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Is this Balanitis or something worse?

Hello, I recently began dating a girl and we initially had protected sex. We then moved on and began not using a condom, we may have had sex unprotected 4 times before we had a break as she went away. During this time, I was having a shower and during washing, I noticed this rash: https://ibb.co/gVHL0gT

I started using Tea Tree Oil mixed with coconut oil and a couple of days later the rash spread to my gland: https://ibb.co/c3fhGgG

By day 7 the rash had gone by using Canestan and Tea Tree Oil.

I then met up with my partner again and we had unprotected sex several time during a 24 hour period. Around 10 hours afterwards, my penis gland was irritated and the rash had appeared again and became a lot worse.

Now it feels very irritated and itchy, the lumps are larger and there are significantly more.

https://ibb.co/0jGqX1f
https://ibb.co/1M9Rqc6
https://ibb.co/VBpnpFh

Your help is appreciated :)
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207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
So balanitis is on the head of your penis and foreskin. This is not balanitis.

It could still be fungal - yeast, maybe, since it's responding to canestan, but it's hard to know for sure. Tea tree oil can be very irritating for some people, especially on the genitals, so it's hard to know how much is fungal (or something else) and how much is irritation from the TTO, if any.

Does your partner have any symptoms of anything? Any itching? Burning? Anything?

I'd suggest seeing a doctor at this point. You need a diagnosis, and perhaps a prescription strength cream.

I don't think it's an STD, based on how it looks (it's not herpes, for example), and because it responded to canestan, but definitely get a doctor to look at it. You've tried everything at home, so it's time to see a doctor now.

Let us know what happens.

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19 Comments
Thank you for your response. I guess that is good news you don't believe it to be an STD. I am scheduled to see my GP tomorrow to discuss this. I am going to layoff the TTO and the Canesten this evening as I think that could be irritating it a bit more.

I haven't spoken to my partner about this yet as it's a bit embarrassing. I will have to see what the doctor says tomorrow.
Definitely don't put anything else on it until your doctor tells you to. Let your doctor see it as it is.

Little bit of a lecture here, so get ready - if you're sexually active, and adult enough to be, which I'm assuming you are, you have to be adult enough to talk about all aspects of sexuality, and that's sometimes about symptoms you have. If you are having symptoms of something, your partner needs to know that, for her health as well as yours.

This stuff shouldn't be embarrassing. I mean, I get why it is, but if you had a rash on your elbow, would you be as embarrassed? Treat this part of your body as you would any other part and don't carry shame or embarrassment about it.

If you have a fungal infection, which can just happen sometimes, you could be passing it back and forth, and she should be treated for it, too. No shame, no embarrassment, just adults taking care of things. :)
I agree, I think the fear is maybe it is an STD and I have passed it on to her  even though it has only appeared since we had unprotected sex.

It's just the shame. I'm heading to the GP this morning.

I have asked two online dermatologists last week and a positive is that no one has said it looks like an STD. Fingers crossed.
Just got back from the GP visit. He took a look but there wasn't a much of an investigation. He said it can't tell 100% what the issue is, it could be herpes but it doesn't look like it. Again the same for Chlamydia and Syphilis, said that the rash doesn't look like either of those.

He said the fact the rash reappeared so quickly after sex, it is more likely to be fungal but then emphasised he cannot say or sure.

Testing was going to cost £200. For the time being he has given me Zithromax to take for Chlamydia and Canazol-Be for the, hopefully, fungal issue.

Having now spoken to 3 dermatologists online, you guys and a GP, everyone has said they doubt it's herpes. Do you think it's safe to say this is ruled out?
Having checked his report, he diagnosed it as Balanitis.
Oh I don't like your doc lol.

Chlamydia doesn't give a rash. You'd have a discharge if you got symptoms.

Yeah, I agree that it's not herpes. I have herpes, and it doesn't look anything like that. It also, clinically, doesn't act like that.

Balanitis is an infection on the head or foreskin of the penis, and you don't have symptoms there, but we can call it that. Sure. :)

The treatment is the same for a fungal infection on the head of your penis or the shaft, so it doesn't matter.

