Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Hey Doctor, I’ve Been Having Issues With My Penis Lately
Question: Hey doctor,
I’ve been having issues with my penis lately I’ve had this burning sensation when I pee. I went to my gp who ran a bunch of tests including a urine test, penis swab which came up with nothing. There was a bunch of smegma acclumated behind my foreskin and I was prescribed a steroid/anti fungal cream (Hydrozole with 1% hydrocortisone and 1% clotrimazole) which helped get rid of it but now my foreskin is really red and inflamed and I’m unsure if the streoid cream is causing it or if it’s the smegma removal? It just seems to make it worse. Should I stop using the combo cream and just use the antifungal instead for a couple of weeks? The swab also showed up clean so could I just stop it all together and see if the redness subsides without anything?
I’ve been having issues with my penis lately I’ve had this burning sensation when I pee. I went to my gp who ran a bunch of tests including a urine test, penis swab which came up with nothing. There was a bunch of smegma acclumated behind my foreskin and I was prescribed a steroid/anti fungal cream (Hydrozole with 1% hydrocortisone and 1% clotrimazole) which helped get rid of it but now my foreskin is really red and inflamed and I’m unsure if the streoid cream is causing it or if it’s the smegma removal? It just seems to make it worse. Should I stop using the combo cream and just use the antifungal instead for a couple of weeks? The swab also showed up clean so could I just stop it all together and see if the redness subsides without anything?
Hey doctor,
I’ve been having issues with my penis lately I’ve had this burning sensation when I pee. I went to my gp who ran a bunch of tests including a urine test, penis swab which came up with nothing. There was a bunch of smegma acclumated behind my foreskin and I was prescribed a steroid/anti fungal cream (Hydrozole with 1% hydrocortisone and 1% clotrimazole) which helped get rid of it but now my foreskin is really red and inflamed and I’m unsure if the streoid cream is causing it or if it’s the smegma removal? It just seems to make it worse. Should I stop using the combo cream and just use the antifungal instead for a couple of weeks? The swab also showed up clean so could I just stop it all together and see if the redness subsides without anything?
I’ve been having issues with my penis lately I’ve had this burning sensation when I pee. I went to my gp who ran a bunch of tests including a urine test, penis swab which came up with nothing. There was a bunch of smegma acclumated behind my foreskin and I was prescribed a steroid/anti fungal cream (Hydrozole with 1% hydrocortisone and 1% clotrimazole) which helped get rid of it but now my foreskin is really red and inflamed and I’m unsure if the streoid cream is causing it or if it’s the smegma removal? It just seems to make it worse. Should I stop using the combo cream and just use the antifungal instead for a couple of weeks? The swab also showed up clean so could I just stop it all together and see if the redness subsides without anything?
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. You are right to question the steroid cream, as steroid creams, while effective at decreasing inflammation and irritation of the skin, can also weaken the immune response and make it easier for fungal and bacterial infections to get worse. It does sound like you may have had a fungal infection to begin with, but now I suspect the combination cream is making it worse.
You already mentioned the two options I would consider: just use an antifungal cream, or just stop everything and see how it goes. Of the two, I would suggest trying just an antifungal cream, since if it is getting worse with the steroid cream there may be an infection there. Also, the antifungal cream should not cause any problems.
If after a week it is not getting better or getting worse, you may have a bacterial infection that would need topical antibiotics. If the pain becomes much worse or if swelling develops, please be sure to get evaluated soon, as you may have a more serious infection developing. But I wouldn't expect that to happen in your case.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it further with you.
See below
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. You are right to question the steroid cream, as steroid creams, while effective at decreasing inflammation and irritation of the skin, can also weaken the immune response and make it easier for fungal and bacterial infections to get worse. It does sound like you may have had a fungal infection to begin with, but now I suspect the combination cream is making it worse.
You already mentioned the two options I would consider: just use an antifungal cream, or just stop everything and see how it goes. Of the two, I would suggest trying just an antifungal cream, since if it is getting worse with the steroid cream there may be an infection there. Also, the antifungal cream should not cause any problems.
If after a week it is not getting better or getting worse, you may have a bacterial infection that would need topical antibiotics. If the pain becomes much worse or if swelling develops, please be sure to get evaluated soon, as you may have a more serious infection developing. But I wouldn't expect that to happen in your case.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it further with you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. You are right to question the steroid cream, as steroid creams, while effective at decreasing inflammation and irritation of the skin, can also weaken the immune response and make it easier for fungal and bacterial infections to get worse. It does sound like you may have had a fungal infection to begin with, but now I suspect the combination cream is making it worse.
You already mentioned the two options I would consider: just use an antifungal cream, or just stop everything and see how it goes. Of the two, I would suggest trying just an antifungal cream, since if it is getting worse with the steroid cream there may be an infection there. Also, the antifungal cream should not cause any problems.
If after a week it is not getting better or getting worse, you may have a bacterial infection that would need topical antibiotics. If the pain becomes much worse or if swelling develops, please be sure to get evaluated soon, as you may have a more serious infection developing. But I wouldn't expect that to happen in your case.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it further with you.
See below
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. You are right to question the steroid cream, as steroid creams, while effective at decreasing inflammation and irritation of the skin, can also weaken the immune response and make it easier for fungal and bacterial infections to get worse. It does sound like you may have had a fungal infection to begin with, but now I suspect the combination cream is making it worse.
You already mentioned the two options I would consider: just use an antifungal cream, or just stop everything and see how it goes. Of the two, I would suggest trying just an antifungal cream, since if it is getting worse with the steroid cream there may be an infection there. Also, the antifungal cream should not cause any problems.
If after a week it is not getting better or getting worse, you may have a bacterial infection that would need topical antibiotics. If the pain becomes much worse or if swelling develops, please be sure to get evaluated soon, as you may have a more serious infection developing. But I wouldn't expect that to happen in your case.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it further with you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Thanks for that doc I think I’m going to get it re-evaluated by my gp and try get into the urologist. Another thing I’d like to ask in terms of this burning pain I’ve been having when I pee I’ve had it for the last couple of months and it hasn’t gone away. When I masterbate it seems to really aggravate the stinging pain. I think the way I masterbate I’ve always done it face down or “prone” which I think could be too forceful could that potentially cause damage and inflammation in the urethra that lasts long term? I’ve tried to masterbate the conviential way by hand but I get a lot of pain around my frelum since I have issues retracting my foreskin compeletely when it’s in an erect state but I have no issues when it is flaccid. The doctor also originally prescribed the steroid combo cream for the smegma behind my penis which seemed to help clear it and make it easy to clean but the aftermath and the redness is a lot worse
Thanks for that doc I think I’m going to get it re-evaluated by my gp and try get into the urologist. Another thing I’d like to ask in terms of this burning pain I’ve been having when I pee I’ve had it for the last couple of months and it hasn’t gone away. When I masterbate it seems to really aggravate the stinging pain. I think the way I masterbate I’ve always done it face down or “prone” which I think could be too forceful could that potentially cause damage and inflammation in the urethra that lasts long term? I’ve tried to masterbate the conviential way by hand but I get a lot of pain around my frelum since I have issues retracting my foreskin compeletely when it’s in an erect state but I have no issues when it is flaccid. The doctor also originally prescribed the steroid combo cream for the smegma behind my penis which seemed to help clear it and make it easy to clean but the aftermath and the redness is a lot worse
The swab and urine I had done as well that being negative for bacteria/yeast/sti etc would that exclude those type of infections or would be others that don’t show up I’m just trying to see if
?
?
The swab and urine I had done as well that being negative for bacteria/yeast/sti etc would that exclude those type of infections or would be others that don’t show up I’m just trying to see if
?
?
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Masterbating can irritate the urethra, so I would suspect this to be the cause, especially if you masterbate somewhat frequently. You could try stopping for a few weeks and see if the burning goes away, which I would suspect it would.
A negative swab would make any infection less likely, but not rule it out completely. You could also just try stopping using any creams and see if it improves with that. But like I said, using just an anti-fungal shouldn't hurt anything. But hopefully your gp can take a look at it and give a better idea of what is going on.
See below
Detailed Answer:
Masterbating can irritate the urethra, so I would suspect this to be the cause, especially if you masterbate somewhat frequently. You could try stopping for a few weeks and see if the burning goes away, which I would suspect it would.
A negative swab would make any infection less likely, but not rule it out completely. You could also just try stopping using any creams and see if it improves with that. But like I said, using just an anti-fungal shouldn't hurt anything. But hopefully your gp can take a look at it and give a better idea of what is going on.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Masterbating can irritate the urethra, so I would suspect this to be the cause, especially if you masterbate somewhat frequently. You could try stopping for a few weeks and see if the burning goes away, which I would suspect it would.
A negative swab would make any infection less likely, but not rule it out completely. You could also just try stopping using any creams and see if it improves with that. But like I said, using just an anti-fungal shouldn't hurt anything. But hopefully your gp can take a look at it and give a better idea of what is going on.
See below
Detailed Answer:
Masterbating can irritate the urethra, so I would suspect this to be the cause, especially if you masterbate somewhat frequently. You could try stopping for a few weeks and see if the burning goes away, which I would suspect it would.
A negative swab would make any infection less likely, but not rule it out completely. You could also just try stopping using any creams and see if it improves with that. But like I said, using just an anti-fungal shouldn't hurt anything. But hopefully your gp can take a look at it and give a better idea of what is going on.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Thanks for that doc just one additional thing I wanted to ask I’ve had this enlarged lymph node on the back left side of neck for the last. It feels kind of hard and if I press it too much it aches -‘d I’ve had it there for about 2-3 weeks now, I went to my doc and he seemed to think it was nothing but I’m a little concerned as I haven’t felt something like that before and it came out of nowhere with no recent cold or anything.
Thanks for that doc just one additional thing I wanted to ask I’ve had this enlarged lymph node on the back left side of neck for the last. It feels kind of hard and if I press it too much it aches -‘d I’ve had it there for about 2-3 weeks now, I went to my doc and he seemed to think it was nothing but I’m a little concerned as I haven’t felt something like that before and it came out of nowhere with no recent cold or anything.
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
That is strange, but sometimes your body can fight off an infection without any symptoms or any way you would be able to tell, but lymph nodes can get enlarged from it. Whether to worry about this would also depend on how big it was, if it is less than 1 centimeter then it is not concerning. I would also make sure you don't have any inflammation or infection in your scalp.
If there is no obvious cause, and it is larger than 1 cm, then after 4 weeks, if it is not getting smaller, I would go back to your doctor to ask if a biopsy might be appropriate.
See below
Detailed Answer:
That is strange, but sometimes your body can fight off an infection without any symptoms or any way you would be able to tell, but lymph nodes can get enlarged from it. Whether to worry about this would also depend on how big it was, if it is less than 1 centimeter then it is not concerning. I would also make sure you don't have any inflammation or infection in your scalp.
If there is no obvious cause, and it is larger than 1 cm, then after 4 weeks, if it is not getting smaller, I would go back to your doctor to ask if a biopsy might be appropriate.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
That is strange, but sometimes your body can fight off an infection without any symptoms or any way you would be able to tell, but lymph nodes can get enlarged from it. Whether to worry about this would also depend on how big it was, if it is less than 1 centimeter then it is not concerning. I would also make sure you don't have any inflammation or infection in your scalp.
If there is no obvious cause, and it is larger than 1 cm, then after 4 weeks, if it is not getting smaller, I would go back to your doctor to ask if a biopsy might be appropriate.
See below
Detailed Answer:
That is strange, but sometimes your body can fight off an infection without any symptoms or any way you would be able to tell, but lymph nodes can get enlarged from it. Whether to worry about this would also depend on how big it was, if it is less than 1 centimeter then it is not concerning. I would also make sure you don't have any inflammation or infection in your scalp.
If there is no obvious cause, and it is larger than 1 cm, then after 4 weeks, if it is not getting smaller, I would go back to your doctor to ask if a biopsy might be appropriate.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Sounds good that’s I will do in terms of the anti fungal treatment my doctor prescribed me Clotrimazole 1% and I’ve noticed it’s just still really red at the head of my penis and also the foreskin, I also noticed some form of white discharge at the tip. How long would i need to use the cream for to see whether it’s working or not and at what point would I stop if I wasn’t seeing improvements? I just mainly want to calm this inflammation down as I think the steroid definitely caused it.
Sounds good that’s I will do in terms of the anti fungal treatment my doctor prescribed me Clotrimazole 1% and I’ve noticed it’s just still really red at the head of my penis and also the foreskin, I also noticed some form of white discharge at the tip. How long would i need to use the cream for to see whether it’s working or not and at what point would I stop if I wasn’t seeing improvements? I just mainly want to calm this inflammation down as I think the steroid definitely caused it.
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Are the penis and foreskin swollen at all?
I'm a little concerned you may have a bacterial infection, so I would only wait a few days, if you don't see any improvement or if it gets worse at all at any time I would go back and get evaluated again since infection with your penis can be dangerous.
Are you still able to retract and pull back the foreskin without any problems?
If you can send a picture as an attachment here that may help as well.
Regards
See below
Detailed Answer:
Are the penis and foreskin swollen at all?
I'm a little concerned you may have a bacterial infection, so I would only wait a few days, if you don't see any improvement or if it gets worse at all at any time I would go back and get evaluated again since infection with your penis can be dangerous.
Are you still able to retract and pull back the foreskin without any problems?
If you can send a picture as an attachment here that may help as well.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Are the penis and foreskin swollen at all?
I'm a little concerned you may have a bacterial infection, so I would only wait a few days, if you don't see any improvement or if it gets worse at all at any time I would go back and get evaluated again since infection with your penis can be dangerous.
Are you still able to retract and pull back the foreskin without any problems?
If you can send a picture as an attachment here that may help as well.
Regards
See below
Detailed Answer:
Are the penis and foreskin swollen at all?
I'm a little concerned you may have a bacterial infection, so I would only wait a few days, if you don't see any improvement or if it gets worse at all at any time I would go back and get evaluated again since infection with your penis can be dangerous.
Are you still able to retract and pull back the foreskin without any problems?
If you can send a picture as an attachment here that may help as well.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Hey doctor I’ve attached an image, but I can retract it fine it just sticks a little to the glans when I pull it back. How would they test for a bacterial infection I’ve already done and urine test etc? But as you can see it’s very red and inflamed.
Hey doctor I’ve attached an image, but I can retract it fine it just sticks a little to the glans when I pull it back. How would they test for a bacterial infection I’ve already done and urine test etc? But as you can see it’s very red and inflamed.
It’s been about 3 days since I stopped using the steroid/anti fungal cream now so would it be worth seeing if just the antifungal cream by itself will help (I’ve attached an image of the one I was prescribed) and if not going back for further evaluation? If it were a bacterial infection would it just get worse and worse it’s friday where I am now so I wouldn’t be able to get back in until over the weekend
It’s been about 3 days since I stopped using the steroid/anti fungal cream now so would it be worth seeing if just the antifungal cream by itself will help (I’ve attached an image of the one I was prescribed) and if not going back for further evaluation? If it were a bacterial infection would it just get worse and worse it’s friday where I am now so I wouldn’t be able to get back in until over the weekend
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Ok, it doesn't look like a bacterial infection, and there is not really any swelling, so that is good. I think you should be fine, you can just use the antifungal cream that you have (that one should work fine), as long as it is not getting worse you could try using it for a week and if it still isn't going away you could get it looked at again at that point.
See below
Detailed Answer:
Ok, it doesn't look like a bacterial infection, and there is not really any swelling, so that is good. I think you should be fine, you can just use the antifungal cream that you have (that one should work fine), as long as it is not getting worse you could try using it for a week and if it still isn't going away you could get it looked at again at that point.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
Ok, it doesn't look like a bacterial infection, and there is not really any swelling, so that is good. I think you should be fine, you can just use the antifungal cream that you have (that one should work fine), as long as it is not getting worse you could try using it for a week and if it still isn't going away you could get it looked at again at that point.
See below
Detailed Answer:
Ok, it doesn't look like a bacterial infection, and there is not really any swelling, so that is good. I think you should be fine, you can just use the antifungal cream that you have (that one should work fine), as long as it is not getting worse you could try using it for a week and if it still isn't going away you could get it looked at again at that point.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Thanks for that doc just one other thing I’ve been having I’ve also noticed the right side of my testicle skin is red as well could this infection also have spread down there too? I’ve got an ache in that area but I’m unsure if it’s coming from my leg or there but I’ve attached an image of it.
Thanks for that doc just one other thing I’ve been having I’ve also noticed the right side of my testicle skin is red as well could this infection also have spread down there too? I’ve got an ache in that area but I’m unsure if it’s coming from my leg or there but I’ve attached an image of it.
Would it be worth also applying the cream there or could that just be nothing what sort of tests would they do for that?
Would it be worth also applying the cream there or could that just be nothing what sort of tests would they do for that?
I think it’s always been red like that for a while I just get these aches on the right side on and off and I had an ultrasound down last year which was fine but it just seems to be aching again and I’m sure if it’s related to my penis?
I think it’s always been red like that for a while I just get these aches on the right side on and off and I had an ultrasound down last year which was fine but it just seems to be aching again and I’m sure if it’s related to my penis?
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
The testicle looks a little red but nothing that would make me think there was something definitely wrong with it. If you've been having similar aches for a long time then I would say it is unlikely to be related to this current issue. It is more likely that you are more aware of this area and paying more attention to the ache which may have been there before.
Rarely there can be a chronic infection in the testicle, but assuming that your doctor has checked your urine along with the ultrasound, this should have been ruled out.
See below
Detailed Answer:
The testicle looks a little red but nothing that would make me think there was something definitely wrong with it. If you've been having similar aches for a long time then I would say it is unlikely to be related to this current issue. It is more likely that you are more aware of this area and paying more attention to the ache which may have been there before.
Rarely there can be a chronic infection in the testicle, but assuming that your doctor has checked your urine along with the ultrasound, this should have been ruled out.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
Brief Answer:
See below
Detailed Answer:
The testicle looks a little red but nothing that would make me think there was something definitely wrong with it. If you've been having similar aches for a long time then I would say it is unlikely to be related to this current issue. It is more likely that you are more aware of this area and paying more attention to the ache which may have been there before.
Rarely there can be a chronic infection in the testicle, but assuming that your doctor has checked your urine along with the ultrasound, this should have been ruled out.
See below
Detailed Answer:
The testicle looks a little red but nothing that would make me think there was something definitely wrong with it. If you've been having similar aches for a long time then I would say it is unlikely to be related to this current issue. It is more likely that you are more aware of this area and paying more attention to the ache which may have been there before.
Rarely there can be a chronic infection in the testicle, but assuming that your doctor has checked your urine along with the ultrasound, this should have been ruled out.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
