No STDS, but constant irritation on penis!

I am a 21 year-old, uncircumcised gay male in good health. I have only had one sexual partner in a monogamous relationship where sex was mostly protected (only after having him completely tested for STDs did I allow condom-less oral sex and the occasional anal sex with myself as the recipient). I have been tested for all STDs at least four times, in intervals of 3-months, since February 2011 when I had sex for the first time, the latest just two months ago, which came back negative all-around. I have never had an STD and always practice good hygiene.

Nevertheless, about 6+ months ago, I started noticing some redness and irritation on the head and under-foreskin of my penis. Often spontaneous and seemingly unprovoked, it appeared as blotches that came in a variety of sizes: small and not mildly intimidating to large and isolated to one whole half of the penis' head and on the shaft when my foreskin was retracted. I let it go for a couple of weeks, maybe a month, before consulting my PCP. I assumed that I would just have to put a little more care in carefully washing the area with a milder soap while fully retracting the foreskin, rinsing it off completely, and making sure it was completely dry before dressing. When I finally met with my doctor, he took blood and urine tests to screen for STDs and, as previously mentioned, the results came back negative time and time again.

Acknowledging the fact that men who are uncircumcised face an increased risk for yeast infections, he prescribed an ointment to be used twice daily for a week. I didn't notice any change immediately, but eventually, over the course of the week, it seemed that the redness was becoming less and less aggressive. Yet, something still didn't feel entirely right. Regrettably, I accepted that this would be the end of the flare-ups and paid it no mind.

A few weeks later, I noticed that, though lessened, the issue was still present. For some reason, I chose not to bring it up to my doctor again. Over time, I had developed a personal routine to temporarily remedy the situation. After my relationship had ended (in late April) and I had not been having any sex with a partner, I observed that the main and most immediate cause of the irritation was through masturbation. Moments after ejaculating, the tip of my penis, and areas in which the substance dribbled would develop a bright red blotchy irritation that would last from maybe 30 minutes to hours, depending on the day. I also occasionally notice a glossy dryness and striations along the head of my penis. These reactions would occasionally happen with urine that might dribble out subsequent to bathroom use. As I am also easily stimulated and prone to the secretion of pre-ejaculates, I feel so inclined to attribute the excessive moisture of the head of my penis compounded by the coverage of my foreskin as the main culprit of the constant irritation. Today, I am hyper-conscious of this condition. I urinate with my foreskin fully retracted. I wash the area with a mild soap (Dove) and use a blow dryer to dry the head with my foreskin fully retracted at least two times a day. I rarely masturbate as I am discouraged by the discomfort and worry of the inevitable, subsequent blotches. Yet, on same days, there will be little to no complications and I can shower once and go on with my day normally. Other times, the irritation will crop up unprovoked. I should note that I have never experienced any bumps, lumps, ulcers, cuts, dryness/scales or anything else of the like.

Over six months later and I can no longer live with these temporary remedies. I want to be able to live without the constant stress of what I might find when I pull down my underwear. I don’t want to have to be hyper-attentive to my personal hygiene, which, I imagine, might not necessarily be as beneficial to the problem as one might think. In short, I need to know what the problem is and how to remedy the situation once and for all. If not an STD, is it still a yeast infection that needs antibiotics—in pill and/or ointment form—as treatment? Is there a PH balance issue in my urine/semen that might be causing this irritation? Is it an infection, like Balanitis, which requires appropriate diagnosis and treatment? Do I need to be circumcised? These are just a few of the many questions that I’ve developed through extensive observation and research. Does anyone have any valuable advice? I would rather meet with a doctor who specializes in this than go to my PCP again, so should I make an appointment with a urologist or a dermatologist or…? I need the comprehensive, well-thought out advice of a professional or someone knowledgeable about my situation!

[Ra1234]

In my opinion this could be a recurrent balanophostitis (balano is an infection of the glans (glands) and phostitis an infection of the foreskin) that is in fact a yeast infection. First than anything Do not use any  steroid cream as hidrocortisone cus that will make your penis skin very thin. I suffered of the same redness irritation for 1.5 years and I consulted many doctors. They prescribed me many medications and creams, but unfortunely nothing worked. The last urologyst I went suggested me circumsicion, I went to two other urologyst and they said the same thing and after thinking so much about it I went for it. The infection and redness went away and It has been already 1.5 years since my surgery and my penis still looks very healthy. I am not recommending you to go for the surgery as your case may be different. Make an appointment with an urologyst to know exactly was wrong with your penis skin. Take care. More ? go ahead