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Red sack syndrome

I did google search for Red Sack Syndrome and found a lot of information form 2000 to 2004. Here it is 2008 and I am woundering if there are any treatments for the syndrome to date.
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Avatar universal
Hey everyone.
I had RSS for one year, recently saw much improvement  to a level that I can say i dont really have any problems at all right now.. just wanted to share what I did so maybe some of you can start feeling better. It's a list of different things i picked up from different parts of the internet and a lot of different forums over this year of searching for a cure. Perhaps not all are needed but I suggest you take 3 weeks and follow this plan closely.
1.Stop drinking alcohol
2.Stop eating sugar
3. After washing your underwear in the machine, fold and stack and put them into the microwave for five minutes on high. then hang to dry. do this every time you wash your clothes until problem goes away. It kills any bacteria in your underwear.
4. Shave your testicles with a shaving razor ( to take off the top layer of skin - immediately  follow by step  number five ( and just to warn you apple cider vinegar on freshly shaved balls hurts ...ALOT)
5.for 5-10 minutes every-night sit yourself pants down in front of infrared light (I used a thermal 150w light, make sure the light is about 70 cm away if you are using a thermal light cause you can burn your balls!) then when balls are warm rub apple cider vinegar all around your the affected area.
6..In the morning take a warm shower and immediately on getting out,  while your balls are still warm and your pores are still open rub apple cider vinegar again
I suggest you start this process with the light and vinegar after at least 2 weeks of no alcohol and no sugar for best result.

Good luck everyone!
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2 Comments
Hope it is long term and that you are over it forever. I have been having this for the past 2 or 3 years since the H1N1 Flu supplement shot ( from hell) that started it all . How did you get to this approach it was your own occurrence or somebody suggested it to you.  It sounds good .
I would like to hear from you and your advances on this subject. In the meantime thanks for your contribution and sharing
Avatar universal
i just got rss and am in constant pain. I have read everything there is and there does not seem to be a cure. this is a life changer and I am trying everything. I just started taking doxycycline and itraconazole. but from what I read these do not work. I have changed my diet to try and remove all the yeast. I am using the coco butter as the medicated creams make it worse. I have just found something that has worked as far as letting me get out and work and do some of the things I like to do. I cut a sock down to about a third. I place the end of the sock over my balls like a glove. I tape the top to keep it snug. this has worked like a charm. it keeps my balls from touching my leg. it has stopped the rubbing that seems to keep them irritated. this is probably not a cure but it allows you to live and function. give it a try I think you will be happy you did
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Avatar universal
definitely not defiantly...
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Avatar universal
I have experienced this condition, along with something I thought was jock itch in the area, front to back.  I also have been diagnosed with Lichen Sclerosis on the foreskin.  LS is an autoimmune disorder.  After doing everything over the counter and recommended by doctors, for years, with no relief I went to a acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner.  Turns out that 5000 years of medical tradition has encountered this condition, it has a way to describe it and has a remedy for it.  Guess what, its working!  They describe this as "damp heat" and they attribute it to an"excess of yang energy", which goes along with most autoimmune disorders.  The condition in the groin they describe as starting in the liver and intestines.  So along with acupuncture i've been taking a couple of herbal formulas prescribed by my acupuncturist (he has 18 years of experience).  The formula that is doing the heavy lifting is called Si Miao Wan, and I was told to take twice the dose on the bottle.  Be sure and consult somebody first.  Its working.  Since starting this all my symptoms of red scrotum and red rash from my backside to my thighs has cleared up.  Only the most acute LS is still bothering me.  I am using a prescribed pharmaceutical called Protopic for the LS, but I believe that the Si Miao Wan is helping that too.  Within a week of taking the Si Miao Wan I noticed a big difference in my comfort level and the color of the area, but I ran out of the product after three weeks.  Within four days the problems started to return.  After two weeks without it I was basically back to where I started.  I started taking it again and a week later everything by the LS has cleared up again.  So the probability that this formula is making the difference is very high. The formula is four herbs, and several brands make it, so I'm just taking the one that the mail order house in N.C. sells.  Looking for cures for this problem I had come across the Chinese remedy online.  It showed pictures of the pills (little brown spheres) but did not give the name of the formula.  The website wanted $1700 for a three month supply.  I went to the acupuncturist after being diagnosed with LS.  I described everything that had been going on and he prescribed the Si Miao Wan, which when I received them I recognized them from the online picture.  I'm paying about $7.30 for a four day supply which comes out to $168.75 for a three month supply.  So that is 1/10 of what that website was charging for what I'm pretty sure is the exact same product.  Be sure and consult with a TCM practitioner before you start taking something, especially in the quantity that I have been told to take (8 or 9 spheres three times a day).  I have also been prescribed another formula to help control night sweating and poor sleep which is called Zua Gui, both of which are also associated with the liver.  I had the same experience with this condition as well; took the herbs night sweating stopped completely, ran out and the sweating started again, started back up and the sweating stopped.  I've had night sweats for almost 20 years.  I have been told to cut way back on the alcohol and to avoid spicy foods, which I am doing (and that ain't easy because I love both those things).  My practitioner says that I will eventually be able to stop taking the formulas but that it may take as much as a year.  I hope this helps somebody, because this has defiantly helped me, when nothing else did.  
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Avatar universal
Are you a doctor?
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Avatar universal
Try Lanacane Medicated Talc it is extremely good for red ball syndrome and Jock itch.
Clears it all up in a week.

Don't waste your money on expensive fungal creams which you can have an adverse reaction too, and make matters much worse, take the short cut and get Lanacane Medicated Talc.

I guarantee you it will do the job.
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Avatar universal
Hi i have the same thing, not only in my scrotum, but my foreskin and glans. It  
gives a great bad feeling like ache and burning when it gets hot. It all happened after a woman rubbed my penis too hard. So i believe it is an acute condition, not like infection or fungal. Whenever i woke up from bed, i see the affected parts of scrotum and glans all red which it gives me big dissapointment. After it cools down, it seems more normal and whitish color. But it never goes away, whenever it is hot, redness and ache comes back. :(
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Avatar universal
Skin Disco is certainly onto something. I've used the Palmer's Cocoa Butter for about 11 months now. Just once a day after my shower. I'm too lazy to apply it twice a day. I'm the best I've been for at least 10 years. I can't say it has cured me but it sure does work better than anything I've tried in the past...and I've tried everything. Plus my wife likes the smell.
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Avatar universal
Hello everyone, it has been a while, so I thought I would follow up on my attempts to treat this with vinegar. After about a week of applying the vinegar twice a day, the skin on the scrotum finally started to peel. This was expected, based on the post describing that it would peel like a sunburn. So far so good. But then, for the next week, I kept applying the vinegar, but no more peeling. Just mostly red, raw and irritated. So after 2 weeks of this, I stopped applying the vinegar. Then within the next week or two, the redness and rawness pretty much subsided back to the level that it was before I started using the vinegar.

So overall, I would say that I cannot recommend the vinegar. I suppose it is possible that the acidity in the vinegar and the "skin peel" effect help get rid of some kind of infection down there, but I am back to thinking that it is really not an infection at all.

So if not infection of fungal, viral, bacterial, yeast, etc., then what? Must be some kind of other skin condition such as eczema, even though no standard treatment for eczema has ever made my condition respond in any positive way. (Hydrocortizone seems to actually make it worse.)

So I started searching online for other eczema treatments, and I stumbled upon a post about using ice to relieve eczema. I searched some more for this, and found that ice is actually a fairly common treatment for eczema.

This is interesting because several months ago, I saw a post for Red Scrotum treatment that talked about cooling the scrotum down with cool water. I was basically dismissive of the post, because it just sounded to absurd that cooling the red hot scrotum with cold water would do any good. But in the back of my mind, I was thinking that it seemed that sometimes, when I finish my shower by rinsing the scrotum with very cool water (as cold as I can stand it), it seemed to give me some relief.

Then when I saw the post about treating eczema with ice, I started connecting the dots. So for the past week or so, I have been applying ice water to the scrotum for 5-10 minutes at a time, twice a day. It feels a lot better, and it definitely does not look nearly as red!

I especially use this ice technique after any kind of physical activity, including sex or masturbation. The ice followed by a shower is best. Finish the shower by rinsing the scrotum in cool water. Then gently pat dry with towel, and apply a small amount of thin, bland moisturizer. Cheaper brands work better on the scrotum for me, because the fancy kinds are too thick and gloppy.

I think at this point, it is just some form of eczema that is specific to, and commonly affecting the scrotum. The condition does not seem to respond well to most traditional treatments for eczema, but keeping the are clean and treating with ice seems to improve the look and feel of the area.

