Last updated on August 16, 2020
Question:
A few days ago I found myself really itchy at one point, so I scratched. The next day I noticed that where it was itchy turned into like a red spot so I put some hand cream on it to moisten it and the color seems to have faded. Now it is the next day and the color has gone away even more.
I have had sex, but I think it’s been almost a year since the last time I was active. I have also let my pubic hair grow and it is fairly bushy so I figured maybe it is an ingrown hair or just being irritated by the hair, so I shaved this morning. It seemed to be better. Still a little noticeable if you know where to look, but now I have started to see a small white bump kind of like a Fordyce spot. It’s on my shaft and it seems like the skin is a little bit dry. I’m not sure what else to say. Maybe you can help me give me some other information on what this could be.
Thanks.
Answer:
If your problem was an ingrown hair, shaving your pubic region would not make it better. Depending on how close you shaved, you could cause additional hairs to become ingrown. An ingrown hair would be red and raised. You would see the hair curling just below the surface of the skin. People who have very kinky hair, such as those of African decent, are often plagued by ingrown hair.
My first guess would be jock itch. This is a fungus that gets under the skin and irritates it. But if it was such, hand lotion would only temporarily relieve the itching. Since it is fading, it could be eczema, which responds well to creams or oils. Eczema is a patch of thicker skin that appears to be dry and itches. Or, it could be that you are not rinsing your skin completely after washing with soap and the soap that remains is irritating your skin. A fourth possibility is that it is nothing more than acne. Acne is an infection in your oil glands. We generally associate it with pimples on the face, but they can appear anywhere on your body. Acne doesn’t look like dry skin. However, it is possible that your use of lotion clogged a pore and caused a pimple to form where you were already having a problem.
Since it appears to be fading, you are best off waiting about a week to see if it goes away on its own. Just make sure to rinse very well. If it does go away, then there is nothing to worry about.
If it remains or gets worse, then let’s start with the assumption that it might be a fungus. Go down to your local drug store and find an over-the-counter medicine that is specifically for jock itch. Follow the label directions. Continue to use it as directed even after the spot disappears as stopping too soon may allow it to regrow.
If this doesn’t work, then it would be best to have a doctor take a look at it. There are a lot of possibilities which I can’t rule out. Only a doctor looking directly at it or taking a skin scraping to examine under a microscope would be able to tell.