balanitis

[by-the-lake]

My intactivist friends 19 y.o intact son has had balanitis twice in 6 months. He practices proper hygiene and is not sexually active. She is taking him to a urologist this summer after college and is afraid they will recommend circ only to have the same issue again. Is there any way to avoid balanitis without circ? If he is indeed circed, will he have balanitis again? Thanks for your help.

[MommytoB]

Is he using soap on his foreskin ? If he is then I would suggest to not use soap there .

Just do the retract , rinse, recover and see if that helps .

Because he more likely may have what we call irritant dermatitis when sometimes skin can get irritated from something like soap, detergent, deodrant, lotion etc .

Some parts can get it more than others and others may get it none.

It goes the same way with gals some gals are fine with soaping their privates others are fine with just rinsing .

It not just privates even other parts of skin can go through irritant dermatitis my ex can not soap up any part of his body way too senstive of soap/lotion. He can soap his glans and that don't cause him issues and he never soaped his foreskin just the glans .

Other guys may cringe at the thought of soap /glans with an ouch as in stinging more with use of soap how some young boys can be fine in bubble baths & others can't.

[MyBoysBlue]

I would try googleing Balanitis UK. You'll find out what they do in a country that doesn't just automaticly circ at the first sign of a problem.

Here are a few I found.
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/h...is_adults.html
http://www.homecure.co.uk/balanitis.html
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/menshealt.../balanitis.htm

From what I've read it looks like it can be caused by yeast. Also No soap! but Salt water can be helpful.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Balanitis is a catch all phrase that many dr use to describe an unknown issue with the foreskin. He should have a culture done to see exactly what is causing the issues. It could be bacterial or it could be as simple as a yeast infection. The only way to know for sure is to have the culture done and see what grows.

[glongley]

Try acidophilus applied topically 4-5 times a day, or try OTC 7 day Monistat yeast medication. If it is yeast, this should help pretty quickly, but may need to be continued for a while to fully reestablish the healthy flora. I agree with ruling out chemical sources of irritation, like swimming pool chlorine, jacuzzis, change of detergent, etc.

Circumcision is not indicated, and she should let the urologist know that this is not an option, but you need to find a doctor knowledgeable about conservative treatment of the foreskin. Sometimes a dermatologist is better at sorting out skin irritations.

Gillian

[tutucrazy]

Sounds like he might actually be having yeast problems and/or flora imbalance. He needs to cut sugar out of his diet for awhile and get on a good probiotic supplement (both orally and topically). Avoid all soaps on the genitals. It would be very rare for a man to have this problem unless his flora balance is getting disturbed by something either topically or in his diet. If there is yeast he should treat it either topically or with oral diflucan...same as a woman would.

[eepster]

This article was written with younger kids in mind, but it's probably relavnt to the circumstances anyway.

http://www.mothering.com/health/prot...advice-parents

[TyrantOfTheWeek]

He is 19. Is this friend 100% positive he is not sexually active?
The other posters had awesome advice though.

[4chunut1]

Originally Posted by MommytoB

...
It not just privates even other parts of skin can go through irritant dermatitis my ex can not soap up any part of his body way too senstive of soap/lotion. He can soap his glans and that don't cause him issues and he never soaped his foreskin just the glans ...

I am curious as to how your ex can soap JUST the glans, and not the foreskin... You have to retract the foreskin to expose the glans, and I would think soap would be in contact with the inner foreskin also.

I am intact, and can soap the glans, foreskin, everything with no problems. Getting soap in the opening to the urethra does sting though.

It is very possible that the foreskin can become irritated through frequent or "rough" masturbation. That can cause redness and swelling of the inner foreskin also. Am unsure if "not sexually active" excludes masturbation or not...

[hakunangovi]

Originally Posted by by-the-lake

Is there any way to avoid balanitis without circ? If he is indeed circed, will he have balanitis again? Thanks for your help.

Circumcision will not cure anything. A culture needs to be taken when he is suffering from one of these episodes of 'balanitis' to determine if it is a yeast infection or a bacterial infection. Treatment is simple for either one - either an OTC yeast treatment or antibiotics as the case may be. By the way, circumcised men can also suffer from infections of the glans or meatus.

[PuppyFluffer]

If yeast is suspected (or confirmed), I have heard that about a third of yeast is resistant to Monistat and have heard that there are other antifungal creams that might work. If Monistat doesn't work, another antifungal might be needed.

[MommytoB]

Originally Posted by 4chunut1

I am curious as to how your ex can soap JUST the glans, and not the foreskin... You have to retract the foreskin to expose the glans, and I would think soap would be in contact with the inner foreskin also.

He would retract his foreskin back so only the glans was exposed soap up the glans , rinse off, then he would recover himself up .