hi all, i just want share with you my story and also try to get some advice from anyone who has overcome a similar situation. so 3 months ago, i had unprotected sex. 3 weeks later i started getting these horrific griping pains in the base of penis and in my gooch area. no sign at this point of any visible irritation anywhere on my penis, and i was checking virtually hourly. i actually think checking so frequently and so vigorously has probably caused what im dealing with currently. i presumed this pain was probably caused by some sort of STI, the pain began on the monday and i got tested on the friday. my test results were not due back until the monday, that weekend i was in so much pain that i was constantly adjusting my penis position to try and relieve the pain. i found some relief by having my foreskin retracted and my penis head tucked up in my shorts if that makes sense. so clearly there was some friction etc going on. the following morning, i came to notice some irritated patches around my penis head, i presumed that these mustve been from friction from the amount id been adjusting my penis etc. anyway, all test result came back clear and these included Chlamydia, Gon, syphillis, HIV, mycoplasma genataliam. i presumed the irritation would go away, unfortunately it never has and actually progressed to the point where the entire area around my meatus is constantly inflamed and i also have an inflamed patch further down on my glans. like many others, when flaccid it doesnt look too bad. but when erect you can clearly see the two main points of inflammation and the entire head looks very red and irritated. the top layer of the glans skin will often peel after masterbation where it has been so irritated. A nurse at the Sexual health clinic assured me it was nothing to worry about, gave me oral and topical thrush treatments and sent me on my way. these didnt make any difference so i headed to my GP. she examined me and gave me Betnovate RD ointment and assured me that is was just irritation and it'll go away with the help of the ointment, it never did. ive had the irritation for 11 weeks now, i paid privately to see a dermatologist on monday morning. she assured me that i dont have any more serious skin conditions/diseases, and due to the fact my foreskin is slightly irritated and no bacterial/fungal cause can be found that i have Chronic Non specific Balanoposthitis. i understand this is a blanket diagnoses and not the actual cause, she is is convinced that this will go away and has prescribed me Trimovate steroid cream to be used twice a day for a fortnight, then reduced to once a day for a fortnight and then steadily decreasing. has anyone else dealt with anything similar and actually found a resolution to their symptoms? i must mention that the skin is completely painless and itch free, the pain i was experiencing prior to the visual irritation was from my pelvic floor muscles being too tense, this pain has virtually subsided now. the skin itself has never itched or been painful, it is simply red and inflamed. most of the threads i have read, people seem to go offline and never report if they resolved their symptoms, i know many of you still deal with yours daily. any support would be greatly appreciated.
Afternoon Caveat, my issue may not be the same thing. Similar picture in that convinced I had an STI after one stupid error. Had numerous tests and been assured no issues but my Penis says different as I've experienced pain and soreness (Ive also recently had Epidydimitis although they say unrelated???). I've tried the Trimovate but no joy. That and steroid ointment calm things down if flare up but haven't resolved the route cause of what's causing the issue so still searching (and trying everything/anything) to resolve. Good luck.
ah so youve actually managed to find a formula that reduced the redness when you get a flare up? most of the time does your penis now look normalish?
the most frustrating for me is that there is literally no pain, no itching and no tenderness. the head simply has a couple of red irritated patches. the actual irritation seems to be under the skins surface and obviously when its erect all of the blood rushed to the area and makes it look far worse. hoping people on here have found ways to reduce redness.
No sadly mines quite sore at times. As say may be different issues. If helps Clobavate was probably the most successful in calming it when flared up
not ideal mate. the thing is i think virtually everybody's issues have different origins. some people have pain, some dont. some people have skin peeling, some dont. its so difficult to hit the nail on the head. i actually think from the amount of abandoned posts etc that most people eventually get theirs sorted. but of course a fair few people dont. im 11 weeks into this and ive tried 3 treatments.. well i started Trimovate 48 hours ago so i guess i need to persists with it for a good couple of weeks. im hopeful ill eventually find something that eradicates the redness, this is now my only symptom as the skin is not painful to the touch, or itchy etc.
