Dry looking Patches On Shaft Of penis

[princess86]

Hi, My boyfriend woke up one day with some small dry patches on the shaft of his penis.He said they were not there the day before.The patches are very circular and dry glossy looking and dont itch muchThere is one that is a bit larger than the others and lighter in color (he has dark skin).They also have a very slight rising texture .Could this be some king of tinea? I have seen something similar to this on his lower abdomen in summer when he would sweat.
What is werid is that the under part of his shaft is free from any of these patches.Could this be an infection from when he sits on the toilet? I recently had BV because of an infection from an abortion and my bf and I were having sex then but that was almost 5 months ago.Could it be that also. Please Help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

I cannot confirm anything without examination but it can be eczema,pityriasis rosea or fungal infections. Pityriasis rosea is a common human skin disease which presents as numerous patches of pink or red oval rash. The rash may be accompanied by low-grade headache, fever, nausea and fatigue and sometimes by itching.

Eczema is a form of chronic dermatitis (rash).Allergic reaction is one of the important causes of eczema. Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites.He can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin.He can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate symptoms a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide).

Symptoms can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.

If still the symptoms do not improve then pls get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.

Hope it helps. Take care and pls do keep me posted on how your boyfriend is doing or if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.