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What Causes Redness And Soreness On Penis Foreskin After Sex?
Question: Hi. Apologies in advance for the long message, but I will try to give as much information as possible.
I've been having problems with some sort of irritation that affects my foreskin and scrotum.
I am male,30, uncircumsised. Have a regular girlfriend, and we are having unprotected sex on a very frequent basis.
Sometimes my foreskin is red and sore after sex, but it has always been like that. This is something that goes away if I leave it alone for 2-3 days usually.
I decided to have it looked at out of curiosity, and the doctor asked me to take flucloxacillin for a week.
After taking the medicine for four days, I experienced something that had never happened to me before.
I had sex with my girlfriend and fell asleep. My scrotum started to feel very itchy, and in my sleep I scratched it. The next morning my foreskin was itchy too. Throughout the day my foreskin started swelling, really badly.
I went to the doctor and they thought it was probably some allergic reaction, due to its acute nature. I thought it might be because I had a glass of beer last night, and it reacted with my medication. They asked me to take Co-amoxiclav for a couple of weeks.
After a couple of days the swelling on my foreskin started to subside. I took the medication for two weeks.
The night after I finished my two week course, I had drinks with friends. The next days my scrotum was all red and itchy again. I thought it was because of the alcohol again.
I went to the doctor and he asked me to apply Daktacort cream for a week. I did that, and 2-3 weeks afterwards had no issues.
On Monday night I had sex with my girlfriend (she was on her period), and I woke up with an itchy red patch on the left side of my foreskin again. It started swelling, and I went home to wash it and apply Daktacort cream again.
It didn't swell as badly as the last time, and after one day it started to get better. I don't know if that's due to the daktacort cream though, or because, unlike the previous time, now I was careful enough not to do things that would irritate it. Also, this time I didn't have any alcohol the night before, so I am assuming I was wrong when suspecting that as a contributing factor.
Now however the left side of my scrotum is red and itchy again. Not sure if I should apply some cream or if that would make it worse.
Your advice is much appreciated, as this is affecting my personal life in a very frustrating way. Please note that I never had this issue with the swelling and/or itchy red scrotum in the past, before taking this medication, and now it happened again even though I have stopped taking the medication.
I've been having problems with some sort of irritation that affects my foreskin and scrotum.
I am male,30, uncircumsised. Have a regular girlfriend, and we are having unprotected sex on a very frequent basis.
Sometimes my foreskin is red and sore after sex, but it has always been like that. This is something that goes away if I leave it alone for 2-3 days usually.
I decided to have it looked at out of curiosity, and the doctor asked me to take flucloxacillin for a week.
After taking the medicine for four days, I experienced something that had never happened to me before.
I had sex with my girlfriend and fell asleep. My scrotum started to feel very itchy, and in my sleep I scratched it. The next morning my foreskin was itchy too. Throughout the day my foreskin started swelling, really badly.
I went to the doctor and they thought it was probably some allergic reaction, due to its acute nature. I thought it might be because I had a glass of beer last night, and it reacted with my medication. They asked me to take Co-amoxiclav for a couple of weeks.
After a couple of days the swelling on my foreskin started to subside. I took the medication for two weeks.
The night after I finished my two week course, I had drinks with friends. The next days my scrotum was all red and itchy again. I thought it was because of the alcohol again.
I went to the doctor and he asked me to apply Daktacort cream for a week. I did that, and 2-3 weeks afterwards had no issues.
On Monday night I had sex with my girlfriend (she was on her period), and I woke up with an itchy red patch on the left side of my foreskin again. It started swelling, and I went home to wash it and apply Daktacort cream again.
It didn't swell as badly as the last time, and after one day it started to get better. I don't know if that's due to the daktacort cream though, or because, unlike the previous time, now I was careful enough not to do things that would irritate it. Also, this time I didn't have any alcohol the night before, so I am assuming I was wrong when suspecting that as a contributing factor.
Now however the left side of my scrotum is red and itchy again. Not sure if I should apply some cream or if that would make it worse.
Your advice is much appreciated, as this is affecting my personal life in a very frustrating way. Please note that I never had this issue with the swelling and/or itchy red scrotum in the past, before taking this medication, and now it happened again even though I have stopped taking the medication.
Brief Answer:
Candidal posthitis; upload photographs
Detailed Answer:
Hello. Thanks for writing to us at healthcaremagic
I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your query and I have a fair idea about your problem.
The salient points that I can make out from the history are:
- Red and itchy foreskin right after sex, happening on multiple occasions.
- Spontaneous improvement after 2-3 days.
- Response to antifungal cream (daktacort) and oral antibiotics did'nt seem to help much
- Itchy scrotum
I don't think you should be taking antibiotics for this because this does'nt appear to me a bacterial infection. I could not find any reason to start you on antibiotics like flucloxacillin and co-amoxiclav.