I have discontinued any other use of anti-fungal creams. It seems that any temporary improvement from the anti-fungals was simply short term relief from the moisturizing effects of the cream itself. It does not seem that the anti-fungal agent was doing anything - probably because of no fungal infection being present in the first place. In some cases, the anti-fungal can just make it worse by irritating the area. The scrotal skin seems to be very sensitive!

I would be interested in knowing if anyone else out there finds relief from the "eczema" diagnosis, and treating this with ice.
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Avatar universal
Like many, over time, my condition gets better and worse, but never completely goes away. I keep vacillating between a diagnosis of eczema/dermatitis vs. some infection such as fungal/yeast/bacterial.

I am back to thinking infection, but not fungal. The tinea fungus that causes jock itch typically spares the scrotum, unless you have it so bad in your groin that it spreads to the scrotum. But it does seem almost impossible to have tinea JUST in the scrotum. The posts here seem to reflect what I have been experiencing, which is an ailment that only affects the scrotum.

I never really though it could be yeast or bacterial, but it does seem more plausible that the scrotum could become infected with yeast or bacteria, and that treatments for fungus (such as Lotrimin, etc.) would not be effective. It does seem that treating with Butenifine (Lotrimin ultra) does at least help keep in under control, which makes sense, as anti-fungals would at least be somewhat effective on yeast.

Then I stumbled upon this link which talks about treating the scrotum with vinegar. It makes sense, as the acidity from the vinegar should help kill any type of yeast or bacterial infection.

http://www.thundersplace.org/forum/showthread.php?t=96487

I just started applying the vinegar twice daily, starting 2 days ago. Along with the vinegar, I am also applying Butenifine (Lotrimin Ultra). The vinegar does sting a bit, but only for a few minutes. Then, so far, it seems to feel better after that.

The post talks about how the vinegar really lets you see and feel exactly which parts are infected the most. That worked in my case as well. Even though I typically have discomfort in the entire scrotal area, there are usually one or two spots that seem irritated the most. When I apply the vinegar, those are the same spots that burn the most. But then after a few minutes, the entire scrotum does seem to not burn anymore, and hopefully, if I continue using the vinegar, it will create an inhospitable environment for whatever is infecting the scrotum.

My history is that I originally had this problem many years ago when I was younger. It persisted for a couple of years, off and on. I eventually just kept using clotrimazole cream every day for several months. Every time I stopped using it, it would get worse again, so I just kept using it for many more months until it seemed to completely go away. Did it spontaneously remiss? Or was it the clotrimzole that finally cleared it up?

Then it was gone for about 15 years! Then a couple of years ago, I noticed an itchy spot on my scrotum, and it has been bothering me off and on ever since.

So all of that makes me think that it has to be some kind of infection, because why in the world would a condition like eczema or dermatitis go away for that long, then come back? Nothing changed with my underwear, detergents, soaps, etc., so I also do not think it is contact dermatitis at this point.

I will continue to use the vinegar, along with the Butenifine (Lotrimin Ultra cream) and report back here in a couple of weeks.

Here is the most relevant part of the "vinegar post" that I linked to above:

For the longest time I has some red, thickened, mildly itchy patches on my scrotum which at first I assumed was tinea, however tinea typically doesn't grow on the scrotum and OTC antifungals did not help. Usually it's bacteria or candida that grow on the scrotum. I decided to try simple white vinegar (5% acidity). I first coated my sack in vinegar: the areas that were affected turned white and it burned pretty good (as expected) but the burning lasted only a few minutes and the whiteness faded after a few minutes as well. It was nice to see the full extent of the infection, whatever it was. I continued applying the vinegar twice a day and the affected areas shed skin pretty quickly (imagine a peeling sunburn). I scrubeed the dead skin off daily in the shower, leaving fresh (but sensitive) skin. Over 2 weeks the burning when applying the vinegar disappeared, as well as the whitening that initially occured, and my scrotum became soft without the red, itchy patches. Problem solved. I would recommend this to anyone looking to soften their scrotum and to help clear up any chronic, unresponsive infections in the area.

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Avatar universal
Just under one week after unprotected sex with a woman (of a questionable sex history) I started experiencing the burning scrotum issue which seems so common.

Not one single post described doctors visits, prescriptions or creams as an effective permanent solution and many have had it for years. This of course I found a bit frightening having recently contracted it. The vast majority consensus seems to be that it is a bacterial infection of sorts rather than a yeast or std.