I would suggest you use the Trimovate for at least 4 or 5 months - make sure you apply it correctly so that it is fully absorbed, make sure you are applying it regular enough ... Update here in 5 months or so if it still persists .....
hi Wee-Dug, i've actually been waiting for you to reply to my post. ive been using the Trimovate for 6 days, the only difference it has made is that it has dried the areas of irritation out further, therefore making the irritation more obvious. i have to be honest, im almost convinced i have LS. the first area of irritation is around my meatus, and ive seen certain pictures online of LS presenting this way. my GP has said she doesnt think its that, as did the dermatologist i saw on monday. the actual irritation looks to be coming from under the skin. the top layer of skin is almost exempt from any damage, apart from being dry. when moisturised, all you can see it some darkish irritation under the skins surface.. im certain that this originated by me rubbing my fingers across my meatus checking for discharge when i thought i had an STI. would you take a private message? i dont particularly want to put any pictures on this forum as of yet.
Sorry don't do Private Messages - these Forums are about other readers learning from other people's experiences I would say the best approach for you would be to work on an ongoing basis with the dermatologist - change does take months to bring about with these issues. To confirm the presence of LS you would need a Biopsy The only other specialist you could see is a Dermatologist that specialises in Genital Skin Disorders as they have the in-depth knowledge of dealing with these issues. . Due to the number of Forum Posts I am currently trying to work through I am unable to help you further. However, by all-means update your post here in 5 to 6 months to specify what has happened for you ....
that is fair enough, i'll continue to work with Dermatologists to try and find the best solution. ive searched online to find dermatologists that specialise in genital dermatology but ive yet to find any. does anyone on here know of any? im will to pay privately to see a specialist.
So, you may need to use different search terms such as Genital Skin Conditions - Genital Skin Disorders, and suchlike - you may also need to broaden the town city or region that MAY form part of your search term - essentially, if you are using the name of a town, broaden to city, then region in which you live if this part of your search criteria. In addition, Dermatologists belong to Professional Medical Bodies or Professional Associations - these have their own web sites and listings of members for each geographical location, the additional specialism they may hold, and the contact details for them ..... It is more common that such dermatologists, if they are hospital based, are working within a Gynaecology Department, but often they either take self-referrals from males, or will work with the Hospital's Dermatology Department to deal with specialist cases. Again, listings for both of these are often available online.
thank you.
Once you have seen a specialist and you have tried the medication they have given you for around 8 to 12 weeks you can do an update to inform how you are getting on ....
i will do, thank you. i've just been moved onto a stronger steroid cream by my current dermatologist, its call Lotriderm. its the strongest steroid i have used to date so i'm hoping this will have a better effect. i've read that you say the ointment form of topical steroid is better? this would make sense to me as the inflammation i am dealing with seems to come from under the skin. if i moisturise the skin the top later doesnt have any visible lesions or anything like that, it virtually looks normal. you can just about see where the underlying inflammation is though in two seperate spots. obviously when i get an erection yon can clearly see where the irritation is. i'm hoping this cream will sort it out. if not ive managed to find a derm that specialising in male genital skin. hes only doing telephone appointments in this current climate but if the Lotriderm doesnt clear up my issue i'll be booking an appointment with him as soon as is possible.
So yes, for penile skin conditions steroidal ointment is required - severe bacterial or fungal infections are best treat with cream versions as the issue exists at the surface level of the skin. The effectiveness of a topical steroid is only as good as the manner in which it is applied: it needs to be sufficiently frequently applied, and the dermatologist should have directed you on this. Then it must be absorbed by the skin so that the active ingredients in the ointment get to the lower level of the infected skin, this takes time rather than a swift application, I would work it into the skin for around 2 minutes at least. In terms of the moisturiser I would avoid this as it may impact on the effectiveness of the steroid. Can I just check, are you in the UK or elsewhere - just wondering about the availability of Genital Skin Disorder Dermatologist that deal with males ..... ?
