Flaking skin, rash and slight itching on my penis

[absolutelynoclue]

Good Afternoon,

I have an ongoing problem and I'm not really sure what to do next. I never get sick and I have been to the doctors quite possibly less than 20 times in my entire life (I am 27 now), so until I found this forum I wasn't even sure what type of doctor I would go see.

I'm looking to shed some light on this issue, which has been going on for sometime (2 months?). At first it was just "flaky" skin that peeled off my penis, mostly on the front of the penis just below the head and very rarely on the actual head itself. My girlfriend and I are very "active" so I assumed it was just from overuse and I applied lotion to it for a while. It helped in the short term but no matter how much lotion I apply or how often it eventually came back. Then, I heard it could potentially be jock itch and that I should get an anti fungus cream, which I did. I've been using it for several weeks with no luck, in fact I would venture to say it has gotten worse. It's very on again/off again, some days my penis will look normal and the next it will be red and dry and still the next it will be very red and tender and look wet. This morning it was red, tender, a little itchy and had some very small raised bumps, but that has not happened before.

I'm sure my description sounds like a million different things so hopefully some general personal information will help:

I am a white male, 27, very athletic and fit, 160lbs. I have no genetic issues, no diseases, etc. My last annual exam was this time last year and my blood work was perfect. I have tried different soaps, assuming that one may irritate it, but that did not work either. Although in the past I have been with quite a few partners, I was tested this January and I did have Chlymidia. Of course I took the antibiotic and moved on. Since then I have only been with my girlfriend who was also tested in April and she was clean as well.

I'm hoping that was enough information! I look forward to a response and if you need any additional information please let me know.

[absolutelynoclue]

Thank you for the insight. I am almost certain, based on some more research and photos, that the issue is a male yeast infection. Hygiene is not an issue (I'm OCD when it comes to cleanliness), but I am sure there are other factors which could have created it. Neverless, I research male treatments and fount that most men use Monistat which apparently is not just for women. I picked some up today and *hopefully* will be cured shortly.

Thanks again.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms one possibility that needs to be ruled out is of eczema. It 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. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

If the symptoms persist then topical and oral steroids may be needed and diagnosis confirmed by biopsy skin. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.