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Hydrocortisone cream 1% used on penis glans. Now thinned skin.

Will my penis glans skin recover after using hydrocortisone 1% cream? I began using this cream in February 15 for about 5 days. Then I stopped and had sexual intercourse.  Everything seemed fine but I got redness so started using it again for about a week. All was fine again. Then masturbated and the skin not my foreskin must of rubbed on residue that was there. This was about a week later after having used it. It seemed that 3 quarters of my glans went a blood red colour. I guess the skin was starting to thin.  I masturbated a few more times over the week and my penis glans skin began to go dry and crack.  On once occasion a dot of blood appeared. I couldn't understand what was going on.

It was sore and painful but a man has needs. When I masturbated I kept the skin retracted (I am uncircumcised ). This stopped any friction. I then tried to stay away from sex and masturbating.  However a man does have needs so if I did I used a lube. So as not to affect any healing process. So. So far I had used cortisone 1% on and off for roughly two weeks I guess. I'd decided enough was enough. The skin was becoming wrinkly and transparent when my penis was soft when I started to masturbate.  When erect I noticed that some capillaries were showing at the Base of the head. Also it has a shiny , waxy appearance and could be red in one place.  Anyway. Through pure stupidity I decided to use the cream for one more week. Only applying it where the redness was and rubbing it in.

I read some more stuff online and thought. Wow. Enough of this poison. So stopped using it and won't use any steroid cream again. So. At the moment I have a prison glans that can have a blotchy appearance and the skin can look at little loose . If I start to masturbate i first see transparent wring skin then the whole glans looks dry. I then get out the lube to stop any damage and the reappearance of cracked skin. This helps me greatly. When erect my penis has red blood capillaries visible at the Base of the glans. Also the skin is waxy /shiny .

Can anyone tell me if all the symptoms will disappear with time. And what sort of a time scale am I looking st for a full recovery ? Or am I stuck with these side effects. All good , honest advice appreciated.  

Anyone given steroid creams for something similar I suggest you do not use. All in all I guess I used this cream for 5 days,  then had a few days break. Then used them again for 7 days. Then a break for a couple or few weeks. I'd used it liberally for those 12 days. Didn't realise what I was doing. After the 2 to 3 weeks break only using occasionally I then decided to try to fix it by using it for one more week. Applied twice a day and only a small amount and where it was originally needed. Was used in conjunction with an anti fungal cream.  

Anyway. I've stopped using it now. And has cut down on masturbation and if I do I use a lube. Which helps greatly. So my question is. Will my penis skin return to normal. And how long will it take.  Or am I stuck with this affliction for the rest of my life. Thanks.  
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Avatar universal
Guys, an update from me. I went to a dermatologist a couple of months ago and she prescribed me a drug called Piascledine (containing avocado oils) for 2 months and apart from the cream Banival I was already using, also Terproline EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor). I am drinking collagen sometimes, but the doctor said she is not sure if it reaches there where it is needed (I guess because of not too much research on the collagen supplements for skin, but still collagen doesn't really have any side effects, as far as I know).
Based on research on the internet before, I have found that protopic (tacrolimus) and ammonium lactate might cause thickening of the skin and the doctor confirmed that this is possible (it is actually a side effect of protopic), but since there are other potential side effects, she didn't prescribe those to me. Anyway, I can see an improvement from where I was before, so the healing process is ongoing.
I also occasionally get redness, but I don't see a correlation with friction, it just shows for a day and then later on disappears. I suppose that is because the capillaries are messed up by the corticosteroid (betamethasone) and based on what I read about it, it would take quite some time to go back to normal.
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13 Comments
SpheroD2,

Did you dermatologist confirm that Terproline EGF is safe for penile skin, specifically the glans? I have a burn that cause a slightly indented square area I am trying to regenerate. I have tried essential oils(Helichrysum and Rose Hip Seed oil), but have not seen a lot of improvement. There is some hyper-pigmentation too I would like to correct.

I am very nervous about applying creams designed for the face to the penis skin. You are seeing improvement? Where exactly are the areas you are applying these creams to?

Thanks so much for your help!
My dermatologist prescribed it for penile skin and I didn't have any problems while using it. However, I don't think your problem has anything to do with the thinning caused by corticosteroids. My advice is if you don't have any problems when having sex, leave it alone, otherwise trying too hard to fix a cosmetic issue might make things worse.
SpheroD2,

Apologies for not responding sooner as I just saw your comment today. I don't have any problems having sex as I can get erections normally and there is no pain or any other problems. My issue seems to be purely cosmetic as this point. However, I am still GREATLY bothered by this as the area gets bigger during an erection and is unsightly. I would VERY MUCH like to improve this by possibly thickening up the skin over this area. Do you think that the Terproline EGF and/or Piascledine could possibly do this? Even though our injuries were caused by different things, do you think the treatment could be similar?

I appreciate you mentioning the fact that it's just cosmetic and trying to fix it may make it worse, but this is still causing me great distress and anxiety. I have an appointment w/my dermatologist who 6 months ago said there was nothing he could really do. I was wondering if mentioning these drugs/creams to him that you are using would be beneficial? Did these actually thicken your skin? Do you see a big difference between thinking of the skin from corticosteroids vs. skin erosion from an acetic acid burn? I haven't lost much skin but you can notice the outline around the area and the skin inside that area is slightly paler.

Any further advice you can offer is VERY greatly appreciated! Thanks again and I hope your condition is improving!
So do you think that by leaving it alone, my issue could improve and correct itself over time? Even a marginal improvement would be better than nothing. The acetic acid burn not only ate away at some of the surface skin but also created what appears to be hyper-pigmentation underneath it. These marks have been there for about 8 months.
mgr2019,
As far as I know the thinning caused by corticosteroids happens under the skin surface and is not always clearly visible and doesn't looked like burned or smth like that. Injuries like having burned or dried out the skin on the surface are different in my opinion. Why do you think the skin is thinner, probably it's not. That is why I can't tell you if using the cream/drug would be appropriate for your case, especially the drug which is under prescription, but of course you can discuss it with the dermatologist. In my case, I had great improvement: six months ago the doctor saw an issue, now she said the skin is almost fine, even if visually and in terms of surface to me it's still different. That was the proof for me that we can easily start thinking the wrong thing, while the situation is actually much better and not see the small and slow improvements over time
And yes, I think that if you leave it alone it will improve, our bodies heal naturally, of course it's good if you help it by taking good care of it, moisturizing the skin, having a healthy diet and lifestyle, maybe some skin supplements, etc...
I'm glad to hear that your condition has improved over the last 6 months. And yes, I think you are right that our conditions are different. Again, I applied un-dluted apple cider vinegar to the glans for a couple of days. Very stupid and I soooo wish I would have thought this through more. There was never anything wrong with the area. I was just over-reacting. What happened was it ate into the skin of the glans a bit and now there is an area that has a square like boarder where the skin is slightly lower. It basically looks like lines in the shape of a square and inside, the skin is a bit paler. It looks the worst during an erection. That is why I was hoping a product like Terproline EGF would help re-build the epidermis and possibly re-grow some of the skin which was damaged or eaten away. It's not really deep. But I'm not sure if the EGF will do that. I was hopeful that the essential oils which I am using, which purportedly help produce collagen and have molecules small enough to penetrate the skin, would boost skin renewal/regeneration. But I'm not sure that a collagen supplement will do that much or just improve the elasticity of the skin . . . I want this fixed soooo bad. . . . And hopefully you right; in time, I am hoping to see a little improvement. Does this really sound like something that will heal naturally over time? What sort of supplements would you suggest for this? Thanks again for all of your advice!!!
I mentioned in my other post regarding supplements: collagen, Perfectil and omega 3-6-9 probably. Regarding Terproline, it might help, but check it with your doctor first.
Thanks. I am applying omega 3-6-9 in for form of RoseHip Seed Oil, but I have not seen any improvement w/the hyperpigmentation, which is suppose to be one of RoseHip Seed Oil's many strengths. I will ask my dermatoligist about Terproline® EGF but he is probably going to say just leave it alone. I have to improve this, though. I can't live with it like this forever. Know what I mean?
And the one thing I can't understand about collagen is; Helichrysum is suppose to increase collagen production 6 fold and one of it's strengths is that it has molecules small enough that can get through the skin into the bloodstream. So I don't know why I am not seeing any improvement. Unless, like you said earlier, there has been improvement over the last few months but seeing I look at it many times a day, I don't notice it.
Hi SpheroD2,

A recent development of my condition is that my dermatologist says the may area I am concerned with is NOT atrophic/indented but just hypopigmentation. He said there is not much he can do for it but a laser treatment, which I don't want to do in that sensitive area :) I have been reading about supplements that increase pigmentation like Ginger and Turmeric. I also read that Coconut Oil may help increase pigmentation. As a moisturizer, would you recommend Coconut Oil or something else like Shea butter(I was starting to try that, also) or something better? How about JoJoBa oil? Also, do you think that the benefits of Perfectil on the skin would reach the penis skin?

