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Chemical burn on glans caused scarring

About 7 months ago I burned my glans with apple cider vinegar because of what I thought were warts yet they were not(this was confirmed by my dermatologist). The burns created two small scars; one that very slightly indented and looks a bit lighter/whiter than the surrounding skin and one that is red and looks like a wrinkle or line, similar to other lines that are normal skin tone on the glans and were there before.

I have tried treating these with Manuka Honey and, more recently, an essential oil blend of 5% Helichrysum in Rose Hip Seed oil for three months. I have not noticed much improvement and have become very frustrated as I REALLY want to improve the look of these scars. My girlfriend says you can hardly notice them and thinks I am making more out of this than I should because she doesn't even think they are scars, just slightly different colored skin than the rest of the glans but I still want them to look better.

My dermatologist says there is not much they can do and didn't seem like they were a big deal, either, but I am not ready to give up. Is there anything else I can try to help improve the look of these scars? If essential oils and honey won't help, what will? Is there anyway I can help some of the skin which was burned away to grow back? The essential oils I am using are supposed to induce collegen which I thought would help the skin grow back.

Any help or advice is GREATLY appreciated!!!
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Avatar universal
Hi, I am female but really appreciate your concerns about your condition. I have a slight problem - down there - as well. If I look very carefully I can see a tiny, teeny, little lump. Or rather I can feel it. I even went to the doctor's. She had a big problem trying to find it, but eventually said it was the base of a hair follicle and the hair was turning inwards, but it bothers me none the less.

I think I know what will help you and give you peace of mind. Try to imagine that this 'scarring' is on another part of your body that rarely gets seen, say under your arm, or on mucous tissue like the inside your mouth. Picture your mouth with a little scar tissue on the side of your cheek. Would it bother you? I think not.

The point is that you glans is an area of your body that is charged with emotion. It is, after all, what makes you male. Your virility. So, of course, it really bothers you. But do you see what I mean? Under your arm or in your mouth it doesn't matter because it is not emotional charged with your sexuality, but on your gland, that's a different matter.

Knowing this, would you be able to just put it out of your mind like I have done?
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Thank you, Maureen. I am sorry to hear about your condition and hope it doesn't continue to bring you down. I do understand what you are saying and you raise some very good points. Because it is on the glans, it is a very prominent spot. And the thing that makes it worse is that the "scar" or lighter/slightly indented skin, or whatever it is, gets a big bigger during an erection because of the nature of how the penis expands during an erection. This is the part that bothers me the most. It almost makes me afraid to have an erection!

I know eventually I am going to have to get past this, but I am not sure how. If it's permanent then I keep thinking when I am 75, I will still have to look at this and worry about it. What a stupid mistake I made!!!

The severity of this changes based on what angle you look at it and I examine it daily or several times a day, sometimes thinking that the essential oils(Helichrysum 5% w/Rose Hip Seed Oil for scarring) I am applying are helping, then other times I think I am just kidding myself and they are having no affect. So this is even more frustrating.

I really appreciate your comments and if you would like to keep an open dialog, I would really be interested!!!
Hi mgr, thanks for replying. I see what you mean about a prominent spot now. I don't know why I thought of it like a hidden spot under your arm or in your mouth. I think that must be a guy thing. The problem I told you about with the tiny lump I have is not prominent of course. I have to hover around over a magnifying glass to see it! But with you, I can appreciate that it really is a prominent spot and that's why it bothers you so much.

But I have to reiterate what I already said, that I am sure this has to do with your manhood and all this stands for. If we change the under arm and inside of the mouth to a more prominent spot on your body, we could say if you had a scarring on your nose or hand. That wouldn't seem so bad, would it? It would have nothing to do with your sexuality. It seems to me that this is definitely a subconscious thing that you could work on, or see a therapist. If you could get to the bottom of this I am sure you would be able to relax more. As to being 75. I think you must be way off that. Maybe very young. At first, I laughed and thought you were way out there. But, yes, I have to admit I think you may be right because I am now 71 and am still harping on about that stupid tiny lump, aren't I? I do hope you will do some work on this. Let me know if you need more help. All the best, Maureen.
Hi Maureen,

It is prominent for sure but a girl I was dating said that she could hardly notice anything and didn't think the even qualified as scars. When I first told her about it, then showed her, she said she was prepared for something really bad but once she saw it, she said she wouldn't worry about it in the slightest. So that made me feel a bit better about things but I still would like to see it improved, even a little. Especially since I did this to myself. If it were through natural causes or even some disease, I wouldn't blame myself so much for doing something stupid like this.

