Bleeding at the top of butt crack

I have a raw area at the very top of, well, my buttcrack.  It bleeds a little when I am on the toilet, as I notice a small streak of bright red blood on the TP after wiping.  I can actually feel the area stretch when I sit on the toilet because it is so raw.  I get this two or three times a year.  It stings when I am in the shower and I gently spread the area to clean with a washcloth.  When I try to search for my symptoms, I get a lot of hits for pilonidal cyst, but even though some of my symptoms are similar, it does not seem to be it.  There is no lump, no extra hole or slit.  It is just very red, raw and itchy.  Is this area susceptible to becoming irritated because it is constantly being stretched?  Does anybody else have this issue, and if so, what do you do to alleviate the symptoms?

[daddiesgirlforever]

Sounds alot like fissures, they are common and unfortunatly be quite painful, here are some things that may help....

Warm baths (or Sitz baths)
Eating more fiber to create softer stools
Stool softeners  
Topical hydrocortisone  
Zinc oxide
Petroleum jelly
Topical anesthetics for pain

[Mr. D]

Thanks for the advice.  But I think fissures are more in reference to a tear in the rectal or anal area.  Unfortunately I have had these too, as well as hemmorhoids which required surgery.  With this latest condition, I think I'm a prime candidate for a butt transplant!  This spot is at the very top of my butt where the crack begins.

[SweetKia]

i'd try putting a topical antiseptic on it like neosporin, or a really strong extra strength lotion (BUT make sure it has absolulty NO fragrance in it or it will sting like a mofo)

[Mr. D]

Thanks.  I've been using Gold Bond Extra Strength powder on the cheeks themselves (because they are red and inflamed as well) and a triple antibiotic cream on the area at the top to try to keep it from stretching and bleeding.  Last year I had a nasty case of jock itch which eventually spread to my butt.  Could this be a re-occurence?

[Adevotee]

if your butt cheeks are red and inflamed I would go and see a dr, this is not something that is normal. It could be a reaccurance of the jock-itch but should be checked out by a dr.

Take Care

[Butt crack issue]

Oh my stars!! I can't believe anyone else has this problem. I am a 42 year old female and I've had these identical symptoms ongoing for almost 2 years now. I've tried everything the doc suggested to no real avail. Temporary relief from the symptoms, but never goes completely away!!

[worthlesslife]

I had that same problem after I took this really huge, constipated poop in the toliet once. Every time after that poop I bled for months and months with every single poop. I thought something was seriously wrong, but then I used hemorhoids cream and the problem went away. I totally overreacted.

[Dabbydawg]

43 yr old female having same problem..seems skin is thin and cracks at the top of the buttcrack lol I never thought I would ever have to type that word lol Its eems that soaps make it more sensitive....I have had this happen before usually when my gland in the groin is feeling very tender to the touch......I have no answers other than time heals

[Trialanderror]

It`s nothing serious - it can happen if moisture and soap remain there too long, mixed with sweat and whatever other bacteria is around, the skin can crack. Just use diaper rash ointment and it will likely be gone within a day.

[lilbonk]

I have had the same problem once many years ago. Someone told me there is a pore at that area and it gets clogged up just like anyother skin pore. It itched and hurt and eventually went away in a few weeks. Have had fissures too and bleeding which I think is IBS (among many other problems) but not related to this. Like someone else said, hot baths work great for many of these problems.

[itsmesmrty]

I have had two issues with my butt crack.

#1. Despite being an ultra-clean person, I’ve gotten fungal infections during hot weather, which I am certain, began when I traveled and camped in the desert outside Alice Springs, Australia. It is very difficult to get rid of a fungal infection. My doctor prescribed Clotrimazole Betamethasone cream applied twice daily which works well with flare-ups.  However, occasionally the fungal infection can become very red and raw if infected with bacteria. It can be uncomfortable and requires oral antibiotics as well as steroid cream to heal.

Also, please know that powder applied to the body’s moist areas can promote fungal growth, and there is research online that supports that comment. Fewer and fewer hospitals use powder on babies, and other patients as a result of those studies. Opt for cotton panties or men’s briefs instead until the infection clears.

#2. Herpes – First of all let me say that herpes is not the nightmare the media has made it. There is life after herpes. I was first diagnosed with herpes in the early 80’s. I took Acyclovir for a year following the initial outbreak, but chose not to take it routinely after that.  Actually Herpes does become dormant, and I have had fewer and fewer outbreaks in time.  At this stage of my life, I have maybe one outbreak a year, and my life partner doesn’t have herpes, since we just abstain during the slightest sign of an outbreak. On rare occasion of a severe outbreak, the doctor has put me on Valtrex, which works very well. If you have ever had a shingles outbreak, doctors prescribe Valtrex too.

Secondly, I have had Herpes outbreaks on the labia as well as in the butt crack. As with the fungal infection, Herpes sores can also become infected no matter how clean you are, and antibiotics are needed to clear it up.

Contrary to what you might hear, please know that just because you get Herpes, does not mean you are a “slut.” Anyone can get Herpes. In my opinion, there are many people who have it, but it is undiagnosed.

Always practice safe sex!

[quadlaser]

You were right, kinda, it's a pilonidal sinus. There probably is a little hole back there, but you could never find it yourself.

Everytime it gets itchy and red, it's infected with bacteria. So use neosporin.

It will continue to come back every once in a while, but it'll help if you keep it clean, and use that anti bacterial stuff doctors use once a week. A simple surgery will send it away forever.

If you go to a doctor, mention the possibility of one of these, most doctors only check this area for a split second and overlook the problem.

There should be a spot in your buttcrack that ALWAYS hurts if you touch it, you may not feel a lump, but you'll feel the pain. That is the sinus. I'll bet you get little cysts under the skin on your neck too, right?

[teri70]

my step son just had surgery, regarding your situation, they actually took out a cyst that was 6 and a half inches long, you might have a small one, doctors might have to drain it, that's why its bleeding, get it checked it , it will only get worse, you might experience pain in that area, and more bleeding   good luck

[AL81]

I am 27 and I just developed ( 3 months into) the same thing on the very top of my left butt cheek near the top of my *** crack. It is so itchy, baby powder is working. I had my girlfriend look at it and she says it is raw and red, but it does not bleed. It feels like a flat scab, but now it seems that is affecting the top of my butt crack as well from all the itching.

Would gold bond be better than baby powder? and maybe polysporin?

[Dukefan516]

Im having almost the same problem as everyone is writing about. Except not so much near the anus but about an inch to two inches above. A hole opened up and bleeds occasionally. Also, I get a really annoying itch. I thought this problem would go away sooner and haven't gone to a doctor to check it out. Does anyone have a specific method of getting rid of this small crack?

[negroliciouse]

i have this as well as in my crack but idk how u get rid of it. i tried to just let it heal, it did but i reoccured after a very bad weggie i got from my brother. now it wont go away HEEELLLLP!!!!!!!!!!! PLEEEEAAAASSSSSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anonymoustoyou]

I too have this problem. the top of my butt crack (all the way from the very top to the anal opening) is red, irritated and cracking. it feel like the skin splits when i sit and the crack is open(?). and if the shower hits it the wrong way it hurts.

I went to the doctor yesterday and she said it is a bacterial/fungal infection. I forgot the name of it. But it's because the skin between your two butt cheeks rubs together and is moist. She told me to keep the area clean and dry and she gave me meds for jock itch/athlet's foot to put on it twice a day. you can get them from the drugstore. and if it doesn't clear up within a week or two go back - and you may need oral meds to help.

and do not scratch of irritate the area (any more than normal activites). it could cause the infections and/or crack/spliting to spread. it may also bleed if you do this.

hope this helps and our booties feel better - soon!

[Chip1717]

If it is right above your butt where your tail bone is and you exercise as in sit ups it may be an irritation from that. I have thin skin where my tailbone is (right above the crack) and when I do a lot of sit-ups on a hard surface I get bleeding too.

