I'm just wondering if I overwashed my penis to the point of doing some harm to it.
For awhile, I noticed that its almost impossible to get every single bit of smegma off. When I look at the head, it looks clean. In general, the base of the glan is slightly purplish. The middle region is slightly more red. The tip is around the same shade. On bad days, the glan can turn pretty red. Not sure if its yeast or just balanitis? Never really had the chance to have a doctor look at it. Anyway, no symptoms that would otherwise suggest an infection.
Anyway, back to the cleaning question.. When I start to rub a "clean looking glan" and clean looking foreskin, I notice that I can actually rub of some smegma. The more I rub, the more smegma comes off! So for the past week, I've been cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. Am I overdoing it? Do I need to stop excessively cleaning it? I think it's cause the glan to be quite dry. When I pull back, I have to do it slowly because the glan and foreskin have the tendency to stick. And keep in mind, I have full retracted my foreskin, foreskin tightness isn't an issue.
I've tried putting lotion (Cetaphil). It helps A LOT! In fact, it has gotten rid of the redness! But once I stop, the redness comes back...Now that I'm more aware and sensitive about my penis, I notice that I'm more sensitive to feeling "pain" or "discomfort." It is a sensitive region after all. And yeah, I do notice red spots at times. They come and go. But they don't hurt. Is this normal? I heard one doc tell me that sometimes its cause by me using water that's too hot in the shower.. Is this true?
Any suggestions? Sorry for the long post! Thanks for reading!
yes, you can excessively wash your penis. yes, excessive washing can cause problems, such as balanitis, unless you are washing with just water. soap can cause the penis to peel, unless it is really mild, such as castille soap.
it sounds to me like you have a yeast infection. that can cause redness, dryness, and skin peeling. anything women use for yeast, over the counter at the pharmacy, should work fine for you. any partner will also need to be treated.
it's possible, but I would actively fight it. yeast can cause tiny cuts in the foreskin. these heal into scars, and make the foreskin less able to freely move back and forth.
yeast can turn a supple foreskin into leather.
So the symptoms has been going on for the past week or so. I notice that the smegma builds up like CRAZY. I'd clean it tonight and there'd be noticeable smegma by the next day/morning. I do notice it smelling. But again... no pain, no itchy.. just a lil redness (some red spots hear and there) and maybe some sorenesS?
I'm seriously considering monistat or vagisil at this point... Any further input before I take the dive? I heard those cream may sting..... ah..
EDIT: Also did a search online for those two creamm... it seems vagisil is to treat symptoms and not the infection itself... correct? Which monistat should i use? Since there are so many types.
I'm sorry for posting obsessively.. but I did some research and think my symptoms are consistent with either yeast infection or balanitis.
Maybe I wasn't clear with describing my symptoms.. The glans may look whiter in color and it takes a some scrubbing to remove the thin film of white build up. It's not like previous smegma that I've had since the early years of my life. From what I've read, it seems more like balanitis to me. Any OTC remedy for that? It seems like the therapy for both YI and balanitis is quite similar.
I hate self-diagnosing and would love to go to the doctor. But as of now, I have no insurance. Still waiting on it...
Let's be clear - this is not balanitis - at least not from your description. Balanitis just means inflammation of the glans and is characterised by intense burning/itching.
It may well be that you have simply developed an obsessive cleanliness syndrome. You haven't indicated any irritation or itching there and they are both features of fungal, yeast or bacterial infections.
A slight odour is a normal feature of the uncircumcised male and that is easily dealt with by daily washing - without any need for scrubbing. In fact, scrubbing is the last thing you should be doing to that sensitive part of your anatomy as you can easily destroy the nerves and you will regret that for the rest of your life.
If it is balanitis, tiny red dots on the glans, it can be caused by anything....a change of soap, overwashing, a change of detergent, or a hundred other things. diaper cream with zinc oxide will help.
if it is yeast, and I believe it is, because of the smegma production and dryness, anything which will treat yeast for women will work. doesn't matter if it is monistat, vagisil, or whatever.
then you need to determine why. was it overwashing, and killing the beneficial bacteria?
was it contact with a partner who had a yeast infection? is your diet full of sugar and white flour, and beer, all of which stimulate yeast growth.
whatever it is, you need to stop worrying about it, and treat the problem. otherwise, scarring can take your foreskin from you, or at least its flexibility.
So I took the dive today! Went out to get Monistat 7. I felt extremely awkward. Anyway, I opted for the 7 day regimen because I heard it is not the strongest, thus least likely to cause a sting.
So far it feels somewhat minty. Just pulled the foreskin back applied it to the skin ONLY. I figured once I cover it back up, it'll just self apply to the glan. Also, how do I know that I've applied enough cream? Obviously, that whole applicator has more than I need. But would treatment still work or do I have to use the whole tube?
use the whole tube. you only get one penis. why take chances?
I just tried it... its an insane amount. I can't POSSIBLY use it all in one application...
I only use half the tube. I can't cover any more of the head of my penis or the foreskin. I squeezed out the rest just to see how much more was left.
Something I noticed... the red/inflammed foreskin is DEFINETLY better. It isn't as sensitive or "itchy" as before. The glan is also visibly less red. Because of that, the red spots are actually more noticeable. But maybe its the side effect. 5 more applications left..
Thanks for your input tommy and topgeek. Definitely helped me out. Lets hope this treatment will rid me of the yeast infection.
I just wanted to post a follow-up after using Monistat for 7 days. Since day 5, I have noticed that the foreskin is noticeably rougher. Strangely, I also notice that the foreskin is much looser. It seems like I have "extra" foreskin.
The head and the inside of my foreskin is also whiter. It's most likely due to the cream, but when I try to wash it off, it won't come off. The white residue is stuck. I'm just going to finish up the last two or three doses to make sure the infection is clear. I'll resume normal cleaning afterwards and hope that everything normalizes.
Anyone with similar experience after using it for several days?
if the white stuff is hardened smegma, (I doubt this, because you've been excessively washing), you can apply baby oil to loosen it, and then gently rub it off. it might be skin peeling, because of the yeast healing. if it doesn't clear up soon, see a dermatologist.
you only get one penis, and it's best to take care of it.
