am I just beng paranoid?

Hi Doc,

As you'de expect I'll try to be as specific as I can.

Over the last year and half I've gained about 45-50 pounds on a weight gain diet for health. When I began I was 6'2" and 145 pounds during the weightlifiting i got up as high as 194 pounds but when I began a change in diet to lose weight combined with a change in excersie, I developed what can only be described as a rash in my groin. It began right when the shaft of the penis meets my lowest stomach, a bout 3 or four hairs began to get read and blistered, which dissapeared over a day or two. during this period, I was excersing on a stationary bike (without underwear, just sweatpants) this pattern seemed to continue for the next few weeks, and recur somewhere else about every 5 to 10 days (give or take) same thing every time, a few follicles would turn red, sometimes blister and itch and then dissapear in about 72 hours. if the blisters didnt break due to scratching they would just shrink and dissapear, in they did break, the blister would drain for about 5 minutes and then harden and disapear within a day or two. I saw a GP at the time one of the flare-ups was dissapearing and voiced my concern about Herpes or another STD, but after explaining my symptoms and her looking at the area, she said it didnt look like herpes or anythign else, that it was probably folliculitis or dermatits or some such thing, prescribed me a week of antibiotics (amoxiccillin i think) and sent me on my merry way.

Being my stubborn self I took her advice to mean it would clear up on its own so i failed to fill teh prescription, about 14 days went by and it returned, somewhere else (yet again) and the cycle continued. So a month later i decided to fill the prescription  i think it helped, as they became less severe, (one hair or two instead of 5 or 6) by this time i had moved and had also stopped excercising.

A year went by, and still the cycle continued, sometimes a hair or two would get red, but not blister sometimes it would, it seemed to depend on how much a sweated or how tight my pants were (ie jeans w.out underwear) so last January i went to see another GP, told her the same circumsances, she looked at the area (by this time i had gone back to the gym, and the rash returned, but it was in the disspearing stage) she said the same thing. Follicultius or dermatitis. Gave me some allegra and omniclef. Since then its been the same story, Anything that causes me to sweat seems to trigger this rash. Now the area in which occurs has spread, its begining to move up the underside of my penis (I'm now wearing underwear) and because of the frequency, the area where my scrotum meets the body is red, dry and flakey (it looks almost scarred, but I believe the term is "scaley")

What the hell, are the two doctors right and its just caused by blocked sweat glands and friction? or its is something like eczema, mollisculum, herpes, a flesh eating virus thats going to spead and devour my body? Any ideas?      

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Yes, the doctors are right.  You might also have a touch of eczema (the red, dry, and flaky part), so try some over-the-counter 1% hydrocortisone twice a day.  If you're still concerned, let a dermatologist take a look.  But the symptoms you describe sound like folliculitis, not herpes.  And your weight gain has probably contributed.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff