Bleeding at the top of butt crack

[Mr. D]

I have a raw area at the very top of, well, my buttcrack.  It bleeds a little when I am on the toilet, as I notice a small streak of bright red blood on the TP after wiping.  I can actually feel the area stretch when I sit on the toilet because it is so raw.  I get this two or three times a year.  It stings when I am in the shower and I gently spread the area to clean with a washcloth.  When I try to search for my symptoms, I get a lot of hits for pilonidal cyst, but even though some of my symptoms are similar, it does not seem to be it.  There is no lump, no extra hole or slit.  It is just very red, raw and itchy.  Is this area susceptible to becoming irritated because it is constantly being stretched?  Does anybody else have this issue, and if so, what do you do to alleviate the symptoms?

[Flying_Scot]

A related discussion, Has anyone else found this remedy for anal itching and bleeding? was started.

[daydreamkid99]

It helps to use athletes foot cream on it and I use a piece of a hankercheif and push it gently into the crack and onto the split sore. Change the piece of hanky, bandana, or large gauze a few times a day. It will begin to heal within the first day. Do NOT shave the area. It makes it worse. Instead use a cream hair removal.

[junebug58]

A related discussion, My open crack does bleed and is extreamly painfull to the touch or when entering tub to soak. was started.

[savethetatas]

,    hate to say this but if your groin glands are tender to touch when you have the sores / redness or pain..its herpes and you should see a doctor..they will certainly confirm it.

[savethetatas]

,    hate to say this but if your groin glands are tender to touch when you have the sores / redness or pain..its herpes and you should see a doctor..they will certainly confirm it.

[kngmaw]

A related discussion, butt crack bleeding was started.

[missin]

I have had this butt crack rash for years. My primary physician never got further than saying it was 'benign' and although it does not bleed on its own, it does itch sometimes but it tends to heal and split open incessantly, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.

I have tried several antifungal creams, raw aloe vera, medicated powder, neosporin, gosh I even tried using my own urine to kill this fungus thing (thanks a lot mom). So yea. Years folks!

I am glad I found this thread, although my buttcrack situation is a bit different. When it does heal, it does not heal fully or like it ought to, but rather the skin seems to grow more than it should, in effect creating layers of white skin (not normal white but bone white). This unpigmented skin either peels off or I get fed up and I rip it off in my own futile if recurring attempts to get rid of it. The area is indeed the butt crack and the surrounding skin, so I would say its about the size of a nickel or a quarter at worst.

AND NO THIS ISNT A CIST! It's either a bloody fungus or some kind of skin/nerve reaction that never quite heals. I find the post about the fungus lying under the epidermis quite credible. I wish there was some natural cure for this.

[hurtnbutt]

Hi, I get these too & I use Desiten (what is used for a baby's bottom during diaper rash & it works amazingly!  It might take a day or two to feel the results but it does work.  I put it there when I get up in the morning & in the evening.  Hope this helps.

[Antonio57]

this could be a fungus like jock itch, i think it was for me, some people are more susceptible to that.  An antifungal powder helped me and also after I saw a dermatologist, prescriptions for Ketoconazole 2% (an antifungal cream) and Desonide, a general skin treatment cream.  Don't just see a general dr. go to an experienced dermatologist.

[Toldman]

Don't use Any powder cause when you mix the oil based product with the powder what you have is nothing more than  wet sandpaper that's making the sore worse and preventing it from healing.. I would use ( Natural Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap).  Pull up on the Web,  Natural Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap | Handmade Olive Oil Soap--Mozilla Firefox.  It just may do the trick, but do have a look at this Website.
Toldman    

[HealthNut88]

I think I know what everyone might be talking about...I am a 20 y.o. Male and what I am suffering from is at the very top of my *** crack but on the INSIDE, it's not a hole! It's a "crack". No pun intended! haha No but seriously, it's raw and red, but it does not bleed. It feels like an open scab, it's itchy but it hurts when I try to wipe down there. It's just irritated and cracking. I feel like the skin splits sometimes.

Could this be because I go to the gym and do cardio? [lots of leg moving exercises]

And what should I buy?!

[Aussie2505]

Ive had this same exact problem as the original poster for maybe 10 years or so. Not something similar like alot of people on here. It hasnt bothered me, hell most of the time i dont even think of it...but like yourself once ot twice a year on the toilet there will be blood, just as you described. Ive never tried anything other then keeping myself clean.
Please let me know MR D how it turns out, and what worked for you, if anything,

[DrStevens]

I'm a physician and seem to be suffering from the same thing.  I can attest that it is not a pilonidal cyst, because it first appeared after a trip abroad, and then spread to my girlfriend.  Cysts don't spread like that.  Infections do.  

My assumption is that it is a fungal infection, just like tinea pedis (athlete's foot).  Fungus is everywhere, and a healthy person can usually keep it in check.  We get fungal infections most often when our gut bacteria (lactobacilli) become unbalanced.  

In my case, I picked up a parasite while traveling (confirmed via stool-test), which, over time, caused an imbalance in my gut flora.  Also, I'm sensitive to gluten, as are many people who don't know it.  The best treatment I found was to first take appropriate anti-parasitic drugs to kill the causative infection, eliminate gluten from my diet to reduce any internal inflammation, and take lots and lots of probiotics (acidophilus--get the refrigerated kind) to reestablish my own natural defenses.  Also, topical anti-fungals and powder to keep the area dry is a good idea.  

It takes at least 3 months for the gut to rebuild itself, with appropriate treatment. After the gut environment is back to normal, these infections should cease.

[curious579]

Curious, 42 year old female here again.  Went to doc again who said top of butt crack is a common place for all kinds of various issues to pop out because embryonically it is the last place of our neural column to close.  (I was right, it's related to our nervous system and the neural column which ends at the base of the spine.)  He said sometimes we develop cysts or other things there that come back.  He said he doubts it's herpes but to put my mind to rest gave me a prescription for a blood test for herpes (you don't have to wait for a sore to erupt to get a blood test for herpes.)  I'll know the results in two weeks.  Good luck all!  

[curious579]

42 year old female here.  I got this little red raw sore a couple weeks ago at the top of my butt crack that hurt and was itchy.  It came out at the same time as a massive rash on my lower legs that I thought was caused by using a new product (cocoa butter cream.)  I went to the doctor and got a sore throat on the way.  The doc said all three were related and diagnosed me with shingles, prescribed me an antiviral, antibiotic, and anti-itch.  But, he said the butt crack thing could be herpes, which freaked me out as I've never had herpes that I've known of, although I have had this top of the butt crack thing probably three other times in my life.  So, I think this problem is related to a nerve ending we have at that location.  It is going away, but much more slowly than the leg rash which is already gone.  Hmm, why do we have so many different answers to this?  I am very mad at my doctor for not suggesting he swab the sore and test it for herpes.  Is there another way to find out?

[ho62]

I had a severe case of this probably due to excessive sitting (work/travel) and drying conditions cracking the skin. I tried everything OTC I could and found that Walmart sells a hydrocortisone plus lotion (equate) which immediately wiped out the symptoms. If this comes back I'll Tx again then try to wipe out the underlying Dx, likely fungus amoung us as mentioned in the above comments.

[jwsutphin]

i've been suffering with the whole itchy butt thing for about three months. I've tried lamesil and steroids and alcohol (don't ever do that i have scaring and the pigmintation is gone from my skin) I finally conceeded to excellent hygene petroliem jelly and a butt bath after each bowell movement and that would suffice during the day but at night the gremlins would come out and dance there dance i would get no sleep. then low and behold i started using monastat yeast infection cream and i swear there is no more night itching and my skin is starting to feel very smooth i'm not saying cure just yet but i'm liking the results so far and just so i can feel even more girly i put a pad on so my but won't eat my underwear. hope this helps someone

[JenLyn39]

My anal cleft has been red and very irrated for three days now. It also has a very foul smelling clear discharge. There are no blisters that I can see. There is a tearing of the cleft and a rash that is similar to a diaper rash that covers the whole inside of my cheeks. It doesn't ich but it hurts like H@@@! This happens occasionally but I have never had the discharge. I have been using petro. jelly but it only helps for a little while. Do I go to the doctor or try something over the counter?

