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Penis Rash - Recurrent

For about a year I have had a rash that continues to show up on my glans penis.  It is a very strange red rash that used to sort of concentrate around the Urethra but now seems to have generalized around the the glans.  It used to hardly ever be visable until after sex when a subtle red rash would appear.(a year ago, and sometimes it mostly goes away to this point)  Now the red rash is visable all the time and after any friction it is very apparent.   I have searched images on the internet endlessly to identify this and the closest thing I found was psoriasis.  The rash gets much more apparent after any friction – including sex, masturbation, or just clothes rubbing at night, sometimes I get an erection in the morning because I have to pee and that seems to really make it worse.  It doesn’t itch it’s more of a burning or pinching type of sensation.  Sometimes it seems to go into the Urethra but I’m not sure.(seems like it used to but lately it’s been a mild rash on the glans.  It will almost go away at times but as soon as a friction even occurs it comes back.  I feel like maybe there is some scar tissue building or something as it almost seems like very small skin tags are developing.  I have been dealing with this for over a year, initially it wasn’t bad but seemed to be concentrated near the Urethra.   I tried some pretty radical self prescribed treatments like cleaning with Betadine, because I thought it was a fungal or bacterial infection.  I have also tried Monistat(which made it worse)  Protopic(which I think may help a little) and recently I’ve applied a vitamin D cream which also seemed to provide some relief.    I’m concerned that I misdiagnosed and complicated the problem.  I do have HSV2 but I don’t think this is related as that looks much different and affects a different area, but it did come about shortly after the HSV2, possibly because my initial response to the HSV2 infection was to cleanse the area vigorously with things like Betadine(and Dynimaclear which has some sort of sulfur compound) as I thought it was a microbiological infection.   I do have a history of psoriasis in my family but I have not shown any symptoms that I know of.  I thought maybe HPV as I have been dating women from Herpes dating sites, and it's pretty common for some to have HPV as well.

I have never had any discharge from my urethra, but sometimes it looks red inside and I think I can see a little sore in there.  Mostly the problem is on the head of the penis but there has never been anything on the shaft.  My HSV2 outbreaks however have been on the shaft and never on the glans.  Any theories would be appreciated.
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Avatar universal
Honestly after years of monitoring this, educating myself on types of skin disorders you can get on your glans, and investigating possible theories that I have come up with, my best **GUESS** as to what this is, is a combination of dry skin and excessive masturbation.. the glans may be reacting this way as a form of self defence... similarly to the development of fordyce spots on the shaft and scrotum, protecting the area from excessive moisture.
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Avatar universal
Doubt it's heat. Must be hell on your sperm count, though! :)
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slant6mopat AT yahoo *******

Figure it out. :)
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What do you mean, "left-over" skin?

Fair disclosure: I am gay, and I prefer circumcised men exclusively.

You have a circumcision scar - all cut guys do - it's usually a brownish ring that goes all the way around, usually about 1/2-3/4" behind your head. The skin between this ring and your head usually has a big color change between it and the skin on the other side of the circ scar.

It's not leftover skin, it's the inner mucosa, which would have been in constant contact with your head, and constantly wet, had you not been circumcised.

It is a *lot* more sensitive to chemicals than the outer shaft skin, which is between the base and the circ scar.

So is the head involved in the rash, or just the mucosal skin between your head and your circ scar?

Some skin contact with the head is perfectly normal. Your "leftover" skin is any loose skin which is capable of moving independently from the inner shaft when you're hard - a guy with a "tight" circumcision has little to no free movement of the skin covering his shaft, while a guy with a looser circumcision will have motion, and even partial glans coverage in some situations.

Sexually, the tighter the circumcision, the better it feels, at least to me. When you're with a partner, you can simulate a tighter circumcision by holding the skin back at the base during sex. An overly tight circumcision, on the other hand, is a bad thing, resulting in pubic hair on the penis shaft and, in extreme cases, an unpleasant pulling sensation during a full erection.

When you're just walking around, during a normal day, is your head always fully bare? And when you sleep? Does the overhanging skin ever leave your part of your head covered long enough for either the head or the remnant inner mucosa to be moist?

If so, consider the possibility of a fungal infection. Athlete's foot medication might help.

Otherwise, I'm still going to suggest an environmental factor.

Do you have a frenulum, or was that removed (or failed to form as it usually does if you're cut at birth)? Is that involved too?

Send me pics of the rash (not your face, I'm not interesting in invading your privacy). And the underside, so I can check out the frenulum situation - mine was always a hotbed of problems.

Put "**** RASH ****" in the subject line so I can find your message - I get loads of spam on that address.

***@****
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Avatar universal
I just realized something.  I always have my laptop on my lap and it gets real hot.  I wonder of the heat from the computer makes the rash worse?  Heat is one factor that heat loves.  I need to look into this.
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Avatar universal
I am circumcised and have that stuff right where the left-over skin is.
Even thought I am circumcised, when my penis is small and retracted, there still is some skin that goes over the head.  It seems to be in that area alone that s getting this weird rash.  Maybe it is the moist dark area.  What else?  This is so ******* aggravating.
I am making  chart that has the shampoos, soaps, etc, and anything and everything that comes in contact with my genitals.  Even if my shorts, if they cotton of elastic.
There has to be a pattern because some days it is better than most. It ain't foods, because I made a chart for that too and there was no pattern.  I am told stress is a big time factor too, in making it worse.  How else can you be when your genitals are involved? This started after I masturbated 8 months ago.  Thanks guys.
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