Okay, so you’ve got what you describe as “dry itchy skin on the penis or the vagina.” Here’s the good news: it might not be as bad as you think. If we’re just talking about a skin condition, then chances are that it’s not some terrifying STD and that it is treatable.
Why are we even talking about this on our blog? The fact of the matter is, skin conditions on the vaginal skin or on the penis can be extremely distressing, embarrassing, and difficult to diagnose. In general, patients don’t like to discuss these problems with their doctors, and their doctors often don’t have much experience in diagnosing and treating problems in this area.
What you’re probably looking at is eczema or psoriasis on penis or vaginal skin. Now, that’s no fun to have, but it’s just a skin condition and it is completely treatable. It does not mean that you can’t have kids or that it is sexually transmitted.
Although these dry skin patches on your penis and other areas of the genitals are not sexually transmitted, they can be traced back to intercourse in the case of psoriasis. Koebnerization is the term used when a lesion in the skin turns into psoriasis or tends to worsen/grow with any friction or rubbing.
Koebnerization usually comes from constant, low-intensity trauma. Basically, if you want to avoid this happening to you, then you’ll want to avoid intercourse when you have any rash, or open cuts or sores around your genitals.
If you are suffering from psoriasis or eczema on your genitals, you’ll definitely want to avoid scratching it. This is always true when suffering from an itchy skin condition, but especially when it comes to those highly sensitive areas.
Some others things you can do to avoid itching:
- A cool shower or bath can be a good alternative to scratching.
- Another option would be ice packs, cooling creams or ointments. A good home remedy can even be to use shortening to seal moisture into the skin, although this isn’t ideal, it may come in handy in an emergency.
- Drinking a lot of water and avoiding too much action in that area will help, too.
- Try TrueLipids Eczema Experts 1% Hydrocortisone Barrier Cream 2-4x per day on the problem area skin. TrueLipids creator, Dr. Cheryl Lee Eberting has had several patients tell her that this product is the only thing that has ever helped the itch of their psoriasis and eczema of the genital skin.
You’re going to want to talk to a dermatologist. You may prefer not to talk about your most private areas with your doctor, much less show them what you’re working with, but a condition like psoriasis can get a lot worse if ignored, so you’ll want to make sure to handle it as quickly as possible.
Of course, we probably don’t need to tell you that it’s important to have your condition looked at as soon as possible, but it wouldn’t be very responsible of us not to mention it, either. The last thing you want to do is self-diagnose and treat your condition improperly.
