I'm worried about herpes. First, I haven't been with anybody in a very long time(>3 years)but didn't always use protection when I was; I haven't really had any problems until now. I masturbate(used to) probably more than I should-at least daily. Anyway, I usually use a lotion; have for years, no changes. I don't always shower afterwards. About 1 month ago, I noticed that the skin on my scrotum seemed really dry; then it sort of started shedding with normal skin underneath-no pain, no itch, nothing, just dry peeling skin. Then same thing happened to my penis about 1 day later. Like an idiot I masturbated while this was happening with the same stuff. The next few days, the skin got worse. I stopped masturbating for about 1 week. Things got a better but still felt weird (no blisters or anything, though). Then, I tried mast. again, using the same lotion and didn't shower afterwards. About 2-3 hours later, started to itch a lot. Finally showered. A couple of days later, the area was peeling again. One area was raw. For about a week after, it felt really uncomfortable - a little burning, itching, and some sharp pains in my groin. I saw my PMD, who thought it might be fungal and gave me some Lotrisone. I used it for 10 days with mild improvement. So now it's been a month since the first time I noticed something weird. The area looks okay and overall things are better, but it still...hurts kinda'. It feels sore occasionally and a burns a bit(only on the skin). I never saw blisters(I freaked out and looked for pictures on the web to see what they looked like) or scabs (that one raw area heeled (< 3mm size)). Have NOT used the same lotion since, have masturbated only once since(about 3 days ago). I still get these sharp pains in my groin that last for about 5 seconds, then go away. No tingling, no discharge, no pain when I urinate. The skin looks okay as far as I can tell. Could this be herpes? If you read the websites, they say herpes can be almost anything and you can have your first outbreak years after exposure. Like I said, I haven't really had this problem before, and haven't been with anyone in over 3 years, but am worried that it might be herpes.