red rash

Hi,
   for about the past 4 years i have had a extremely itchy red rash on the right side of my scrotum and on my anus.i have visited all the doctors in my area and i was prescribed miconazole,hydrocortisone,clotrimazole, athletes foot powder, i am also on sulphur tablets and i visited a homeopathic and holistic doctor but to no avail but it is impossible to get away the intense itching ....one doctor said it might be scabies but i treated myself for that.i cant even sleep at night and it is so sore....i have itched it so much that the hair is gone on one side and the skin is cracked....it is now beginning to also get a bit itchy on my other testicle also  so i really really need help as there are no more doctors that i can visit in my area..
                is there a possibility that i might have damaged the skin forever and that the hair will never grow back as it is so tender on my scrotum....also  can my GIRLFRIEND contract it
it....what are the possibilities for me and what is it ...this is my last resort
       one last thing i have noticed the hair has tiny white things on it but i treated it for lice too.....
                    please help as it is ruining my life
                            thanks
                            concerned

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Rashes like eczema, fungus, or scabies are bilateral and more or less symmetrical (affecting both sides.)  Along with many other considerations the fact that yours is on one side for so long rules these out.

Your condition does not sound like anything contagious.  (After 4 years, how could it be?)

The soreness and loss of hair are no doubt secondary to scratching.  Stop scratching--and all the symptoms will go away.

But how can you stop scratching?

First, by accepting the fact that you don't have a serious or contagious disease.  Second, by recognizing that when you start worrying about a certain part of the body, that part starts to tingle and itch, which makes you scratch, which then starts a visious cycle.  Third, by applying no active medications to the area (cortisones, antifungals, etc.)  Instead, moisturize daily with Aquaphor ointment (over-the-counter).  Also, get some Sarna lotion (also over-the-counter) and apply that as needed for itch--as many times a day as you need to.

After you've done this for one month, show the condition to a dermatologist--one of the same ones, if you have no other choice.  This will help confirm that you don't have something else going on.  Plus, by then your skin should look and feel better, and you'll see new hairs growing in.  You may also want to consider psychological help in dealing with your fears of idsease in this area.  But nothing succeeds like success, and once you see your skin getting better, as I'm confident you will, then that will bootstrap things so you can feel good and get on with your life.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff