any advice for rash?

[sargefan]

hello,  2 months ago i noticed redness, itching, and discomfort on the base of my penis after I trimmed the pubic hair with scissors. The symptoms never went away, and after a week, I went to a MedExpress.  The PA noticed irritation, called it folliculitis, and gave me antibiotics.  After another week, nothing had changed.  The redness came and went in intensity from pretty visible to me to almost not visible, so transient in nature. I went to my family doctor, who didn't see anything and said to relax.  After another week without improvement, I returned to him, and he said again he didn't see anything to be concerned about, but referred me to a dermatologist.  Before seeing the dermatologist, I noticed a few small red spots on the back of the penis.  After seeing the dermatologist, he didn't see anything and prescribed hydrocortizone cream.  I applied the cream for a week, and noticed no benefit, and the redness on the back of the penis actually spread.  I returned to the dermatologist, who saw the redness on the back of the penis, called it contact dermatitis and gave me a steroid shot.  This redness on the back of the penis left and I went about my life for a month hoping symptoms elsewhere would leave.  In the past 2 weeks, the itching and discomfort have gone down a lot, but the rash is still visible to me.  It's nowhere near as red and visible as it used to be or as often, but is marked every couple of days to a week by one or 2 small red bumps on the penis. To help with diagnosis I trimmed the pubic hair again yesterday, and returned to the dermatologist today, who examined the area on the base of the penis and the bumps, but said there was nothing to be concerned by and that he didn't see anything. Please any advice on what to do would be great.  I can feel the itching in the area and discomfort from it, and the redder appearance of the skin there is noticeable when I look at it. Doctors can't seem to see it when i go for appointments.  Should I hope they're right and just accept the symptoms I'm having as fine or is there testing I should be asking for? Really all I want is peace of mind at this point, whether i have something or not. I want to accept that I'm completely fine but then the area itches or feels uncomfortable and I look down and see the different appearance of the skin there, and this has been happening for 2 months now.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
A fungal infection can be confirmed by a KOH examination and a fungal culture of the skin scrapings. Diagnosis of skin allergies includes Skin ***** tests (pricking the skin with a needle or pin containing a small amount of the allergen ('***** Testing' or 'Scratch Testing'), Patch tests (by applying a patch to the skin, where the patch contains the allergen.)And RAST.

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.

[sargefan]

Hi thanks for answering! I've started applying antifungal cream and have been using a moisturizing wash for the past week or two.  If this doesn't work I'm going to go get checked again.  Since the doctors I've seen seem to have difficulty seeing the redness of the rash and continue to look at the area, say nothings wrong, and send me home, are there any tests I can ask for that could test for things like fungal infection or an allergic reaction?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These symptoms can be due to dermatitis skin. The other possibility is of a fungal infection. Apply a mild soap like Dove or Cetaphil and some good hypoallergenic moisturizers. If the symptoms persist then get an evaluation done from a dermatologist and get fungal infections ruled out.

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 doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.