Last updated on August 28, 2020
Question:
I am 18 years of age, I visit this website quite often and find it very interesting. There is this thing which has been bothering me. I hope you can help.
I have a bath every day, and when I do, I take my foreskin a little behind so that my glans is exposed, and I can clean my area. However, for a couple of months, I realized I have some dry, whiteish skin on the glans. I wash myself every day with some soap, but I make sure the little soap is washed off properly, and hope that it has disappeared. I also drink a good amount of water every day. Still the skin it not becoming smooth, and the dry skin isn’t disappearing. I have been seeing it every day. My other body skin has been a little dry, but I have been using a moisturizer for many years, but I never expected my genitals to be like this. It does not itch or is not red, it’s just the small patch of dry skin. Please tell me now what I could do so that I have a healthy body without this dry skin on the glans.
Thank you so much for helping me, sir. God bless you.
Answer:
When washing under the foreskin, avoid using soap. Just use water and a washcloth and then rinse well. Reserve soap for times when there is excessive smegma underneath the foreskin.
The lack of redness, soreness, or itching makes this a bit puzzling. Does the dry skin flake off when you wash it? How large of an area are we talking about?
What I’m going to suggest is trying some basic things to see if it makes a difference. If these don’t work, you will need to see a dermatologist (skin doctor) to find out what is going on.
Since you normally have dry skin, there are soaps designed for dry skin. They have extra oils in them to keep from overdrying your skin. Switch to one of those for a while and see if that improves your skin in general. For your glans, use a small amount of petroleum jelly on the dry spot after you bathe. If there is an improvement after several days, great!
If it remains, the more common problem is a yeast infection, though that usually makes the area red and itchy as well as having white spots. Get a cream or spray made to handle jock itch and follow the label directions carefully. If it is a yeast or fungal infection, you should see an improvement in a few days. Even if it disappears, keep following the directions on the label as you need to make sure to kill off all the fungus in your skin.
If it still remains, then you should try to eliminate a bacterial cause. Use an anti-bacterial ointment on the spot. Again, if that is the cause, you should see an improvement in a few days.
If none of this works, then you need to see a dermatologist. Be sure to tell him what you did try so he can focus on what it might be.