Last updated on August 16, 2020
Question:
Hi.
I am a 23-year-old male. A few years ago I started to notice a strong smell coming from my scrotum from time to time, especially in the summer when I sweat a lot. Furthermore, some of the hairs on the lower back and sides of my scrotum get a yellowish crust or film on them. I wash regularly, at least once a day, and the smell comes back almost immediately, even when I dry completely and apply Gold Bond. The crust doesn’t really go away when I wash either, whether I use soap or shampoo. I know some amount of sweating and smell is normal, but this gets really pungent and is becoming a problem. Is this normal? What should I do?
Answer:
A yellow crusting is generally an indication that you have an infection that is draining. The smell also indicates an infection. The infection is probably in some of your glands (sweat or oil) or possibly in some hair follicles. Gold Bond Medicated Powder, which is soothing to the skin, does not handle many types of infections. The best thing would be to see your doctor and let him figure out what kind of infection you have and determine the best treatment.
If you are reluctant to see a doctor, you can try an antibiotic ointment and see if that helps or not. If it doesn’t help, you really need to see the doctor.