red area on head of penis - pic attached!

[buttmint]

Hi, i have a dry red area on the head of my penis. I'm not circumcised.
It has been like this for maybe 4mths and was probably caused by not using a condom.
In the past i treated it with Canestan cream and it stopped it drying out but was occasionally itchy.
It never quit so i saw a doctor who put me on some tablets (sorry don't have name) and i had to apply triamcinolone acetonide lotion twice a day after showering.

After the first 3-4 days it had an effect but made the red area more painful to touch, similar to touching a sore rash. It has now been 8 days and the area is still tender but not as severe.
I'm not sure if i should use it for much longer if i don't see results.
I have attached a pic, i hope someone can have a guess at what i have and if using triamcinolone acetonide lotion is the right treatment or not.
Thanks for any help, it's driving me nuts and masturbation is painful!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate symptoms of eczema or dermatitis, a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide). Also use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.

If still the symptoms do not improve then please get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.
Hope it helps. Take care and regards.

[buttmint]

Thank you for your reply Bhupinder Kaur, MD it is very much appreciated.
I am still using the triamcinolone and the discomfort seems to be reducing.

However you mentioned that it does not look like a fungal infection and is perhaps an eczema or dermatitis type ailment. Can you please tell me if steroids are usually prescribed for these types of ailments? Will using steroids (triamcinolone or hydrocortisone) assist with symptoms similar to mine or is calamine a better alternative?
Thanks again :)

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
As I was going through your post, the differentials that came to my mind were eczema and contact dermatitis. It does not look like a fungal infection. If triamcinolone which is a highly potent steroid is causing you discomfort you can talk to your dermatologist and get yourself prescribed low potency steroid like hydrocortisone. You should also wear cotton undergarments and apply some calamine lotion on the rash.
Hope it helps. Take care and regards.