It is always wise to get your gp/md to check such problems.

However, it could be a bad case of folliculitis if you have been swimming alot and not being very diligent about drying yourself in the affected area, then it creates a perfect environment for bacterial growth.

If it folliculitis then the treatment is normally made up of several elements. You need to wash the area with a mild anti-bacterial soap or wash. Dry the area carefully. Use a corn starch based powder to reduce wetness and treat the infected area with a mix of antibiotics and an external antibiotic cream.

Please see

http://dermnetnz.Org/acne/folliculitis.Htm l


mike

Do you mean std? Sorry, I just have no idea what an sti is.
I would definately go to your doctor. Especially since the method you are using right now is not helping. It may be embarassing, but helpful.
Don't feel bad though, us girls have to go through that every year even if we don't have a problem. It is perfectly normal. Good luck.

This does indeed sound like some type of fungal infection and does have the possibilty of being an sti (sexually transmitted infection). It could be chlamydia. Chlamydia is a silent std/sti. Usually it does not display any symptoms, especially in women. It can in men produe an abnormal discharge. Because chlamydia is a bacterial infection it is easily treated with antibiotics such as azithromycin. If it is not std related it could possibly be candida albicans. Candida is part of our natural flora (bacteria) but in moiste environments, this bacteria grows out of hand and becomes irritable. The best idea would be to go to a physician and get it checked out. He will peform a scrape where the bacteria will be cultured and looked at to see what bacteria is prevalent. Either one of these fungal infections can be easily treated with antibiotics. It is best to get it checked out asap because if it is chlamydia, futher complications such as infertility could result. Best of luck!
Natalie

Thanks for the answers guys. I'm quite happy to see the doctor about it (no amount of embarrasment could match the itchiness!) but for the fact that I have recently moved to the usa and don't have medical insurance for another couple of weeks! I hate being in this situation...

Actually the rash and the swelling on my penis have both got a little better over the last 24 hours. But it's the little dots under my pubic hair that are still as strong as ever. They're beginning to spread a little onto my thighs one by one and onto my stomach.

I have to say that the rash under my pubic region is nearly all joined together. Though it is clearly formed by lots of little dots. Some of them do appear to line up with the hair follicles, but I guess that could really be random. They aren't really raised, nor have any kind of pus-filled centre - just little red dots rangeing from about 2 to 5 mm. I guess it'd be unlikely that i'd get folliculitis and some kind of fungal infection which happened to spread up my penis at the same time?

The worse thing is actually not knowing for sure what the problem is. I'm pretty sure I haven't caught anything off a girl, but all the same it's worrying.

Roll on the beginning of next month when I can get it checked out by a professional if it hasn't been cured by then by some kind of miracle (and I am praying to the gods of all major religions that it will be cured - for my sanity).

Thanks again!

Hey natalie. Thanks for the definition of sti. I had never heard of that before. Makes sense though. Oops.