[MLD292]

What most all of you describing is a fungal growth, just like jock itch.  It grows there for the same reason that jock itch grows -- it is a moist and dark area.  Buy one of the over-the-counter anti=fungal creams and put the cream on twice each day until the area is cleared up.  You may need to use a Qtip to reach the area.  Then try to keep it dry.  You might even want to put a small piece of toilet paper there gently.

[diamondprincess]

Female, 30's, same problem. Butt crack tear.  

A little before the butt crack tear began I had successfully went through a 2 week course treating jock itch.  Based on these replys, I believe its quite possible the jock itch has spread because I distinctly remember not applying it that far.  I will do my Lamisil treatment on that area for 2 weeks and see what happens.  It is annoying to say the least.

LADIES:  Many of us don't realize we can get jock itch too and yeast infection cream will not get rid of it permanently because we only use that cream until our symptoms go away.  Jock itch requires a more aggressive/lengthy treatment.  I battled female jock itch (self diagnosed) for nearly 8 years.  I was going back and forth to the doctor getting put on rx strength Nystatin, anti-inflammatories and steriods.  All my STD tests came back negative.  I did the herpes blood test and it was negative for 1&2.  Plus, I have never had a cold sore in my life.  

By the time I got to the doctor, symptoms would be less noticable and it would never completely go away.  It was disappointing for me and puzzling for them.  Then I read about jock itch and felt like it was worth checking out.  Treated myself for 4-6 weeks because of the length of time I have been suffering and VIOLA! it went away.  The irritation was always around the creases where my legs meet my thighs near the vaginal opening (come and went type flare ups, would get tender and swollen from rubbing and scratching).  I also noticed that it seemed to flare up around my cycle.  At first I thought it may have been the menstrual pads so I changed to cotton.  All kinds of things to get this under control.  I noticed that I was sweating in that area a lot at night around that time too and that was the only place I sweated.  Lamisil cured it.  It may be jock itch.

I told my story somewhere else and another girl contacted me saying she used it to cure herself too.

I hope this helps all women who may need it because I wouldn't want anyone to feel as incapacitated as I did during that time.

Good luck

[glorygirl11]

I've had this aweful itching for a while now and it has usually gone away after a week or so. Lately it seems to want to stay around longer to the point that I've now had it for almost a month. It's a little above my tailbone to the top of my butt crack. I went to the doctor yesturday, they took some swabs and are sendng it to the lab to try to figure out what it is and how to treat it. It was more of a funny expirience then it was trumatizing.
It had itched so much that I would sctach it til it bled. For some reason I thought it was a yeast infection... I don;t know. I just want it gone forever. I'll post the results in the next few days on what it is and how my doctor is treating it. I hope it's quick and painless nad I hope it helps you.

[curiousavita]

thank you for sharing. I have the same symptoms as yours. only now it open a new perspective for my own treatment. i have had this irritating problem for a couple of years. (it comes & goes) i manage to help myself until recently to powder the infected areas & using some anti fugus cream. although it wasn't a full recovery, the itch & red blisters keep coming back but it was much better than before. I will apply your recommendation & hopefully will get this jock thingy out of the way permanently. so glad to read about this.

[hick775]

I had this problem on my  natal cleft and scrotum for months. I wanted to write because the condition is often miss diagnosed. The cause is from a skin fungus called Tinea. It is cured by Lamisil but sometimes it takes a stronger med (cream or oral antifungal) that you can get from your doc. The bad thing is sometimes docs perscribe a steroid cream to speed healing before the fungal infection is cured. This means the fungi is healed under your skin and will keep comming back for further flare ups. I fought this for 6 months before a dermatologist finally figured it out. The secret is to kill the fungus thats growing under the top layer of skin. There is a good anti-fungal powder I use everyday its called Zeasorb-AF its expensive $7.00 for 2.5oz but its worth it not to have this menace return.  