My only concern now would be is that if you take the antibiotic, it might make the fungal infection worse. However, if you do have chlamydia, you'll need the antibiotic. You should take 1 gm at one time.

This means you need to talk to your partner. She absolutely needs to talk to her doctor and needs to test. Untreated chlamydia for her can cause serious long term issues for her, like infertility, chronic pain, internal scarring.

Be careful not to play the blame game - no one wins that. Just explain what happened, what your doctor told you, and let her know that if you have it, it could have come from either of you, and you just want to make sure she knows so she can get checked and treated.

Let us know what happens. I'm glad you went. :)
Maybe there was some confusion, I do definitely have systems on the head and foreskin of the penis. Am I misunderstanding something from the pictures I sent?

And I will definitely speak with her. He actually gave me four tablets and told me to take them all now.
My partner has just messaged me to ask if I have slept with anyone else. She has just mentioned she is experiencing some issues. I experienced the issue 10 hours after sex, her 48 hours, it is very unlikely an STD to show symptoms this quickly right?
I'm so sorry - I should have gone back to look at your pics. I was thinking of another set of pics I had looked at, not yours. :(

No, an STD wouldn't show symptoms for 48 hours at the minimum, usually longer. My guess is you got the fungal infection - for whatever reason, and transmitted it to her. Or, just as likely, she had it without symptoms, transmitted it to you, and is just now getting symptoms. There's no way you'll ever know, and it doesn't matter. It's a fungal infections - these things happen naturally and often with seemingly no reason.

She should be tested for STDs, if she can be, but even then, unless she was tested before entering a relationship with you, if she does have one, either one of you could have entered the relationship with it.

If you were with someone else during your break, you should be honest. It doesn't look like chlamydia to me, though you could still have that.
Ha, no worries, that was confusing me a bit. So having seen the pictures, do you also believe this could be Balanitis now?

She is pretty certain it is a bacterial infection, so she must have had it before.

I wasn't with anyone else during that time, hopefully this is all pointing to a good outcome in the end.
Yes, it could easily be balanitis.

Is she going to test?
Yes, she is going to the doctor today.
Good, keep us posted.

How are you feeling with the meds you got?
Well really things are really good compared to before however I am becoming a bit concerned again. These are the pictures taken on Friday morning which are an improvement:

https://ibb.co/yfGgKVr
https://ibb.co/PrMjYLb
https://ibb.co/VqHK7BQ

By yesterday it had pretty much cleared up on the gland and looked great. There was still some tenderness on the foreskin. Again this morning everything seemed great.

Since then I have become aroused and only had some gently touching. Upon checking, it does seem some of the red marks are starting to appear again. I have since reapplied the lotion.

- Yes it seems to react to the cream I am applying
- It does completely disappear
- Now I just have to ensure it vanishes for good

Could an STD literally appear in 10 hours, vanish in 48 hours and then start to reoccur again??
No, but you already knew this wasn't an STD.

Fungal infections can be really hard to get rid of. I used to work with a nurse practitioner who told his patients to use the cream for two weeks after symptoms disappeared to ensure it wouldn't return.

Keep using the cream, and don't panic. You're going to be fine. :)
Hey!! Thank you for your reassurances! It did completely clear up by using the cream. We began having sex again, using a condom and everything was fine, then a few times without and it was all good.

Up until this morning though :( We had sex longer than previously and that was 36 hours ago.  After we have sex I shower straight away. I woke up this morning to feeling irritated and again these red spots have appeared.

https://ibb.co/MgKFMcF
https://ibb.co/1QyQD3x
Ouch, that looks painful. :(

A nurse practitioner I used to work with told his patients to use the cream for 2 weeks after symptoms went away to make sure symptoms didn't come back.

Maybe that's what happened? Maybe your partner has a yeast infection she needs to treat, and you got it again? If she hasn't seen her doctor, she should, just to rule that out.
It looks painful but it really wasn't. After I added the cream, the spots on the gland completely disappeared. The foreskin has remained a bit red and sore though.
I'm glad it's not as painful as it looks.

Keep using the cream. Have your partner go be tested for yeast and bacterial vaginosis. Both of those can just happen naturally, but she needs to be tested and treated so you aren't just passing this thing back and forth.
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