have reduced the symptom but did not get rid of it completely.  Since it was annoying, I visited the doctor again and he gave me Bactroban.  Bactroban seemed to work and I did use for a week three times a day.  I had no symptom at the end of the week.  But several days after I completed the week use of Bactroban, the feeling came back with another similar-looking red spot, this time on the right side of my penis head-foreskin valley.  After observing a little bit, I decided to see the doctor again and he said to continue for another week.  I did and it did remove the symptom.  After a few days later, however, the symptom came back with maybe a tiny (< 1mm) spot, this time on the skin of the head (but I am not sure if this is a spot).

I have no discharge or pain.  No irritation except when I had the spots in the "valley" they irritate sharply when I took a shower.

During the 8 weeks, I have been washing my penis well, multiple times a day.  In the last couple of days, I have observed a very slight layer on the penis head when I retract the foreskin.  The layer can be removed by rubbing the head with a finger (which is strange since I have been washing my penis frequently).

I may be over sensitive, but I have also been feeling like my lower left abdomen feels a little strange, discomfort, but not painful.
The ichy feeling is definitely in the skin around the penis head-foreskin valley.  But it feels like it not in the same spot.  It moves.  The red spot has moved as I mentioned above.  Does this mean I have infection in the urinary system?  The foreskin around the valley is slightly redder now than my nomal skin color.

I have been mentally affected by this quite a bit.  I am concerned that this may be a sign of some systemic disease or infection.  It is very difficult to see my doctor in my HMO system and takes time.  I am now asking a referral to a darmatologist.

I want to be well informed when I see a doctor, but I found that collecting information on something like this is very difficult.   Could you list possible conditions I may have and their treatment approaches so that I can be constructive with my interaction with the doctor?  How can we go about identifying which condition I really have?

Thanks.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

To be frank, I don't think you have aany condition at all, except perhaps irritation from "During the 8 weeks, I have been washing my penis . . .  multiple times a day."  Yeast infections cause severe red rashes with pustules.  Other rashes are likewise visible.

When you think and worry about a certain part of the body, it will tingle, itch, burn, or hurt.  When you overwash it, it will develop red spots.

I recommend that you leave the area alone and moisturize with any lotion, like Lubriderm, twice a day.  Make and keep a dermatologist appointment, so the skin doctor can look, diagmose, and set the matter (and your mind) to rest.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[A Little Ichy]

Thank you.