change in color in groin area

Developed jock itch on insides of my thighs in the groin area a few years back after prolonged training for Marathon wearing tight shorts in hot and humid weather.  They are brownish colors with sharp margins.  The tip of my penis and the one side of the glan started to darkened over the last few years and seems to be spreading upward.  There is no pain, discomfort, not even itching.  Should I see a dermatologist or a urologist?  Is that sound like a fungal infection and is there any off-the-counter cream and how safe are they?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I'd see a dermatologist.  You can trey an over-the-counter antifungal cream like clotrimazole 1%--they're quite safe.  But if the penis is also pigmented, it may well be not a fungus, but just an innocent color change, for which there really is usually no treatment.  I'd see a doctor and find out for sure what it is, so you can ignore it.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff