# Chapped foreskin?



## snowbird25ca (May 8, 2005)

I had this thread back a couple weeks ago: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=796660

We took him to the dr. who said he had dermatitis? (Urgh, can't remember the name for sure now.) Anyways, she prescribed an antibiotic ointment, and showed me to hold his penis so as to keep the foreskin completely over the glans, while still being able to apply the ointment to the end of his foreskin. (Apparently his foreskin is very long, I don't know if this makes a difference or not?)

The main problem seems to have gone away, but now his penis is looking chapped for lack of a better word. Like the skin has slightly split in places and if he's in a wet diaper too long then there'll be tiny dots of blood on his diaper. It kind of looks like the areas that periodically have bits of blood are trying to scab, but having troubles healing?

Anyways, we've been using a barrier cream on him at most diaper changes, and I've been letting him go coverless so that as soon as his diaper is wet it is changed. At night he's in a diaper with a fleece inner to keep the moisture away. There haven't been any droplets of blood the last few diaper changes, but the end of his foreskin looks so dry and still somewhat split.

So I guess I have 2 questions:

1. Is there a way to help the skin heal - specific type of barrier cream that might be better than another or would just not putting any cream on him for awhile be better?
2. Would using disposables for a couple of days or until this is cleared up be of any help, or would the chemicals in them be more likely to cause irritation?

I have some clotrimazol cream that I could use if it's possible this is actually yeast causing the irriation. Our family dr. seemed to think the initial irritation/problem was caused from retraction whether it was from the ped moving the foreskin or if he'd done it himself with his aggressive yanking...

Ds has a ped appt on Monday and I'm already planning to not let her near his penis regardless of whether the movement of his foreskin is what caused this or not... she may not have forcibly retracted him since he didn't seem bothered, but I still don't want her touching it. Not to mention she touched it immediately after me telling her not to and while saying she was glad he was intact.


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## amydep (Apr 18, 2006)

DS has had a few times when the tip of his foreskin looks red and cracked. The ointment that has worked the best for us is A&D Original ointment. Not the white kind - the original formula. Apply it very liberally and if he is in diapers put a big dab of it where his penis is going to be rubbing against. Every time this has happened I will use the A&D and within a couple of days the redness and cracks are completely gone. If it doesn't start looking better in a couple days, then I would consider that it might be yeast and get an over-the-counter yeast treatment (Lotrimin AF is a good one).


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