One poster however provided an herbal remedy which he swore by. I noticed as I read subsequent posts that two other posters who also read about his solution had tried it and later returned to praise its dramatic results on the board.

I already had all of the ingredients at home so I tried it and so far it has eliminated the redness and burning completely. It has been two weeks and while it does not cure it (Symptoms return if you skip a day or two), it completely eliminates all of my symptoms.

The herbal solution recommended was 30 drops mineral oil, 1 drop tea tree oil, i drop lavender oil. Multiply this by five and add a drop of Oil of oregano. Apply directly. Simple

I adjusted this slightly. Instead of mineral oil, which draws all the good stuff out of your skin, I am using jojoba oil which is far more therapeutic and natural to human skin. Almond oil and flax seed oil will also do. Also make sure you use a lavender essential oil which can be used on the skin. Not all can. I use the Aura Cacia brand name. Ask the help at the health food store where you will easily find all the ingredients what they recommend. The Oregano oil is a powerful natural antibiotic so do not apply full strength directly to skin (Bad idea). As an extra backup I am also taking Oil of oregano capsules (The best with contain P73) orally as well. As I said it has provided complete relief thus far but I realize it is too soon to tell if it will actually cure it over time rather than just relieve it. The good news is with this simple herbal remedy you can live a perfectly normal life until RBS is properly diagnosed and curable.

I hope this helps
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your post.  I have suffered from RSS for many years.  It would flare up and calm down but never really went away.  For the past three months, I've had a major flare up.  Derm put me on Nizoral for yeast infection and one week of Prednisone for imflammation, but it did no good.  I have been a long term user of cortisone cream for the condition.  So much so that my condition has probably been worsened by overuse.  I will try your suggestion of withdrawing all treatment and use only Cetaphil cleanser and moisturizing lotion.  Hopefully, I can be patient and not apply more cortisone when the itching and burning become nearly unbearable.  Will post later with results.
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Avatar universal
I have been a sufferer of the "Red Scrotum Syndrome", A.K.A. "Red Balls of Fire", A.K.A. "Red Sack Syndrome", etc. I am finally starting to get some relief, so I thought I would share my experiences here in hopes that other men will be benefited by what I have learned.

1) It is important to realize that what you have is very unlikely to be fungal. This is assuming that the irritation you experience is ONLY on the scrotum, which seems to most often be the case in these posts.

While it is possible for the "Jock Itch" fungus to spread from the inner thigh and groin areas to the scrotum, it is almost impossible for the fungus to start in the scrotum. So, if someone really did have jock itch fungus all over the upper thight and groin area, then it would be possible for the scrotum to eventually become affected, even though the skin on the scrotum is generally resistant to Jock Itch fungus. However, if ONLY the scrotum is irritated, then there is a very high probability that you have scrotal skin irritation, NOT a fungal infection. Using any medicated treatments on the scrotum when it is irritated will only make it worse.

Fungus is very selective with regards to where it can start growing. For example, with the Athlete's Foot fungus, in generally healthy people, it almost always starts between the 3rd and 4th toes, OR the 4th and fifth toes. While it can eventually spread to the whole foot, the area where the fungus starts is very specific. Same with Jock Itch. It does NOT start in the scrotum. Jock Itch starts on the upper, inner thigh and groin area.

If you have irritation on the scrotum only, then it is not a fungus. If you have a classic case of jock itch on the upper, inner thigh and groin, and you also have irritation of the scrotum, then while it is possible that the jock itch has spread to the scrotum, it seems much more likely that unless the jock itch is VERY severe, the irritation of the scrotum is a condition totally separate from the jock itch. In that case, treat the jock itch on the groin and inner thigh with lotrimin cream or other anti-fungal, but do NOT apply the anti-fungal cream to the scrotum. I am convinced that anti-fungal and /or any other medicated treatments on the scrotum are almost always a bad idea, except for maybe some of the most rare conditions. Once again, do not apply anything medicated in any way to the scrotum. Apply non-medicated moisturizing lotion only, such as Cetaphil. (I found that the moisturizing lotion that ultimately made me feel the most comfortable is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. Very soothing!)

2) Because you have irritation of the scrotal skin (dermatitis, excema, etc), and not a fungus, you must NOT treat it with any kind of medication! Apply only moisturizing lotion frequently. Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion is recommended by most dermatologists, but I ultimately found that the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula worked best for me, after experimenting with various moisturizing lotions. Wash gently only with Cetaphil cleanser. This avoids all irritants while your scrotum can get back to normal. Do not use regular soap - liquid or bar.