I'm 54 right now and one thing that worries me is that when I am 75 and look at myself, I will always remember the stupid thing I did. I am still self-conscious about taking a shower or even going to the bathroom for fear of stopping and examining myself for 30 minutes. I feel soooo helpless about the entire situation.
Avatar universal
Triple Antibiotic Ointment or man1man oil do research on the internet about it I’m gonna use the ointment first for my problem hope I help in somehow
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
I have researched both. In fact, I have researched soooo many things and found that essential oils of Helichrysum and Rose Hip Seed Oil work wonders on most scars, but not sure about if they will work on sensitive skin on the penis and glans. What sort of problem are you trying to solve?
I used eczema cream in genital area skin become red , burn and rash so I’m trying to find way to recover my skin
I would try Aquaphor cream.
3191940 tn?1447268717
STOP putting random stuff on your penis.  That's the best advice I can give.  You probably read on the internet that apple cider vinegar was a cure for warts, and that's how you burned your penis in the first place.  Essential oils can also cause burns, and aren't intended to be used on your genitals.

Accept that you have very minor flaw on your penis skin, and move on.  There are creams that you can purchase at the drugstore that claim to reduce the appearance of scars, but I've not seen one that works very well,  and they will probably not do much on a chemical burn scar.  Additionally, those creams mostly state that they aren't intended for use on genitals.

If you continue to experiment with "internet cures," you risk further damaging your penis skin.
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11 Comments
Yes, that is correct. I read on the internet about the cure for warts using ACV. The real sad part is that my dermatologist looked at the area and said they were pearly penile papules, NOT genital warts. So I did this to myself for NO REASON at all. That's the hard part to accept. And I used ACV undiluted. I basically was not thinking at all.

I appreciate the advice about the essential oils. I have been using them for 3 months and there has not been any side affects, and sometimes I think I see improvement, but other times I don't and that's when I get really frustrated and sad. I am just having a hard time accepting this. But sexually, everything is still working, it's just the cosmetic aspect of having the spot(s) there. Not even sure I can call them scars, just thinner skin which is slightly lighter(although it's starting to blend into the surrounding skin more now) and the one red spot which may be hyperpigmentation. I am hoping that read spot will fade in time, perhaps 8-12 months.

Thank you again for taking the time to respond :)
I will also add that I originally saw a new doctor in my GP's office and she thought they were warts after examining me and wanted to prescribe Aldara, which after researching, I decided not to because of the cost and lack of effect most people claimed after using. Then I went to the Dermatologist and his diagnosis was NOT warts, but the pearly penile papules. I saw another Dermatologist(a PA this time) and he confirmed what the first Dermatologist's(an MD) diagnosis. They both didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but of course, it's not their body.
CurfewX,

I am trying to do what you say and accept the fact that this is a very minor flaw, which it probably is. It's just the permanence of the issue that bothers me. Will it ever get better? Even a little? I would settle for any improvement. Most say the glans heals very well. Would it help to keep it moisturized w/Vaseline or Aquaphor?

Any advice you have would be very appreciated. Trying to put this behind me and move on, like you said, but it's a blow to my ego. I probably shouldn't let it bother me so much.
It is impossible to say whether it will ever change in appearance or not.  NO ONE is going to really notice except for you, and you aren't the only person in the world who has flaws.  If it's a deal breaker for someone else, they're being ridiculous.

Vaseline or Aquaphor will almost certainly do nothing - neither good nor bad.  It really isn't advisable to put creams of any kind on your genitals, though.  Some can trap in bacteria, which isn't great.  I'm saying this as light-heartedly as possible - FORGET about this minor flaw and focus on something more important.
I truly appreciate your candor and am trying to forget about this, but it is really difficult. The part I am most concerned about is the little square patch that looks like it may be scar tissue gets bigger during an erection and is more noticeable. I just wish I could diminish the appearance a little. But perhaps you are right and no one will ever notice, but I'm not sure how as I can see it clearly. But I know my own body better than anyone. I just can't believe this happened. But perhaps I am making too much out of this? It's all I think about.

You seem certain that it's not a big deal and no one will ever notice. Is that because you deal w/much bigger problems and you think it could be something much worse I could be dealing with, like herpes or something? I was worried someone may think I have an STD even though I had a full panel last year, including Herpes 1 and 2 and everything came back negative.

