Im 28 yo and this started a month ago but my penis glans started to look very irritated and red. Ive tried multiple things like lotrimin, hydrocortizone, putting nothing on it for a week, and using no soap on my penis. the last time I had unprotected sex around 3 months ago. im circumized if that matters. theres no pain or itchyness and no discharge.
6 months before this issue I was experiencing really dry skin after dry masturbation. ive dry masturbated since I was a teenager with no issues like dry skin. im not sure if these two issues are related or not. Any help is appreciated.
So if we took this on a basic level starting from:
" my penis glans started to look very irritated and red "
… so what you have is a basic dermatological reaction. As this is the penis it is happening on there are specifics to think about: what is the penis in contact with? What are the demands made of the penis in-combination with those contact items?
So you already have part of it in terms of soap, but most other forms of body wash, such as shower gel can create a skin reaction. If you wash hair in the shower then there may also be hair shampoo draining onto your penis in the shower. Whatever the case, your penis skin is likely to be contact with various soaps and shower gels and potentially other forms of body wash. Again this links with your other comment:
" before this issue I was experiencing really dry skin after dry masturbation "
… also to mention, although forms of body wash are the most typical causes of this reaction they are not the only ones. Sometimes you need to think of what else your penis may be contacting to create a dermatological reaction - skin creams and moisturisers, or even what your clothing is washed in, as examples, can all, potentially give adverse reactions to sensitive penile skin.
You do not mention frequency of masturbation but when there is irritation going on this is multiplied by the demands made of penile skin during masturbation.
Essentially, what you can do is try to minimise contact with all forms of body wash for your penis. always end a shower by fully rinsing your penis with barely warm water and fully dry your penile skin once you get out of the shower.
Many circumcised men gain benefit from using Liquid Coconut Oil and once the irritation and redness has settled you could try using this - apply a very light coating 2 or 3 times weekly, after you have dried yourself after a shower. You can also apply a light coating before masturbation.
So there are a couple of different things I started doing when the redness began. I was using a new shower gel from old spice, i shaved my private area with Edge shav gel, and i began masturbating with a water based lubricant from Zemalia (because of my previous dry skin after masturbating). I have stopped all of this since 7 days ago. Also I started using loose fitting boxers after wearing boxer briefs my whole life to see if that would help. My plan is to make sure no shampoo touches my privates, not to masturbate at all until this clears, and to let my penis air out throughout the day (luckily i’m currently living by myself). Hopefully this clears up. Anything else I should do?
What you need is to be mindful that change, for irritated skin on the glans / head of penis can take a great deal of time. I am not talking of days or weeks but an extended period of months.
Try to keep it so that the only thing that touches your glans is water - and yes I realise this is difficult for those that are circumcised. As I say, NEVER apply soap or any other form of body wash to any part of your penis. When showering wash everywhere else on the body first and fully rinse then use running warm water, the inside of your hand, fingers and fingertips to clean your penis with, particularly around the tip. Also wash with warm water after every time you urinate - but the essential is if the penis is washed all moisture must be removed by drying with a clean dry towel that only you use.
With the loose fitting boxers think about what they are washed in - you need to use a soap powder / treatment for sensitive skin - better still, get Liquid Soap Flakes to wash your underwear in. If you wear sports shorts next to your skin with no boxers you must wash all such shorts with the liquid soap flakes as well.
Long-term - and I mean 6 to 8 months plus, look to getting a good quality liquid coconut oil for masturbation - but you MUST wait until the redness you have is cleared first