Question: Hey doctor,

A week ago I had a flare up of balanitis I have had it a couple of times last year. Its very mild and there’s only a minor red rash on the lower part of the glans. I got it from poor hygiene after not washing off within a couple of hours after latex condom use as I am quite sensitive to them. It doesn’t seem like a yeast or bacteria infection as I’ve had those in the past and they are usually itchy however I am getting an ache sensation where the redness is and also at the tip which is quite annoying. How long does balanitis usually take to heal? I visited my gp 4 days ago and he said to wait and see if it would go away on it’s own rather than using medicated cream that may irritate it but he did prescribe me a 1 off Fluconazole tablet just incase. How long does it take to heal roughly and at what point should I use the Fluconazole tablet if it’s not? Should I be avoiding having sex in this time with my partner? It’s been about 8 days now and although it has improved it still is there. I have also tried steroid creams in the past that the doctors prescribed and they don’t seem to work too well and irritate my skin more so I haven’t used them this time.

Hey doctor,

Thanks for the follow up I will wait and see how it goes then would it also be okay to use something like PawPaw cream on the head? I have linked it below:

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/41820/lucas-papaw-ointment-25g?

I am uncircumcised though so I am unsure if that’s okay to leave the cream since it’s quite a gooey ointment but is natural antiseptic. Also the latex free ones are a lot worse off for me the latex ones give me the least issues would it still be okay to use them? It’s more so the lube that’s inside them that causes issues if I don’t wash it off fairly quickly afterwards.