[gtcar]

i've had the same exact thing happening for years now. the only otc stuff i've found that works is cortisone .`10 with ALOE. the regular without aloe did no good.

[almelt]

I know everyone has their own theories but I'm pretty sure this is a pilonidal cyst. Google it and you'll see. One of my friends had this exact same thing and had to have surgery. Don't wait too late to see a doctor!

[hick775]

I had this problem on my  natal cleft and scrotum for months. I wanted to write because the condition is often miss diagnosed. The cause is from a skin fungus called Tinea. It is cured by Lamisil but sometimes it takes a stronger med (cream or oral antifungal) that you can get from your doc. The bad thing is sometimes docs perscribe a steroid cream to speed healing before the fungal infection is cured. This means the fungi is healed under your skin and will keep comming back for further flare ups. I fought this for 6 months before a dermatologist finally figured it out. The secret is to kill the fungus thats growing under the top layer of skin. There is a good anti-fungal powder I use everyday its called Zeasorb-AF its expensive $7.00 for 2.5oz but its worth it not to have this menace return.  

[curiousavita]

thank you for sharing. I have the same symptoms as yours. only now it open a new perspective for my own treatment. i have had this irritating problem for a couple of years. (it comes & goes) i manage to help myself until recently to powder the infected areas & using some anti fugus cream. although it wasn't a full recovery, the itch & red blisters keep coming back but it was much better than before. I will apply your recommendation & hopefully will get this jock thingy out of the way permanently. so glad to read about this.

[glorygirl11]

I've had this aweful itching for a while now and it has usually gone away after a week or so. Lately it seems to want to stay around longer to the point that I've now had it for almost a month. It's a little above my tailbone to the top of my butt crack. I went to the doctor yesturday, they took some swabs and are sendng it to the lab to try to figure out what it is and how to treat it. It was more of a funny expirience then it was trumatizing.
It had itched so much that I would sctach it til it bled. For some reason I thought it was a yeast infection... I don;t know. I just want it gone forever. I'll post the results in the next few days on what it is and how my doctor is treating it. I hope it's quick and painless nad I hope it helps you.

[diamondprincess]

Female, 30's, same problem. Butt crack tear.  

A little before the butt crack tear began I had successfully went through a 2 week course treating jock itch.  Based on these replys, I believe its quite possible the jock itch has spread because I distinctly remember not applying it that far.  I will do my Lamisil treatment on that area for 2 weeks and see what happens.  It is annoying to say the least.

LADIES:  Many of us don't realize we can get jock itch too and yeast infection cream will not get rid of it permanently because we only use that cream until our symptoms go away.  Jock itch requires a more aggressive/lengthy treatment.  I battled female jock itch (self diagnosed) for nearly 8 years.  I was going back and forth to the doctor getting put on rx strength Nystatin, anti-inflammatories and steriods.  All my STD tests came back negative.  I did the herpes blood test and it was negative for 1&2.  Plus, I have never had a cold sore in my life.  

By the time I got to the doctor, symptoms would be less noticable and it would never completely go away.  It was disappointing for me and puzzling for them.  Then I read about jock itch and felt like it was worth checking out.  Treated myself for 4-6 weeks because of the length of time I have been suffering and VIOLA! it went away.  The irritation was always around the creases where my legs meet my thighs near the vaginal opening (come and went type flare ups, would get tender and swollen from rubbing and scratching).  I also noticed that it seemed to flare up around my cycle.  At first I thought it may have been the menstrual pads so I changed to cotton.  All kinds of things to get this under control.  I noticed that I was sweating in that area a lot at night around that time too and that was the only place I sweated.  Lamisil cured it.  It may be jock itch.

I told my story somewhere else and another girl contacted me saying she used it to cure herself too.

I hope this helps all women who may need it because I wouldn't want anyone to feel as incapacitated as I did during that time.

Good luck