Pulled back — living with a bare head

Quote from: Love2PullBack123 on 2024-03-30 18:13:37Feeling good about my glans lately. I'm still getting passed some tightness but I have noticed better erections and fuller glans when pulled back now.

Impressive and motivating to keep at it

Here's mine, somewhere between flaccid and erect

Quote from: ux on 2023-10-22 11:22:43I do it only for myself and nobody knows about it, not even my girlfriend (I would be ashamed in front of her). In public places like a sauna I am in my natural state (I would feel like a deviant).

I know what you mean. I would feel very "exposed" showing my glans in public. But, would like to build up the courage to do so one day!!

Try petroleum jelly, like Vaseline. Great for massaging the glans but creates a kind of barrier so less feeling and less likely to become erect or orgasm.

Quote from: burtonian on 2024-03-02 21:43:28Either way, this forum seems to be a beacon of mutual respect and tolerance compared to the rabid nonsense on some pro and anti circumcision sites.

New arrival here but this definitely seems to be the case so far.

Ps. Straight and enjoying experimenting with the new look!

Quote from: Stealth on 2024-04-24 18:35:23I'd not use anything steroidal, at least until you've seen the dermo. You don't want to risk empowering anything underlying really, and it sounds like it's not currently in any kind of state where it's weapinng anything or open and 'needs' the extra help healing. Even if it's just irritation, I wouldn't throw steroids at it. Forgive me for saying but learn the lesson and move on as much as you can from that experience - just be patient and give it time, keep it clean and moist (though not too moist, don't want to encourage anything fungal) and let it breathe. Anything irriating, you'll naturally subconsciously scratch or rub it - resist this temptation and wait it out as much as you can.

After reading a lot about different steroid creams, I decided to try the one I was prescribed (Betamethasone Valerate cream, 0.05%). I have used it twice, once yesterday for about 5hr (from 5pm to 10pm and then washed it off), and once today so far for 8hr (plan to take a shower in about 30min). It seems that using it for 2 days should be relatively safe. We'll see how I fare on the weekend.

It did help reduce the stinging. I am also going off the oral Terbinafine, since it's not helping for the balanitis. One good suggestion I read online is to wash it with cold water during a shower, or even using an ice pack (not directly, like with a towel in between).

The strange thing is the stinging is only coming from the left side, and in an area where there is no rash, which makes me think it's irritation. Otherwise how have I been getting by for 2 months with only 1 out of 10 pain (On Monday it was like a 4 out of 10 pain on the left side).

I'm wondering if the stress of this is getting to my nerves. I doubt it's fungal. I have used: Clotrimazole, Terbinafine Cream, Terfinafine Oral, Fluconazole, Itraconazole. I find it highly suspect a fungal infection would be resistant to all these antifungals.

If it's bacterial, well, I guess I could be making it worse, but at least there will be something to swab once I have my appointment. I have Fusidic Acid, but I don't want to put any anti-bacterials. So far the rash does not look different, but the pain is definitely down. 

I plan on getting very good sleep this weekend, and no more creams, and hope that's enough to not have the stinging flare up again. If for some reason it does, I'm going to try just straight up coconut oil (putting it on after a shower). I've read this might help with irritation as well, at least until my appointment. But fingers crossed I won't need it at all.

This is amazing!

I'd not use anything steroidal, at least until you've seen the dermo. You don't want to risk empowering anything underlying really, and it sounds like it's not currently in any kind of state where it's weapinng anything or open and 'needs' the extra help healing. Even if it's just irritation, I wouldn't throw steroids at it. Forgive me for saying but learn the lesson and move on as much as you can from that experience - just be patient and give it time, keep it clean and moist (though not too moist, don't want to encourage anything fungal) and let it breathe. Anything irriating, you'll naturally subconsciously scratch or rub it - resist this temptation and wait it out as much as you can.

First time sexual experience with a guy? Or maybe first time outside of adolescent experimentation? Or just first time with a stranger? (I get that this is a first time experience somwhere, just with how this was written)

Yes, STI test was the first thing I did. They tested for the usual: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphillis, HIV, etc.

I ended up putting some Terrasil Balanitis cream today. It started stinging on the left side of the glans, but visually there's almost invisible rash, so I caved in and put this on. This cream is supposed to be 100% natural ingredients, so I think I "should" be ok to try it without making myself worse. So far it calmed down the stinging. Not sure how useful putting up new pics will be, the weird part is that visually it's maybe about 1/2 of what the original pics show.

I am going under the assumption that I have really irritated my glans, and all of this now is just contact dermatitis. I'm scared of using any steroid creams, but I might try the betamethasone for a couple of days and see what happens. I really made a huge mistake to postpone that appointment for dermatologist, so now I am stuck for May 22nd.

The problem is this area is so sensitive, I might be 100% fine, but just irritated, and it feels like there's something wrong. Or there's a mild infection there, which is possible. I had 3 days where I had literally zero pain, and only the faintest redness........then I went to mess myself up with Silver gel (I did it because I read someone online used it to treat themselves successfully). It was probably a bad idea to put that on. I am on the 7th day after that, and the stinging is only down maybe by half (3/4 with the Terrasil).

If it's just irritation, I might benefit from a couple of days of a steroid cream. If it's zoon's or some other bacterial infection, I guess I will get some antibiotics (assuming the derm agrees for me to try them). Visually it's better than it has been in months. Pain wise it was better until I aggravated it again.