unsure

[bsb1]

For the past month or so I have had a dry patch and redness at the tip(head) of my penis. 3 weeks ago the tip was so dry it was peeling off and redness came after..I tried putting hydrocortisone on it and it seemed to help but for the past month it basically comes and goes...it is always here though.It seems like everywhere on the internet they want you think that you have an std..I have looked online and it appeared to be balanitis. I did psot here a while ago(10 months or so)about a couple of ingrown hair or pimple like things on the area where my pubic area and bottom of my penis begins.I got the area swabbed and it came back negative for everything(herpes, chlamydia, gonohrea,etc)I also have a rash on my arms for the past few weeks...it fadfes and reappears,hence it has not gone away. I want to be sure it isnt something like herpes I am experiencing. This has been here for a month now so I tend to think that it isnt herpes.it looks nothing like herpes, but they say herpes can look like anything now,so I dont know whats going on.  I went to my primary doctor, it is a walk-in clinic, that I have been going to for years..he said my rash on the arm and penis was an allergic reaction, which i thought was weird. He gave me elidil which i suppose is for eczema that doesnt respond t hydrocortisone...Please give me a hand in figuring out what this may be. Thanks alot Doc

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

It doesn't sound like herpes, it doesn't look like herpes, and it's lasted far too long for it to be herpes.  I know that the herpes websites claim that "herpes can look like anything," and perhaps there are rare cases that have unusual clinical presentations.  However, I seriously doubt that you are one of them.  A negative swab is reassuring.  I suggest you supplement this with a herpes 2 blood test--make sure it's one of the reliable, glycoprotein-based ones (your doctor or lab will know.)  The, once you have that reassurance, you can go on to deal with what is in all probability just balanitis (irritation), as you yourself think.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[bsb1]

if anybody has any comments I would appreciate them
thanks!

[bsb1]

sorry to post again but I have read that std's can cause balanitis...i have read this on many different websites..what do you think of this?
Thanks again