I have redness on the head of my penis near the urethral opening. Please help.

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Minor redness of the glans penis is common, especially in uncircumscribed males (like yours) shared in your picture (attachment removed to protect patient identity). As you mentioned, it is not itchy or painful and is persisting for four weeks.

• Do you have any rash elsewhere on the body which appears around the same time as this one?
• Do you have a running fever?
• Is there any discharge from the urethra?
• Is there any swelling of the penis?
• Are you sexually active?

If yes, do you use protection (condom) and other lubricants?

Often, condoms or lubricants can cause allergic reactions (contact dermatitis), and the only way to treat this is to avoid them. If you are using soap or shower gel to clean glance penis, prevent it as chemicals can react in sensitive people. Just clean with clean water. Overuse of steroids (as in your case) and improper use can also exaggerate the condition. Please follow your treating doctor advice and do not discontinue without his/her advice. Also, get your blood sugar levels once.

Please help me with the answers to decide anything on the specific suggestion. In any case, if your answers are no to all my questions above, it could be balanitis, which is nothing but infection of glans penis in simple terms. Just use clean water to wash it thrice daily (no soap, etc.). It should help. We can connect further for more detailed discussion and evaluation if required. Take care.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Thanks for the information. Continue cleaning the part with plain or clean water two to three times daily. Also, start Clotrimazole (readily available in pharmacy) ointment on the area twice daily for five days. It is both antifungal and antibacterial and is useful in such situations. Steroids like Hydrocortisone are known to exacerbate sometime, especially at higher strength like 2%. You should be fine in a week.

I hope you have a partner who does not have any such signs or symptoms of infections. If so, your partner also has to be treated. Avoid sexual intercourse until you get well.

I hope this helps. Take care. Do not hesitate to contact me for further help.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Those are the standard treatments for your condition. If the topical application is irritating, you can switch to oral medications, which should help you. As those are prescription medicines, your treating doctor will help you with alternate medication. I hope this helps. Take care.