I feel a little better after I read your comments. Thank you!!!
Curfewx, I sooooo appreciate your words of wisdom and will try very hard to take them to heart. I am curious, though . . . you have repeatedly said that you feel this is a MINOR flaw w/o seeing it. How can you be so sure it is minor? Are you just relating it to a more serious condition, like Herpes or Genital Warts or something else?  I am very glad I don't have either of those conditions or anything else, but I just wish I could improve this a little, for my own peace of mind . . . I would fee like I accomplished something at least after trying so hard.
Hi CurfewX,

I realize you are probably very busy and there are much more important posts related to HIV/Aids. but if you could please elaborate why you feel my scars or marks from this burn are VERY minor flaws w/o seeing them. Again, they are not huge but noticeable if you look(at least I notice them). The main one I am concerned about looks like a little patch, slightly indented and a bit paler than the surrounding skin. When you stretch the skin, you can still see the square lines around it and the skin is a bit shinier. Would this be scar tissue or just new skin? I was hoping to increase the collagen levels in that area somehow to thereby re-generate the skin tissue to bring that area more level w/the surrounding area. The red area I mentioned contains a slightly redder area w/one of the wrinkles or lines being a bit redder and noticeable than the other wrinkles on the glans. There appear to be 2 small fissures on that line that are red, also, but I notice similar fissures in other lines on the glans that are normal skin color. I would very much like to lighten this red area a few shakes. That is why I was using the Helichrysum w/Rose Hip Seed oil. Helichrysum is purported to increase collagen levels up to 6 fold and Rose Hip Seed oil is reported to help w/Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation, which I think is responsible for the red areas. I really just wish I could improve this slightly but trying to also acknowledge the fact that I may have to accept it as is, which is devastating me although others, including you, said I should accept it and move on. It's hard!!!

Thank you for all of your advice!!! I truly value your opinion.
You are obsessing about this.  You have adequately described you minor flaws.  I have a multitude of physical imperfections, including a huge 9-inch surgical scar across my stomach, a large burn mark on the back of my leg, and a scar under my lip where my tooth went through the skin.  These are all very visible to many people.  Life will throw you many curves, and you can either accept them or obsess over them.  That is entirely your choice.  

I'm going to repeat that you should stop putting stuff on your penis, particularly if it is something you just read about on the internet and isn't approved by anyone, especially for use on genitals. You risk further damage.
I am definitely obsessing over it! It consumes my thoughts every day, all day. I am constantly examaning my penis all the time, looking at these marks from different angles, HOPING that they are getting better. I just don't know what I am going to do if this won't improve.

And I totally understand your point about your scars, and feel very bad for you that you have had to deal with these. But please try to understand what I think is a distinct difference . . . my marks or scars are on a very private area, an area which is tied to sexuality and is causing me a lot of depression and inability to move on. I have other scars, on my face, and although I was concerned about them for a second, I didn't really give them much thought. But the marks on my penis are just causing me to lose hope. If I have to live w/this the rest of my life, how am I going to explain it to future partners??? How do I actually accept this and move on? I feel so hopeless.
This is a really important point, Curfewx: I have other physical imperfections as well: I have a skin condition that affects my chest and arms that creates darker patches and have dealt with that for 20 years. Although distressing, it hasn't caused me EVEN CLOSE to the stress that these penis scars have caused. If this was even a bad scar on my face, I would of course feel terrible about it for a while, but eventually I think I would be able to get over that easier than these scars on my penis because I caused these scars myself for such a STUPID reason. There was NEVER anything wrong with me. If I would have not done anything, I would be fine. If it was a surgery scar on my stomach, I would at least have some solace in the fact that it wasn't my fault and the result of something stupid. Now, for the rest of my life, I will remember this terrible episode. THAT's why I want to at least diminish the marks so they are not so noticeable. I am not sure that's possible seeing they are 7 months old and I don't think a dermatologist will do anything. That's why I feel so helpless. I can't think of anything else.

Again, I am not trying to diminish the severity of your scars, just put it in a perspective which I am dealing with now.
Hi CurfewX,

I wanted to once again say thank you for the comments about some of the scars you have and how you have dealt with them. Again, I did not want to try to demean or make your situation sound like it was not that big of a deal. As I mentioned earlier, I have scars on my face and although they are not that prominent, I never give them a second thought. But the marks/scars on the penis are much more troubling because of the effect I feel they may have on my future with lovers because of the location. I am just worried there may always be questions about how they got there and whether they are STI related and I will have to always explain this for the rest of my life. Can you understand the concern and, if so, do you think it is justified? THAT is why I want to at least reduce their appearance as much as possible!!!
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