[almelt]

I know everyone has their own theories but I'm pretty sure this is a pilonidal cyst. Google it and you'll see. One of my friends had this exact same thing and had to have surgery. Don't wait too late to see a doctor!

[gtcar]

i've had the same exact thing happening for years now. the only otc stuff i've found that works is cortisone .`10 with ALOE. the regular without aloe did no good.

[JenLyn39]

My anal cleft has been red and very irrated for three days now. It also has a very foul smelling clear discharge. There are no blisters that I can see. There is a tearing of the cleft and a rash that is similar to a diaper rash that covers the whole inside of my cheeks. It doesn't ich but it hurts like H@@@! This happens occasionally but I have never had the discharge. I have been using petro. jelly but it only helps for a little while. Do I go to the doctor or try something over the counter?

[jwsutphin]

i've been suffering with the whole itchy butt thing for about three months. I've tried lamesil and steroids and alcohol (don't ever do that i have scaring and the pigmintation is gone from my skin) I finally conceeded to excellent hygene petroliem jelly and a butt bath after each bowell movement and that would suffice during the day but at night the gremlins would come out and dance there dance i would get no sleep. then low and behold i started using monastat yeast infection cream and i swear there is no more night itching and my skin is starting to feel very smooth i'm not saying cure just yet but i'm liking the results so far and just so i can feel even more girly i put a pad on so my but won't eat my underwear. hope this helps someone

[ho62]

I had a severe case of this probably due to excessive sitting (work/travel) and drying conditions cracking the skin. I tried everything OTC I could and found that Walmart sells a hydrocortisone plus lotion (equate) which immediately wiped out the symptoms. If this comes back I'll Tx again then try to wipe out the underlying Dx, likely fungus amoung us as mentioned in the above comments.

[curious579]

42 year old female here.  I got this little red raw sore a couple weeks ago at the top of my butt crack that hurt and was itchy.  It came out at the same time as a massive rash on my lower legs that I thought was caused by using a new product (cocoa butter cream.)  I went to the doctor and got a sore throat on the way.  The doc said all three were related and diagnosed me with shingles, prescribed me an antiviral, antibiotic, and anti-itch.  But, he said the butt crack thing could be herpes, which freaked me out as I've never had herpes that I've known of, although I have had this top of the butt crack thing probably three other times in my life.  So, I think this problem is related to a nerve ending we have at that location.  It is going away, but much more slowly than the leg rash which is already gone.  Hmm, why do we have so many different answers to this?  I am very mad at my doctor for not suggesting he swab the sore and test it for herpes.  Is there another way to find out?

[curious579]

Curious, 42 year old female here again.  Went to doc again who said top of butt crack is a common place for all kinds of various issues to pop out because embryonically it is the last place of our neural column to close.  (I was right, it's related to our nervous system and the neural column which ends at the base of the spine.)  He said sometimes we develop cysts or other things there that come back.  He said he doubts it's herpes but to put my mind to rest gave me a prescription for a blood test for herpes (you don't have to wait for a sore to erupt to get a blood test for herpes.)  I'll know the results in two weeks.  Good luck all!  

[DrStevens]

I'm a physician and seem to be suffering from the same thing.  I can attest that it is not a pilonidal cyst, because it first appeared after a trip abroad, and then spread to my girlfriend.  Cysts don't spread like that.  Infections do.  

My assumption is that it is a fungal infection, just like tinea pedis (athlete's foot).  Fungus is everywhere, and a healthy person can usually keep it in check.  We get fungal infections most often when our gut bacteria (lactobacilli) become unbalanced.  

In my case, I picked up a parasite while traveling (confirmed via stool-test), which, over time, caused an imbalance in my gut flora.  Also, I'm sensitive to gluten, as are many people who don't know it.  The best treatment I found was to first take appropriate anti-parasitic drugs to kill the causative infection, eliminate gluten from my diet to reduce any internal inflammation, and take lots and lots of probiotics (acidophilus--get the refrigerated kind) to reestablish my own natural defenses.  Also, topical anti-fungals and powder to keep the area dry is a good idea.  

