very itchy, red foreskin and scrotum

[heraclea]

hi doc,
a year before i had e.coli on my glans which very itchy and red and after swab tests antibiotics and ointments it was gone
now for about 1 month i have redness and big itch again but on my foreskin and shaft and also i have red scrotum with lots of purple vains that are itchy and sensitive to touch.
i went to emergency room 3 days ago and they said that it's not bacteria on urethra or urine because the urinalysis became negative so they said it is some kind of irritation and gave me clotrimazole 4 times dayly. the foreskin is not that itchy nor the scrotum but now when i put clotrimazole now it is worse its more red and it starts to itch and tingle a little.
what should i do?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Hydrocortisone is a steroid cream and it should be used only under a dermatologist’s guidance because it can cause skin thinning, atrophy skin, redness etc and should not be used on sensitive areas of the skin like glans.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.

[heraclea]

hello
now when the redness is on one place after a few hours it is on another place ,and that place where the redness was in the first place is perfectly good .when i put antibiotic cream bactroban and garamicin there is fast reaction. it appeares small red bump that is very itchy and sore.is it ok for the glans if i use hydrocortisone cream?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
This can be due to an allergic reaction (say to body lotions, condoms, soaps etc) or it can be a skin condition like eczema, dermatitis etc or it can be a fungal infection. Other than that it can be a simple bacterial infection or balanitis. I suggest you to get a KOH examination of the skin scrapings done. The other method is by getting a biopsy skin done.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.