28 YO, balanitis for over 3 years. Day 2 pulled back journey

[Jkeeper]

Hi guys,
Hope you're good. I'm here to document my journey of being pulled back and whether it will work to cure my balanitis
I have attached a photo below of how mine sits. I'm not using a ring or anything and it will just sit there day and night without issue. I am currently using a bit of medicated talc to keep the area dry during the day and night as I feel it gets a bit sticky
https://imgur.com/a/ZdWGtKP
Most my issue is having a red foreskin which becomes raw with lots of use. With a bad flareup the small patches on the glans also become raw. I have tried everything from antifungals, antibacterial creams, steroids, antibiotics, psoriasis treatments etc with no luck
please let me know any advice you may have. I will try and update you with how it goes over the next days, weeks and months
Thank you,

[CuriousSkinner]

Welcome. I hope it works for you. It can't be nice having to deal with that.

Do you need to continue with the talc even when you are pulled back? Normally being pulled back helps to dry things out a fair bit on its own.

Keep us posted with how you are finding things.

[Jkeeper]

Hi, on day 5 so far.
For now I feel like the talc helps the skin below the head which is still red, hopefully in time it will become dryer and will return to a normal colour
The head has become much dryer and less sensative. Red marks seem to have pretty much gone but i'm all to aware this can change anytime.

[jdm]

Hi Jkeeper. For some reason I can't see your picture. It gives me an error. But from what you describe, you have both balanitis (inflammation of the glans) and balanoposthitis (inflammation of the foreskin). I will mention a few things for your consideration.

1. If you like using the talcum powder, that's fine. But you might want to switch to corn starch. Because talc has been associated with causing cancer.

2. If dryness is a goal for you (short term, long term or both) you might want to try dipping your penis in a solution of ionic silica. I have used this, and it literally creates a moisture barrier on your glans. Kind of like Rainex on your windshield.

3. You may also want to try some probiotics, both topical and internal, to help displace any microbial infection that may be contributing to your condition.

[Jkeeper]

Hi,
Thank you for your feedback
It's not actually talc its medipure body powder (Ingredients: Corn Starch, Magnesium Stearate, Zinc Oxide, Silica, Menthol, Methylparaben, Eucalyptol, Camphor, Aloe.) I think it should be fine on that front
I will have a look into ionic silica and topical probiotics, issue is if most things come into contact with the skin usually makes it worse. Worth a shot though
Taken internal probiotics for a long time not make any noticeable difference
Cheers

[caveman]

I have had this here and there and found most of the problem to be a system imbalance, which is common with the standard american diet. Get yourself some good probiotics, the best usually need to be refrigerated, and try some Tinactin on the blantis that seems to help. Good luck.

[Jkeeper]

2 weeks
Last weekend went camping and only showered once in around 4/5 days. Usually this would lead to an inevitable flare up but had nothing.
When I wake up sometimes my foreskin is slightly sticky from sweat. I may try and use the powder again before bed to help with this as I have stopped now
My foreskin is still sometimes red but is no longer inflamed or raw like it used to be. I am unsure if the colour will ever change due to damage to it along with use of steroid creams. Hopefully it will
I have attached 2 photos of how it sits and with it pulled back more

[burtonian]

Looks like a normal healthy penis to me, with the benefit of a relatively short foreskin.  Less is often more as regards lotions, potions and powders so I would just keep up the good work and let it take the air.  Your glans is naturally flared and will possibly flare more over the next few years, mine did. 

You say you had been suffering from  balanitis for three plus years, it is amazing how retraction starts to work so quickly when other interventions have failed.  We must all spread the word.

[Jkeeper]

Yep, seems to be doing a great job.
Can look healthy one min then the next the foreskin goes red. The powder does seem to help this so guessing its to do with moisture

[Stickler99]

I find an application of surgical spirit using a tissue helps dry things up.
Also helps keep it clean too.

[Kylar]

I have attached 2 photos of how it sits and with it pulled back more

The second one almost looks like as if it were cut, the way the colour of the skin changes so suddenly.

[Test123]

Have you really only been pulled back for 5 days JKeeper? Your glans looks like it's been exposed for longer than that - it's drying well.

[Jkeeper]

Nope 2 weeks now

[Zeta_28]

Mate any thoughts about this?

I've been tried the body powder seems to help me, I also applied aloe vera after. For the first time in a while I had masturbation without uncomfortable itching. The problem is that even dough I have been retracting for the last 4 months, sometimes still a bit red and a mild burning sensation (much less since I started pulling back).

Any thoughts on how I can overcome this forever?

[ThePiemel]

To my best knowledge. And just sharing what I know.

All healthy skin contains bacteria and fungi. They keep a balance, and together are part of your natural defenses. You would not notice they are there. You share them too with any partner you are with. They jump over and protect the two of you.

They also eat each other, these bacteria and fungi. There is a natural balance. That balance can be disturbed for many reasons. Like when you apply rubbing alcohol. Or even too much soap. Or when you have an illness. Or some parasite. Allergies can be a cause as well. An allergy is like your defense freaking out.

When your natural defenses are tilted, often it goes to the most sensitive areas. Like your penis. Girls and ladies have the same. Then there are anti bacterial creams. Or anti fungal creams. But that might then just tip the balance the other way. So you can go from one ballinitis to the next.

Covered areas, like a covered glans, but also a vagina, are more sensitive to this. Letting your glans breathe fresh air sure helps a lot. Getting rid of stress, or getting over allergies, is another thing.

Two months ago, I lost a very close person. Meanwhile I moved to a great new future. The combination of all those emotions gave me a yeast infection all over my body. It was just too much to cope with and my body responded. Red and dry spots up to my back. Got some cream and gel from the pharmacy. That helped a bit.

But taking it easy and being happy is what I am pretty sure of cured it.

Happiness you can't buy in a pharmacy. You have to do that yourself. Everything back in balance over here, with a bare glans of course.