It takes at least 3 months for the gut to rebuild itself, with appropriate treatment. After the gut environment is back to normal, these infections should cease.

[Aussie2505]

Ive had this same exact problem as the original poster for maybe 10 years or so. Not something similar like alot of people on here. It hasnt bothered me, hell most of the time i dont even think of it...but like yourself once ot twice a year on the toilet there will be blood, just as you described. Ive never tried anything other then keeping myself clean.
Please let me know MR D how it turns out, and what worked for you, if anything,

[HealthNut88]

I think I know what everyone might be talking about...I am a 20 y.o. Male and what I am suffering from is at the very top of my *** crack but on the INSIDE, it's not a hole! It's a "crack". No pun intended! haha No but seriously, it's raw and red, but it does not bleed. It feels like an open scab, it's itchy but it hurts when I try to wipe down there. It's just irritated and cracking. I feel like the skin splits sometimes.

Could this be because I go to the gym and do cardio? [lots of leg moving exercises]

And what should I buy?!

[Toldman]

Don't use Any powder cause when you mix the oil based product with the powder what you have is nothing more than  wet sandpaper that's making the sore worse and preventing it from healing.. I would use ( Natural Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap).  Pull up on the Web,  Natural Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap | Handmade Olive Oil Soap--Mozilla Firefox.  It just may do the trick, but do have a look at this Website.
Toldman    

[Antonio57]

this could be a fungus like jock itch, i think it was for me, some people are more susceptible to that.  An antifungal powder helped me and also after I saw a dermatologist, prescriptions for Ketoconazole 2% (an antifungal cream) and Desonide, a general skin treatment cream.  Don't just see a general dr. go to an experienced dermatologist.

[hurtnbutt]

Hi, I get these too & I use Desiten (what is used for a baby's bottom during diaper rash & it works amazingly!  It might take a day or two to feel the results but it does work.  I put it there when I get up in the morning & in the evening.  Hope this helps.

[missin]

I have had this butt crack rash for years. My primary physician never got further than saying it was 'benign' and although it does not bleed on its own, it does itch sometimes but it tends to heal and split open incessantly, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.

I have tried several antifungal creams, raw aloe vera, medicated powder, neosporin, gosh I even tried using my own urine to kill this fungus thing (thanks a lot mom). So yea. Years folks!

I am glad I found this thread, although my buttcrack situation is a bit different. When it does heal, it does not heal fully or like it ought to, but rather the skin seems to grow more than it should, in effect creating layers of white skin (not normal white but bone white). This unpigmented skin either peels off or I get fed up and I rip it off in my own futile if recurring attempts to get rid of it. The area is indeed the butt crack and the surrounding skin, so I would say its about the size of a nickel or a quarter at worst.

AND NO THIS ISNT A CIST! It's either a bloody fungus or some kind of skin/nerve reaction that never quite heals. I find the post about the fungus lying under the epidermis quite credible. I wish there was some natural cure for this.

[kngmaw]

A related discussion, butt crack bleeding was started.

[savethetatas]

,    hate to say this but if your groin glands are tender to touch when you have the sores / redness or pain..its herpes and you should see a doctor..they will certainly confirm it.

[savethetatas]

,    hate to say this but if your groin glands are tender to touch when you have the sores / redness or pain..its herpes and you should see a doctor..they will certainly confirm it.

[junebug58]

A related discussion, My open crack does bleed and is extreamly painfull to the touch or when entering tub to soak. was started.

[daydreamkid99]

It helps to use athletes foot cream on it and I use a piece of a hankercheif and push it gently into the crack and onto the split sore. Change the piece of hanky, bandana, or large gauze a few times a day. It will begin to heal within the first day. Do NOT shave the area. It makes it worse. Instead use a cream hair removal.

[Flying_Scot]

A related discussion, Has anyone else found this remedy for anal itching and bleeding? was started.