Irritation on tip of penis (follow up)

Dr. Rockoff,

Back on 6/30/03 I wrote the following:

About 4 weeks ago i had unprotected sex for about 10 seconds and then put a condom on for the duration. My partner did give me a "hand job" (pardon the expression) towards the end of the experience which was a rather aggressive experience. Within about a day I noticed the tip of my penis was sensitive with a slight burning sensation. I went way overboard applying Neosporin and when the discomfort continued I went to see a doctor. There were no bumps, pimples or lesions and the doc tested me for STD's Chalmydia and Gonorrhea (sp). These came back negative. I went on antibiotics in the meantime just to make sure.

I continued to over apply the Neosporin (maybe 7-10 times a day) on the head of my penis and developed a little rash. I discontinued use of the Neosporin and the rash cleared up within 2-3 day. From a visual observation I can see nothing wrong with my penis.

I still have a minor irritation on the tip of my penis. These are no sores or bumps, but I notice the discomfort when wearing jeans / pants and when lying in bed at night (take in mind I am a little hypersensitive to the area and it is more sensitive the more I think about it). It is not painful but I do notice it and tend to dwell on it too much.

The condition has improved over time but my concern is after four weeks should this be completely gone? I am hesitant to put any medication on it..after my Neosporin experience...any suggestions?

You responded with:

Yes, just wait it out. Friction can leave thin-skinned areas like the penis feeling sensitive for some time. I can't think of any conditions you need to worry about, or any treatments you need to bother with.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff


Your advice was good. I did go see a dermatologist in about 2 weeks ago as the irritation persisted. I relayed the above history to him and his advice was the same as yours..he saw no signs of STD and thought it was an irritation. My question is the lips of my penis still are sensitive. Sometimes it looks normal and feels fine and other time the lips look red and slightly puffy and feel irritated. It might be the ongoing friction from rubbing against my clothes. It comes and goes but seems more prevalent at night when I I am laying in bed and tend to dwell on it more. It is not painful, just irritated. Is there some condition that could make this persist or am I making it persist by dwelling on it? Do I need to be patient with this due to the sensitive nature of the skin in this area? Are there any medications (OTC) I could apply to relieve the sensitivity without further irritating the area? I don

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I think your assessment is correct ("am I making it persist by dwelling on it?")  You do need to be patient, but you can be confident that your patience will pay off.  I would suggest avoiding all medications--just use Vaseline or some other bland emollient cream.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff