A rash on the head of the penis is a common problem that many men face. The skin of the genital organ is very sensitive, and sebaceous glands are concentrated on its most susceptible part, due to which the entry of any infection is almost immediately manifested by rashes and inflammations.
What is the cause of this trouble? What can its presence indicate? And how to treat this rash? This and much more will now be discussed.
Syphilis
This is one of the most serious causes of a rash on the head of a penis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted, sexually transmitted disease that not only affects the skin of the mucous membranes, but also attacks the internal organs, nervous system and bones.
Common symptoms include:
- Sores and erosion, the sizes of which can vary from a few millimeters to centimeters. They appear not only in the scrotum, testicles and penis. These formations can occur on the palms, back, hands and even in the mouth.
- Red small rash. There is a very small distance between its “points”.
- Sealing of the foreskin, accompanied by swelling of the penis.
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the armpits, neck and groin.
- Aggressiveness, anxiety and irritability.
- Joint pain.
- Elevated temperature.
- Swelling in the genital area.
Therefore, if there is a rash on the head of the penis, you must immediately contact a venereologist. Syphilis affects not only the health of the genitourinary system, but also the work of the whole organism. Ignoring the disease leads to their defeat of vital organs.
Chlamydia
Another sexually transmitted infectious disease. According to statistics, about 100 million new infections are reported annually.
The first signs of this disease appear in about 10-30 days. These include:
- Slight burning and itching when urinating.
- Urethral inflammation and mucous discharge with an unpleasant odor.
- Constant urination due to irritated channels.
- Very dense rash on the head of the penis. Chlamydia leads to the formation of nodules, which quickly become covered with scales, and then merge into a stain.
The consequences of ignored disease are prostatitis, infertility, impotence and Reiter's syndrome, which combines conjunctivitis, arthritis and urethritis.
Gonorrhea
This sexually transmitted disease is also known as gonorrhea. It begins to develop due to the ingestion of gram-negative diplococcus. The disease leads to damage to the mucous membranes, and not only the genitals. The oropharynx, eyes, and rectum can suffer.
The specificity of gonorrhea is that the symptoms appear suddenly, and the disease progresses rapidly. Here's what happens:
- Damage to the anterior wall of the urethra. The infection quickly encompasses the entire urethra.
- Inflammation and swelling of the urethra.
- Pain during urination. The most painful thing is the morning.
- Unpleasant sensations at the time of ejaculation.
- Add blood in semen and urine.
- Itching and pain in the urethra, most clearly manifested after awakening.
A rash on the head of the penis can also occur. Visually, it looks more like small, protruding sores above the surface of the skin. Here are some other features that distinguish this rash:
- The area of the affected area is not very extensive.
- It is formed along the contour of the rash.
- A rash appears on the legs, feet, hands and palms.
- The duration of the rash usually varies from 4 to 7 days. Then a crust forms, after the death of which a dark area of the skin is exposed.
Gonorrhea develops very quickly. A week after infection, it can go into the torpid or subacute stage. Therefore, a venereologist must be visited as soon as possible.
Herpes
This viral disease begins to manifest itself approximately 5-7 days after infection. The first thing a man has is local redness either on the inside of the foreskin or on the head. At the same time, burning and itching occurs.
A few hours after infection, a rash appears on the glans penis. It looks quite specific, since it is small bubbles filled with a transparent liquid.
After about 3-4 days, they open, forming weeping ulcers. Heal for a very long time, because this is prevented by friction on linen and constant maceration. It will take more than one week before they begin to dry out and become crusty.
In addition, herpes is accompanied by other symptoms. These include:
- fever;
- gastrointestinal upset;
- aching muscles and joints;
- fever.
This condition lasts, usually a few days. Throughout all time, itchy, painful and uncomfortable sensations in the genital area do not go away.
Many let the disease drift. However, over time, the symptoms of herpes become more severe, the body is depleted, and the immune system is depressed. As a result, the risk of developing serious diseases increases.
Scabies
This is perhaps the most specific disease of all those listed. Its main manifestation is a severe itching, aggravated closer to the night, which does not go away no matter how intensely a person scratches his skin. And, of course, a very small red rash. On the head of the penis, on the arms, back, legs, even on the tongue - it is everywhere.
This disease occurs due to infection with the scabies mite. “Pick up” it is much easier than the same syphilis. The tick can easily move to a healthy person from any part of the body of an infected patient or from some subject of his personal hygiene. Therefore, if someone has symptoms of scabies, he needs to immediately isolate himself from people.
It is important to make a reservation that with this disease, a rash on the glans penis looks slightly different than in all the previously mentioned cases. And all because this is not even a rash at all. What a person sees is the subcutaneous passages of the scabies mite, which are spread in one line.
Scabies cause a lot of torment. But the good news is that you can completely recover from it in just two weeks. The main thing is to call a dermatologist on time. If at first itching may seem tolerable, then in a day it will become unbearable.
Fungal infections
This is another common reason why a red rash appears on the head of the penis. Transmission of fungal infections also occurs during unprotected intercourse. However, the fact that the man became infected is usually seen by lesions in the inguinal region.
But there is one unpleasant disease, the source of infection of which is a woman herself suffering from it due to disturbed microflora of the vagina. We are talking about candidiasis, better known as thrush.
In approximately 15% of cases, this disease does not manifest itself. But a man should be wary if he has noticed such symptoms:
- A red rash with a whitish bloom appeared on the head of the penis.
- The skin, in particular in the folds of the inguinal region, significantly reddened.
- Scratches, erosion and other injuries appeared.
- Plaque on the mucous membranes and skin began to form. It is odorless, but it looks unpleasant, cheesy.
- Swelling of the penis and anus accompanied by itching appeared.
Ignoring the disease leads to consequences such as candida balanoposthitis, urethritis, and pyelocystitis. The infection will simply penetrate the genitourinary system and it will be much more difficult to recover. Therefore, it is worth contacting a venereologist immediately as soon as a rash and itching appeared on the head of the penis.
Skin inflammation
They are not dermatological, but dermatological in nature. Unfortunately, many skin diseases that are inflammatory in nature spread throughout the body. These include:
- Dermatitis. Usually this disease is simply an allergic reaction to something. For medicines, synthetic underwear, detergents oversaturated with chemical constituents. In this case, the rash is also accompanied by peeling.
- Eczema. It begins, as a rule, in the inguinal region. Then comes the spread to the entire genital organ in full. It is covered with tuberous, rough, dry skin.
- Psoriasis. It manifests itself in the formation of smooth plaques of a slightly reddish color. A few days after the appearance, they begin to peel off and become covered with cracks.
It should also be noted that the rash spreads to the skin of the penis in almost all cases of dermatological diseases.
Perhaps all of the above is not the cause of the appearance of a small rash on the glans penis. However, this probability cannot be completely ruled out. Therefore, the most appropriate solution is to visit a doctor.
Diagnostics
Not all the reasons why such an unpleasant neoplasm appears, but only the main ones, were listed above. But whatever the provoking factor, one thing will not change: if the head of the penis is covered with a rash, then the therapy will have to be directed towards eliminating the infection, the root of the disease. And one external influence is indispensable here.
First you need to contact a specialist. He will conduct an examination, direct him to take tests and only after a detailed examination will he establish a diagnosis. Gonorrhea and trichomoniasis, for example, are identical in symptomatology, but are treated completely differently. If a person prescribes a medicine for himself, then he will not only not be cured, but will also harm his body.
The treatment will be comprehensive. To eliminate the rash around the head of the penis, you will need to take antiviral and antihistamine medications, combining them with antibiotics. As a rule, drugs are prescribed in tablets, but in rare cases, intramuscular injections or even the introduction of drugs directly into the urethra can be recommended.
If it becomes clear that the red rash on the glans penis is not a symptom of syphilis, but a simple allergy, then the man will be prescribed another category of drugs, supplementing therapy with vitamins.
Medicines
Much has been said above about what diseases a rash on the head of a penis may indicate. What to do is also clear: you need to go to the doctor. Now you can briefly familiarize yourself with the list of drugs that venereologists usually prescribe to their patients.
"Azithromycin" is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that produces a bacteriostatic effect. It is a powerful bactericidal agent, affecting both intracellular and external pathogens.
It helps to cure the body from the effects of anaerobic, gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms, streptococci of groups G, F, C. It effectively eliminates the red and white rash on the head of the penis, itching, as well as other manifestations of the disease.
Doxycycline is a semi-synthetic antibiotic that inhibits protein synthesis in pathogens. The drug is less effective. If only some microorganisms from the gram-positive group are resistant to Azithromycin, then many rod-shaped bacteria, serrations, proteins, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc. are resistant to Doxycycline.
"Acyclovir" is an antiviral agent that is a synthetic analogue of purine nucleoside. Applying it daily, you can quickly forget that a rash appeared on the head of the penis, since the drug will relieve it in a few days.
"Fluconazole" is the most popular drug that helps get rid of candidiasis. The medication affects almost all fungal infections, so you manage to forget about thrush already a few days after the start of its intake.
Treatment recommendations
If you want to get rid of the rash on the head of the penis as soon as possible after sex, then you need to take into account several tips that should be listed in the end.
Firstly, you need to reconsider your diet, because nutrition greatly affects immunity. And since it is weakened during the illness, it is necessary to strengthen the body.
You need to consume more vitamins and nutrients. It is necessary to refuse sour-milk food, fried, salty, sweet, sour and alcoholic drinks.
Replace all this with products containing calcium and vitamins E, D, C. It is important to use plant foods and protein in the form of cereals, cereals, lean meat and fish more often. From sweet, blackcurrant, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, lingonberries and strawberries are allowed. A doctor will definitely give more accurate recommendations.
In addition, you must:
- Intimate hygiene daily, morning and evening. Use a gentle soft gel and a terry towel to wipe sensitive affected skin.
- Do the correct depilation. If there is not only a small rash on the head of the penis, but also in the groin, it is better to abandon the razor, replacing it with scissors.
- Wear spacious linen made from natural fabric.
And, of course, it is necessary to take medicines in accordance with the instructions and recommendations of the doctor. In the future, it is better to abandon promiscuous sexual intercourse and use barrier contraception.