Thanks much for all of your help!!! I hope your condition is continuing to improve!
Hi SpheroD2,

A recent development of my condition is that my dermatologist says the may area I am concerned with is NOT atrophic/indented but just hypopigmentation. He said there is not much he can do for it but a laser treatment, which I don't want to do in that sensitive area :) I have been reading about supplements that increase pigmentation like Ginger and Turmeric. I also read that Coconut Oil may help increase pigmentation. As a moisturizer, would you recommend Coconut Oil or something else like Shea butter(I was starting to try that, also) or something better? How about JoJoBa oil? Also, do you think that the benefits of Perfectil on the skin would reach the penis skin?

Thanks much for all of your help!!! I hope your condition is continuing to improve!
SpheroD2,

I wanted to also comment on the capillaries issue you mentioned earlier. Again, my condition is the hypopigmented spot and a red area which my dermatologist said is most likely broken blood vessels, which I believe are the same as capillaries? The disturbing thing is he said that these would likely stay the same. I have read many cases where post inflammatory hyperpigmentation or broken blood vessels would fade in time and turn closer to the surrounding skin tone. Do you have any knowledge or experience with this?
SpheroD2,

I have recently been reading about how Emu oil can thicken skin AND reverse the effects of hypopigmentation. Have you tried this for your thinned skin condition and, if so, what results have you seen?
Avatar universal
It's nearly 2 years and 6 months since I used thiscream. Hydrocortisone 1%.  About 14 grammes. Mostly back to normal thankfully but here are some things that show, but still hopefully improving:

* glans can go red where the foreskin strikes the glans. Only happens with a lot of friction.  And not always and goes back to normal faster than before.

*  some wrinkles or uneven skin can show now and then but mostly fine.

* the foreskin was stretched. Still a little stretched. Seems to be more than normal still. Foreskin in area where the cream was used is also more pale.

* dead skin cells shredded off but not very often anymore.  Will keep an eye on it.

* glans mostly looks exactly the same but can seem more pale which shows the redness/ pinkness from where venues were messed about.

* on the stretched foreskin semen can seem to become kind of trapped after ejaculation. Then dries. Easily fixed via washing in between ejaculation and not a big thing. But I thought this was worth mentioning. Guess having more skin there for now. Or stretched out skin means it isn't behaving as it used to yet.

Next update at Christmas. Mostly back to normal. Just few things still ongoing but not major.
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Avatar universal
Hey Splodge! Just wanna say a massive thank you for the effort you've put into documenting all of this. You're an absolute legend.

Was circumcision ever an option for you? Did you speak about this with doctors? Also, over the course of your recovery, how prone were you to yeast infections? I'm concerned that with thinned skin and regular sexual activity, it's just gonna be a disaster. I would rather cop out and get the snip, if it means avoiding all this.

For me the thinning and redness of skin is mainly on the inside of the foreskin. The glands and penis head look mostly fine.
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1 Comments
Hi, when I went to a dermatologist about this problem, she told me that thinned skin does not make the skin more prone to infections.
Avatar universal
Splodge we all greatly appreciate your selfless and tireless effort in  documenting your experience with the intention of informing the wider public and thus providing invaluable insight to the ramifications of using steroid creams on the already sensitive penis glans.

We thank you!
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1 Comments
You're welcome.  Glad to have been of help so far. Tbis journal will continue until 5 years has elapsed. After that they'll probably be no more updates but who knows.

This cheap cream you can buy in a chemist can cause a lot of grief if it's used incorrectly where I used it. But you will recover but to exactly what extent is still ongoing for me.

Happy as I am but I'll give it 5 years. Next updates at Christmas, or new year .
Avatar universal
Glad I could be of help.

Left it to nature and I'm glad I did. Suffer from Rosacea a bit down there now but only with excessive friction. The capillaries are a bit messed up I reckon which causes the redness.
Dry skin from dead cells being replaced by new ones also. Foreskin a little stretched. Glans skin too but hardly noticeable.

I'm delighted to be where I am. It's just tough some days because it's such a slow healing process.

Anyway.  Please refer to my journal for future updates if need be. Only updating yearly, or half yearly now. I wish you well with everything too dude.
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1 Comments
Pinky red. Not red. And heals faster and faster thankfully. All other updates on my journal.
Avatar universal
Splodge, dude, I was about to try the cortisone-cream I have for treating spots of psoriasis down there and last-minute decided to maybe Google it first, which has brought me here and I must say: I'm glad I did and am now leaning more towards taking other options or first asking a professional for advice. You started off very positive and I was like: its maybe not that bad, but then I saw the date of the first post, checked your last post and seeing its not over yet after 2 years and a half has certainly put me off the idea.

Thanks for that! Hereby also my assurance you did at least help 1 person: me (and thus probably many other quiet ones). ;)

I wish you a soon and fast recovery and be careful out there, my friend, because life is deadly... ;p
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