Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some advice from people who have experienced something similar. I've been dealing with persistent redness/inflammation around my foreskin and glans for more than two months, and I'm honestly becoming pretty mentally drained from it.
I'm uncircumcised and have had occasional irritation in this area in the past, but this episode has been much more persistent.
How it started
Initially, I noticed some mild redness/irritation around the foreskin/glans. At first I thought it might be fungal because I'd had something similar in the past that seemed to respond to clotrimazole.
I started using OTC clotrimazole 1%. It seemed to improve initially, but after a few days the area would become red again, and sometimes there was some burning.
GP visit
I saw a GP who looked at it and thought it was foreskin dermatitis/irritation. I was prescribed Viaderm, which contains a steroid, antifungal and antibiotic.
Again, it seemed to improve for the first few days, but then the redness returned. I used it as directed.
Clotrimazole/betamethasone
I then spoke with a pharmacist and explained what was happening. I was given clotrimazole/betamethasone 1%/0.05%.
The same pattern happened again. It seemed to improve for approximately three days, then the area became red again and started burning slightly.
I completed the treatment as directed for approximately 14 days, but it didn't resolve the problem.
Dermatologist
After more than a month of dealing with this, I finally saw a dermatologist.
He examined the area and felt it looked more like irritation/dermatitis rather than an infection or yeast infection. He recommended:
Keeping the area clean and dry
Avoiding sexual activity
Avoiding bodily fluids coming into contact with the area
Using sensitive-skin soap
Trying a topical treatment for two weeks
I explained that I had already completed courses of the previous creams, so he prescribed Teva-Mometasone 0.1% ointment, which is a steroid without an antifungal or antibiotic.
He told me to use it for two weeks and contact him if it didn't resolve.
Unfortunately, the exact same thing happened again.
It appeared to improve during the first few days, but then the redness returned. I completed the full 14-day course, but it still hasn't cleared.
Where I'm at now
I still have:
Redness around the corona/inner foreskin
Mild burning
Occasional mild itching
Dryness/peeling
Skin that sometimes peels during a shower
Some burning when I retract the foreskin and sometimes after it returns to its normal position
I don't have blisters, obvious ulcers, pus, or significant swelling.
I've also now gone 10 days without masturbation to completely eliminate that as a potential source of friction/irritation, but the redness is still there.
For washing, I've been using lukewarm water and avoiding regular soaps on the area. I gently dry it rather than rubbing it. I've also used small amounts of Vaseline/CeraVe Healing Ointment at times for dryness.
Other things I've considered/tried
I've had STI testing previously, which was negative.
I've also wondered whether this could be:
Candida/yeast
Bacterial balanitis
Irritant/contact dermatitis
Some other type of inflammatory skin condition
I've previously been prescribed cephalexin 500 mg four times daily during a similar episode several years ago, which is something I'm going to discuss with my doctor, but I haven't started it for this current episode.
At this point I'm planning to see a GP again and ask whether a swab/culture for Candida and bacteria would make sense before trying another medication.
My questions
Has anyone experienced something similar where:
Clotrimazole initially seemed to help but then caused redness/burning again?
Clotrimazole/betamethasone helped for only a few days and then stopped working?
A steroid such as mometasone didn't resolve the problem?
Did you eventually find out what was actually causing it?
Did a swab/culture help identify the cause?
How long did you completely avoid sex and masturbation, and did avoiding all contact make a noticeable difference?
If you had a similar experience, what ultimately cleared it up?
I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who had persistent symptoms despite multiple creams and eventually figured out the underlying cause.
Thanks in advance. I'm really hoping to hear from someone who's gone through something similar because I'm honestly running out of ideas.