ah okay, my derm has put me on a cream which is frustrating. even though the imflammation seems to be coming fron deeper within the skin rather than right on the surface. i'm kind of in a forced position to give it a month or two before consultants start doing face to face consultations again. i am in the UK yes, im in the south west. ive found a private dermatologist that specialises in genital skin conditions around and hour and a halfs drive from where i live. ive contacted him and hes said hes currently only able to offer telephone consultations. for £195, id rather wait to be seen face to face and obviously he'll get a far better and more accurate picture of what is going on, if i still have the issue. the Lotriderm cream has had a 10x better impact in two uses than the Trimovate did in 16 uses to be honest. hopefully with continued use it will clear my issue up. Can i ask, youve had LS for 9 years and manage it sufficiently.. if it turns out that is what i do have, can you get your penile head skin to be as it was before the issue started? i appreciate you have relapses where the condition flares etc but can you get the condition to a point where you barely notice it etc and sexual function isnt impacted?
So yes, fully agree about your take on waiting and seeing the specialist in person. So in terms of a condition like LS what you would need to learn about is how to keep the infected skin as healthy as possible. So for you, for starters the Lotriderm would seem the best option prior to seeing the specialist - obviously, one word of caution would be that this is early for you to know even the short-term future impact of this. Is the Lotriderm a white cream or is it an opaque ointment? Certainly with my LS I can actually prevent flares - to achieve this I use one of the most powerful steroidal ointments there is, for many people with LS and who understand at least a little of steroid strengths, they refuse to use anything like this in case of potential side-effects. But, the specialist would give you a professional insight on issues such as this against the benefits that are achieved. First and foremost, you would need a confirmed diagnosis of what you actually have. And again, yes you can get back to something approaching full sexual function - with the proviso that, you must learn how to manage your condition to prevent flares and the potential of the skin breaking down. So for you and any other readers of this, when you are using ANY topical steroid it MUST ONLY be applied to the infected / unhealthy skin - so for you accidentally getting the Lotriderm anywhere else on the shaft of your penis will cause the skin to thin and eventually break down. This is the most frequent issue I have to deal with. Really this is part of the management regime, do not wait until you are just about to have sex or masturbate to apply the steroid - you need to plan ahead, apply the steroid in the morning if there is a chance of sex taking place that evening .....
thank you for the detailed response. the Lotriderm is a white cream, it is far more easily absorbed into the skin on the glans than the Trimovate, the trimovate was far clumpier in its texture and actually irritated the skin trying to rub it in. the dermatologist told me without any doubt in her mind that this isnt LS. My mind always goes to the worst possible outcome, which in the case of Penile head skin conditions is unfortunately LS. i do not have any white hardened plaques etc. You have made the possibility sound a lot less daunting. in your opinion is all chronic Balanitis caused by LS? or is LS something you acquire if the skin remains inflamed for too long? i am glad that you have managed to get to a point where you can prevent all flares though, encouraging.
My understanding is that Balanitis is merely a term for reddened inflamed skin on the head and / or Foreskin of the penis. There may be other symptoms present at the same time. The term is not very helpful as it gives no clue to both the cause and how to cure it - this is why it is often best to deal with a Dermatologist to resolve it. So certainly, Balanitis that has been ongoing and has been in place for some time most often will have no connection with LS whatsoever - however, if inflammation has been in place for sometime it could combine with other factors to enable LS to take hold. LS, as an autoimmune condition is linked to poor diet and the lack of a mixture of essential nutrients and vitamins, but also other conditions need to be present, such as poor genital hygiene, or trauma to skin in the area. Interestingly, LS only can infect areas of skin where hair does not grow, so obviously on the head of the penis and foreskin, it infects somewhere between 6 and 9 times more females to males - in both sexes it can develop elsewhere on the body such as on the underarms and the lower breast area and the anus.
again, thank you for the detailed information. im sure myself and many other anxious readers that have had balanitis/penile head issues for longer than a few months will get some comfort reading it. im 4 days into treatment now with the Lotriderm cream. Its had a bigger impact than the Trimovate, definitely. i think because my issues seem more deeprooted than just the top layer of skin.. the inflammation may take a lot longer to resolve. my plan is to absolutely book in to see the doctor that specialises in male genital skin disorders as soon as is possible with COVID. if i can manage the redness up until then ill be happy enough i guess.