seborrheic dermatitis on penis

[Chimu]

I am a 38 yr old male who has suffered from Seborrheic Dermatitis his entire adult life.  I can control rashs on my scalp and forehead reasonably well with cortisone creams and zinc shampoos.  However, my real problem is on my penis where cortsone creams, shampoos, and about anything else I have tried is only slightly effective.  The winters are paricularly bad as I experience raised red patches and extreme sensitivity all around the shaft of the penis.  I would greatly appreciate any advice you might have or if you have heard of these kinds of symptoms with many others.

[nb664]

I was recently diagnosed with seborrhoeic eczema.
It is mainly on my face but a couple of years ago I had something very similar on the glans of my penis. The skin specialist considers them both to be the same thing.
The blotchiness on the glans cleared up after about a year of using various moisturizers and all that remains is redness on the edge of the glans.
Although I am glad to see it looking better the sensitivity/soreness from any friction, even just walking, really gets me down.
So it sounds like we are in a similar position, I am currently scouring the web looking for forums etc where someone might have some idea of how to deal with it.
I hope someone answers your post.
Good Luck

[justanotherguy908]

i have dealt with the same thing.  my scalp and ears are barely a bother compared to having it on my penis.  the first time it came up it went away by itself within 2 months and didn't come back for 2 years.  then it stayed around for 6-months and then went away.  now it's back again on the opposite side of the glans.  do not use any corticosteroids down there unless you have no other option.  protopic (0.03%) works pretty well, but should be used on an on/off basis due to the fact that nobody really knows its effects long-term.  keep moisturizers on it and keep it clean.  also, DO NOT overstress it, it will only make it worse.  take yoga or exercise for a release, anything where you can channel all of your focus off your condition and towards a positive.  it's hard, but by far the best thing you can do for yourself.  it's not curable, only treatable (as i'm sure you know), so learn to live with it the best way you can (i'm sure you've been trying).  those are the best words i can give.....

another method i've tried is when i have a flair-up, i shock it with Aclovate, a mild steroid for 1-2 days, 2x a day, then protopic for about another2-7 days.  moisturize after getting out of the shower.  good luck.

[problem86]

Did you find any cure or solution for this? i have noticed the same thing.

Please do let me know if you found any solutions.

[trvl_far]

For what this information may be worth: I too have been diagnosed with Seborrheic dermatitis on glans of the penis (I do not have it anywhere else on the body). The condition has lasted for about 20 years and was first diagnosed as psoriasis. Only last year was seborrheic dermatitis diagnosed (after biopsy).

The rash has always come back within a day or two after I stop using whatever med I was/am using. For the first 12 years or so, it was corticosteroid creams. Then Dovonex ointment, which worked very well for a while before it seemed to stop working. Now for a year and a half, Protopic ointment 0.1% has worked very well to keep the skin as clear as it has been since this condition started.

I never experienced much pain until last year (before I started the Protopic), and now I'm often in pain. Usually for days  after masturbation, but even sometimes if I haven't done anything for weeks. My derm doctor suggested that antidepressant medications have been found to sometimes relieve pain. I have so far declined to go that route. The most likely cause for the pain, I believe, is based on damage to the skin from prolonged use of corticosteroid topicals. In fact, the initial condition has very minor, but magnified after a rebound effect from the initial treatment with steroid cream.

Be careful with the steroid topicals. I'm not saying to not use them. But use them judiciously, perhaps together with the other meds available, along the lines that justanotherguy908 talks about.

[Carl166]

I have had this condition twice.  Both times the trigger seemed to be swimming in the ocean and having wet swimmers on for a little while.  Nothing topical seemed to work.  I went to the doctor twice and he diagnosed it as Seborrheic dermatitis.  He said "we don't know why, but usually it just goes away eventually"  In my cases, it did.

The only advice I could give is to use a moisturiser, and don't use soap.  I used a pine tar solution in the bath or shower.  It looks unsightly, but will eventually clear up of its own accord.  I found the cortisone creams useless.

[tswebb2000]

I have heard of people using Mona Vie Original Gel to treat other skin conditions.
Have you tried this?

[Chimu]

Well a couple years later since this first post.  After an intense flair I ended up at a whole new level of skin inflammation that I contend with daily.  I use protopic daily and there have been stretches of time that I have been sexually functional.  But I would describe the condition as being barely treatable.  Without protopic I would be in a bad state.  But with it I am still unable to live a normal life most of the time.  Dermatologist seem perplexed and I think that is the typical state after seeing many of them.  No one really understands psoriasis or SD.

[Carl166]

I have the same condition back again, this time it has been with me for 12 months, and is worse.  The first 2 times, it was just flaky skin - this time it develops into small red bumps which become mildly infected.

No-one really knows the cause, and I think that's why there is no definite cure.  My opinion: it must be some kind of fungus or virus.  In my case, the symptoms are only present under the foreskin and on the glans.  These skin surfaces are moist, so maybe there is some kind of fungus that only lives in moist conditions, or feeds on natural skin secretions? This would explain why the condition gets progressively worse - the natural oils of the skin are being removed and exposing the skin which weakens it, in turn inflaming the condition.
My condition definitely worsens when I am stressed.
There must be a cure.  Any medical research scientist who can definitively isolate the mechanism for this disease and find a cure will become very wealthy.
In the meantime, try exposing the area to sunlight, use whatever topical treatments that work (I use various combinations of 100% vitamin E oil, 100% emu oil, fresh aloe vera juice, manuka honey) no soaps, definitely no cortisone creams, eat healthy, try to avoid stress.  Sometimes active sex or masturbation seems to actually help!