I would keep a likely possibility of "candidal posthitis", as the reason for itchy foreskin, as also exemplified by clinical response to topical antifungal cream/Miconazole (daktacort).
Regarding the scrotal itching/redness, I would be able to guide you better if you can upload a few clinical photographs of the affected area.
It would be better if you can also upload a few clinical photographs of the foreskin, if it is still swollen and red.
I would also like to know whether your girlfriend also complains of vaginal itching or discharge (specially thick curdy vaginal discharge?
Kindly get back to me with the details as well as clinical photographs
Regards
Candidal posthitis; upload photographs
Detailed Answer:
Hello. Thanks for writing to us at healthcaremagic
I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your query and I have a fair idea about your problem.
The salient points that I can make out from the history are:
- Red and itchy foreskin right after sex, happening on multiple occasions.
- Spontaneous improvement after 2-3 days.
- Response to antifungal cream (daktacort) and oral antibiotics did'nt seem to help much
- Itchy scrotum
I don't think you should be taking antibiotics for this because this does'nt appear to me a bacterial infection. I could not find any reason to start you on antibiotics like flucloxacillin and co-amoxiclav.
I would keep a likely possibility of "candidal posthitis", as the reason for itchy foreskin, as also exemplified by clinical response to topical antifungal cream/Miconazole (daktacort).
Regarding the scrotal itching/redness, I would be able to guide you better if you can upload a few clinical photographs of the affected area.
It would be better if you can also upload a few clinical photographs of the foreskin, if it is still swollen and red.
I would also like to know whether your girlfriend also complains of vaginal itching or discharge (specially thick curdy vaginal discharge?
Kindly get back to me with the details as well as clinical photographs
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
Hello Dr. Kakkar,
Thank you very much for your prompt response, it is much appreciated.
To answer your question, my girlfriend has not complained of any vaginal itching or discharge.
I have uploaded 3 pictures of the affected area. I have also uploaded a picture of the foreskin from monday, even though the swelling has gone away now.
Kindly get back to me with your advice.
Best regards,
Thank you very much for your prompt response, it is much appreciated.
To answer your question, my girlfriend has not complained of any vaginal itching or discharge.
I have uploaded 3 pictures of the affected area. I have also uploaded a picture of the foreskin from monday, even though the swelling has gone away now.
Kindly get back to me with your advice.
Best regards,
Brief Answer:
Candidal posthitis; Scrotal LSC
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
I have reviewed the photographs.
The foreskin is edematous/ swollen and is likely to be due to candidal balanitis. It must be difficult to pull the foreskin back!
You may continue with the antifungal cream (miconazole) twice daily.
If, I was the treating doctor I would have also added an Oral antifungal e.g Fluconazole tablet.
Single dose of oral fluconazole is usually effective in case of candidal balanoposthitis and is all that is required.
However, fluconazole is a prescription drug and therefore you must get a prescription for it from your doctor.
I would suggest a lab test for blood sugar, as recurrent candidal balanoposthitis is common in those who have a raised blood sugar.
Regarding the scrotal redness; this is a condition known as scrotal LSC (Lichen Simplex Chronicus).
LSC is an itchy condition; as a result of chronic scratching the skin becomes thick with prominent skin markings.
The more you scratch the more the skin itches and therefore the more the desire to scratch. It becomes a cycle: itch-scratch-itch cycle that perpetuates LSC.
If, I was the treating doctor I would have asked you to apply a moderately potent topical steroid e.g Mometasone furoate or Betamethasone valerate cream, twice daily to the affected area.
Topical steroids are prescription products and you won't find them OTC. Therefore, I would suggest that you seek an appointment with a doctor and get a prescription for these.
Oral antihistamine e,g cetrizine 10 mg once daily would provide you symptomatic relief from itching.
Regards
Candidal posthitis; Scrotal LSC
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
I have reviewed the photographs.
The foreskin is edematous/ swollen and is likely to be due to candidal balanitis. It must be difficult to pull the foreskin back!
You may continue with the antifungal cream (miconazole) twice daily.
If, I was the treating doctor I would have also added an Oral antifungal e.g Fluconazole tablet.
Single dose of oral fluconazole is usually effective in case of candidal balanoposthitis and is all that is required.
However, fluconazole is a prescription drug and therefore you must get a prescription for it from your doctor.
I would suggest a lab test for blood sugar, as recurrent candidal balanoposthitis is common in those who have a raised blood sugar.
Regarding the scrotal redness; this is a condition known as scrotal LSC (Lichen Simplex Chronicus).
LSC is an itchy condition; as a result of chronic scratching the skin becomes thick with prominent skin markings.
The more you scratch the more the skin itches and therefore the more the desire to scratch. It becomes a cycle: itch-scratch-itch cycle that perpetuates LSC.
