Red line down penis

[Pogo0685]

I was doing a diaper change just now and noticed a red line down my son's penis, from the head all the way to the base (he is 4 months old) I have never seen it before, is this normal? what would it be? Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Oh and it does not seem to hurt him at all. Thanks!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Is it on the bottom of his penis? If so that line is called the raphe and it is normal for it to be red. Sometimes more than others. It can get infected but that is very rare. It is where the genitals grew together in utero like a seam for lack of a better description.

[Pogo0685]

its more on the side than the bottom

dh says side bottomish

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Well it could be just the way his penis was laying in the diaper. Or it might be the start of something it is really hard to say.

Is it raised to the touch or under the skin more?

[Pogo0685]

It might be just the way his diaper was, I will keep an eye on it for a few days and if I continue to worry I will take him to the doctors, and I did not really feel it so I would say under the skin. Thank you for responding.... I was really worried at first

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Wish I could have been more help. I hope that it is all gone soon.

[KMK_Mama]

Sounds like the raphe to me too.

[glongley]

The raphe is rather irregularly placed on the underside of the penis (from the foreskin all the way down the shaft and continuing onto the scrotum). So even if it seems off to the side or wavy, that's probably what it is. That seam is often slightly raised and colored, so if there's a bit of irritation in the diaper area, it can rub and get redder.

A slightly irritated raphe is my guess of what you're describing, and the line itself is nothing to worry about, just that there may be a little bit of skin irritation going on. Keep the area clean, change diapers frequently, exposure to air, and barrier cream when in diapers, also rule out other irritants like detergents or chemicals.

Gillian

[Magali]

My ds has this too. I was worried the first time I saw it, but it didn't cause any trouble so I just assume it's meant to be there. Didn't know there is a name for it etc...

[tutucrazy]

Originally Posted by Pogo0685

It might be just the way his diaper was, I will keep an eye on it for a few days and if I continue to worry I will take him to the doctors, and I did not really feel it so I would say under the skin. Thank you for responding.... I was really worried at first

My son used to have this all the time. It is nothing to worry about. That seem gets red due to the heat and moisture of the diapers.

Infections are very rare and present as EXTREME swelling to the penis and and groin with a fever. Infections usually occur when there is injury to the foreskin such as forcible retraction.

Be sure to read this through:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...893&highlight=

[PuppyFluffer]

I remember seeing a link here to a web page about how the genitals form in utero that had really detailed drawing. It was very interesting if you are a science/anatomy buff! I don't have time to look for it right now. Maybe someone else can put their mouse on it and post it.

[MyBoysBlue]

it's in wikipedia under Perineal raphe. I think.

[Pogo0685]

Thank you everyone! The line is much lighter than yesterday, it must have just been irritation.