Many believe that a diagnosis of this so-called dermatitis or eczema is unlikely to be accurate because they have never had anything like that before. Neither have I. But it is important to understand that once the scrotal skin gets irritated, it is very sensitive, and it takes a lot of time and patience before it gets back to normal.

Be concerned more about how it feels than how it looks. The redness is not that significant. Just stay the course, apply your Cetaphil or other moisturizing lotion liberally 2 or more times per day (especially before bed), and DO NOT apply any medicated treatments of any kind!

Then be patient. It will take weeks or months before you see improvement, but you must stay the course. Like others, in the past I have leaped from one type of treatment to the next. I went through phases where I was convinced it must be fungal. However, from all that I have read about this, combined with personal experience, I am now convinced that it is NOT fungal, and other than the moisturizing lotion, it must mostly be left alone.

Many guys suffer from this ailment for long periods of time because a) The scrotum is indeed a sensitive area, and b) because they continue to bombard the area with anti-fungal and cortisone creams and other medicated products. You MUST avoid application of any medicated treatments or any other irritants. (No lotrimin, tinactin, gold bond powder or cream, Zeasorb powder, etc.)

Since hydrocortisone cream is a medication as well, I would advise that you NOT apply hydrocortisone cream to the scrotum area. The skin on the scrotum is different from other skin on your body. You just want it to go back to normal on its own, and it will if you just stick to moisturizing cream ONLY. I have read a lot about hydrocortisone use on the scrotum. That, combined with my own experience makes me feel that hydrocortisone cream on the scrotum is a BAD idea. Do NOT apply.

3) Since you do not have a fungus, it is NOT necessary to change your underwear too frequently, and it is NOT necessary for you to over dry the area with a blow dryer, etc. This only servers to further irritate the scrotum. Change your underwear normally (once a day) to keep the area somewhat moist. Pat dry lightly with towel after bath or shower, and then apply moisturizing lotion liberally, even if the scrotal area is not totally dry.

4) I am not sure how my condition started, but I suspect it may have started with use of a jock strap that was either fitting poorly, or the material that the cloth was made from caused skin irritation in the scrotum. For a while, I was just wearing 100% cotton briefs only. Then I discovered that my discomfort varied based on the brand of underwear, size and style. That is when I tried "Jockey 3D-Innovations Boxer Brief with Fly - style 8183." These are 90% cotton and 10% spandex. You can find them online at Bare Necessities. I have found these to be the most comfortable underwear I have ever worn, and I do believe they help improve this condition over time as well.

While it is important to remove any source of irritation, do not stress too much on determining exactly what the source is. You may never know. But going forward, try and stick with what makes you most comfortable in the short run, which should ultimately help out in the long run.

In summary, if you are just having issues with red irritated scrotum only, then it is unlikely to be anything other than irritated scrotal skin, and therefore, NOT a fungal (or other type of) infection. All medicated treatments such as anti-fungal, hydrocortisone, etc., should be avoided. Apply moisturizing lotion ONLY until the condition subsides, which could take weeks or months. (Mine waxed and waned for about 6 months before I really started feeling consistently more comfortable. Even now, I apply the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula twice daily.)

Most long term sufferers of this condition report having bombarded their scrotum with a constant barrage of treatments. This is further evidence in my mind that the problem becomes worse due to the treatments.

As one dermatologist stated, "With palliative treatment like this (moisturize daily with Cetaphil or other lotion) and lots of patience (3-6 months), I haven't seen a single patient over the years whose condition didn't subside.  The key is avoidance of active medications and patience."

I think I probably would have seen improvement much sooner if I would have stayed the course with a palliative treatment of moisturizing lotion, and the avoidance of any soaps and cleansers, other than the Cetaphil cleanser. The point being, messing around with cortisones, powders, and any type of anti-fungal treatment only serves to further irritate a very sensitive situation and further prolong the agony.
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Avatar universal
Are you talking about a red scrotum that burns. Doesn't itch, get scaly or dry and doesn't fit any definition of eczema or psoriasis?
No prescription does anything to relieve the discomfort and it gets cold when it burns?
A condition that tortures you every waking second and no doctor cares?

I have the same thing.
Maybe we need to march on Washington.
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