some sort of rash in genital region

[Ultima]

Hi, I'm currently a college student living in a dormitory. About a week ago I started having a rash in my genital region. At first I thought it was just itchiness on my scrotum, but then things started getting worse. I noticed a few red spots on my penis and the rash started spreading to parts of my inner thigh, as well as near my anus. It's a red rash, scaly, and extremely itchy. The rash has spread to cover most of my penis now, where it was only a few spots before, and my scrotum is constantly very itchy and painful, possibly from scratching. It is painful to walk sometimes because of the rash on my inner thighs constantly rubbing on either clothes or other skin, and sometimes my penis just starts to hurt a lot on and off.

Looking around the internet, I saw a lot of information about various other people with similar problems. It seems most likely to be a bad case of jock itch, but the rash on my inner thighs isn't very widespread, also, the rash is spreading all over my penis which apparently doesn't really happen with jock itch. I was thinking the scaliness might success psoriasis, but the itchiness and pain seem to suggest that's not it either. It seems like heat rash that I've had before, but much more severe, and I don't know because I've never had a rash spread to my penis, and it's never been so bad that it's constantly been very painful and made it hard to walk. From looking around, I've seen that a lot of people have this problem, and their doctors never really identify exactly what it is, but overall it seems like it's probably jock itch, but I think it's a little strange how bad the rash is getting on my penis. Sometimes the itchiness gets really bad and sometimes it's alright, so I don't know if it's getting better or worse, but the rash seems to be spreading more and more on my penis every day, though it's not really hurting any more overall. In fact, the rash on my inner thighs seems to be getting a bit better, while my scrotum is hurting a ton now. I also have no idea how much of this is caused by damage from scratching and how much of it is actually the rash getting worse.

Could anyone help identify what this is, and whether or not it will get better? I've been waking up after only about 2 hours of sleep every day because of the pain, and I'm getting worried about serious damage to my genital region.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination but from your symptoms I understand that your rash is itchy, red and spreading. The first possibility that comes to my mind is of intertrigo. Intertrigo is a yeast infection that occurs in skin folds.

It most commonly occurs due to bacterial,viral or fungal infection. Keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical zinc oxide cream like Sudocrem, Desitin are very helpful(apply with a paper towel and not directly with hands).Application of mild steroid cream like dermacort also helps. For the itching please take some over the counter antihistaminic like benadryl or Claritin. In case the symptoms persist then antifungals may be needed. Please consult a dermatologist in that case.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.

[Ultima]

Another update, sorry for spamming this topic.

The rash on my penis seems to be getting worse, the rest of it seems to have gotten a bit better, but I can't tell if it's just not itchy for a little while or what. My foreskin where the rash is, however, is incredibly swollen; when I pinch it where it should be like the thin skin without much fat near the wrist, it feels like a hunk of flesh from the swelling.

Also, I've had little red spots pop up all over my arms and legs now, some itchy, some not. I was scratching the tops of my feet yesterday because they were itchy, and today little red spots showed up all over where I scratched them, and now I just noticed the spots all over my arms and legs. It seems to be the same rash that is all over my inner thighs.

I can't tell if this rash is what's affecting my groin area or not. When I press down on where my pubic hairline is, as well as the surrounding pelvic area, I feel a little pain as if it were bruised. The rash on my scrotum doesn't look like the rash on the rest of my body really, and the same for my penis. What is going on exactly? Is there a chance different rashes are happening from different causes at the same time? The pain in my penis is getting much worse, though it comes and goes and may just be from scratching, and while the rest of the pain seems to be dying down overall, I'm getting worried with a rash spreading everywhere. Thank you for your help.

[Ultima]

Oh, just to add, the rash has spread to more of my thigh on one of my legs. It's on the backside of my leg next to my butt, however, so I can't actually see it, but it's pretty raised up like a mosquito bite, but with many little raised bumps around it. It doesn't feel burning like the rest of the rash, though, and may not be red, if that helps. In fact, it feels just like a very bumpy mosquito bite.