If, I was the treating doctor I would have asked you to apply a moderately potent topical steroid e.g Mometasone furoate or Betamethasone valerate cream, twice daily to the affected area.
Topical steroids are prescription products and you won't find them OTC. Therefore, I would suggest that you seek an appointment with a doctor and get a prescription for these.
Oral antihistamine e,g cetrizine 10 mg once daily would provide you symptomatic relief from itching.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
Hello Dr. Kakkar,
Thank you very much for your advice, I will seek to book an appointment with my gp for the blood test and prescriptions.
The swelling started to go away after one day. I am able to pull the foreskin back now like normally. I noticed a little bit of dead skin when washing yesterday, but I am assuming that is part of the healing process.
My concern in regards to the candidal posthitis is why this happened twice in a relevantly short period of time, when it had never happened before. Could it be that the course of antibiotics made me more prone to this? And since it happened again after I stopped taking them, is it likely to happen again in the future? In that case would circumcision be recommended?
Regarding the scrotal itchiness, it did seem to go away after a week of applying daktacort, and came back again a few days after my second spell of posthitis.
In my inexperienced eye these two conditions seemed to interrelate somehow both times, or is that coincidental?
One last question - While waiting for my gp appointment, would it help if I applied some dermatological moisturising lotion to both areas (I have one called E45 at home), or is this likely to irritate any of the two conditions?
Many thanks and best regards,
Thank you very much for your advice, I will seek to book an appointment with my gp for the blood test and prescriptions.
The swelling started to go away after one day. I am able to pull the foreskin back now like normally. I noticed a little bit of dead skin when washing yesterday, but I am assuming that is part of the healing process.
My concern in regards to the candidal posthitis is why this happened twice in a relevantly short period of time, when it had never happened before. Could it be that the course of antibiotics made me more prone to this? And since it happened again after I stopped taking them, is it likely to happen again in the future? In that case would circumcision be recommended?
Regarding the scrotal itchiness, it did seem to go away after a week of applying daktacort, and came back again a few days after my second spell of posthitis.
In my inexperienced eye these two conditions seemed to interrelate somehow both times, or is that coincidental?
One last question - While waiting for my gp appointment, would it help if I applied some dermatological moisturising lotion to both areas (I have one called E45 at home), or is this likely to irritate any of the two conditions?
Many thanks and best regards,
Brief Answer:
Scrotal LSC; Candidal posthitis
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Antibiotics, specially broad spectrum antibiotics and that too if continued for a longer duration than is normally advisable (i.e 7 days) can suppress the resident microbial bacterial flora, thus allow the yeast to proliferate uninhibited and therefore can predispose to candidal balanoposthitis.
Besides, since recurrent candidal balanoposthitis is a common occurrence in diabetes, therefore I asked you to test for blood sugar.
Circumcision is not a remedy for candidal balanoposthitis
Scrotal itch would respond to topical steroids ( topical moderately potent steroids). It is unrelated to candidal posthitis. Simultaneous occurrence is just a coincidence.
Moisturizer would surely help a bit with the scrotal dermatitis and itch, but not candidal posthitis.
You may use a bland moisturizer over the affected skin of scrotum.
However, topical steroids that I mentioned above would be definitely effective. You will be getting them only by prescription from a doctor.
An OTC oral antihistamine e,g cetrizine 10 mg once daily would provide you symptomatic relief from itching.
Do visit a doctor for a prescription.
Till the time you get an appointment with your doctor, you may use a moisturizer for affected scrotal skin and topical antifungal (miconazole) for candidal posthitis.
Regards
Scrotal LSC; Candidal posthitis
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Antibiotics, specially broad spectrum antibiotics and that too if continued for a longer duration than is normally advisable (i.e 7 days) can suppress the resident microbial bacterial flora, thus allow the yeast to proliferate uninhibited and therefore can predispose to candidal balanoposthitis.
Besides, since recurrent candidal balanoposthitis is a common occurrence in diabetes, therefore I asked you to test for blood sugar.
Circumcision is not a remedy for candidal balanoposthitis
Scrotal itch would respond to topical steroids ( topical moderately potent steroids). It is unrelated to candidal posthitis. Simultaneous occurrence is just a coincidence.
Moisturizer would surely help a bit with the scrotal dermatitis and itch, but not candidal posthitis.
You may use a bland moisturizer over the affected skin of scrotum.
However, topical steroids that I mentioned above would be definitely effective. You will be getting them only by prescription from a doctor.
An OTC oral antihistamine e,g cetrizine 10 mg once daily would provide you symptomatic relief from itching.
Do visit a doctor for a prescription.
Till the time you get an appointment with your doctor, you may use a moisturizer for affected scrotal skin and topical antifungal (miconazole) for candidal posthitis.
Regards
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
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