So it seems I’ve stumbled upon one of the downsides of transitioning. I’d heard that HRT changes the environment around your junk and becomes basically like a cis woman’s labia, but I hadn’t really thought through the implications until recently. It seems I developed a yeast infection on the glans of my penis, and it’s been just the worst. Initially I wasn’t sure what it was (I got tested for STIs like the week before so I knew it wasn’t that), it was just kind of redder than usual, but then it got worse and started to be really itchy. Well I itched it, big mistake by the way, which coupled with more sensitive skin meant I formed some friction injuries which I don’t think helped much. Thankfully I have some experience with ringworm from a brief and ill-fated attempt at wrestling in the distant past, so I got right on it and started anti-fungal cream once I recognized the characteristic overwhelming itchiness and slow weeping of clear fluid of a fungal infection.
I did some researching and it turns out this is just a thing all women have to deal with at one time or another. I’ve been doing my best to keep it dry and applying the anti-fungal cream twice a day. Do y’all have any advice to reduce the chances of this happening again? I know regular cleaning, keeping the area dry, but I also found someone suggest maybe eating a lot of sugar can make it worse, which to be honest I’ve been doing lately… I’m also just generally curious about other people’s experience.
Update:
I realized the initial infection was my fault. I sat playing games without moving with a warm cat on my lap for several hours straight over the course of several days. It had never been a problem before but here I am lol.
For posterity, see my treatment plan below. This seems to be working for me, so maybe it can help someone else too.
My current treatment is to do the following procedure twice a day at least, once when I get up in the morning and once before I go to bed. If I end up taking a shower during the day, or get really sweaty, or disrupt the area for some other reason, I will do an additional application just to make sure there is always an anti-fungal agent on there.
- Clean the glans, either by just running lukewarm water over it to get the old cream off or washing it very gently with some fluconazole shampoo I have (I assume an extra anti-fungal agent couldn’t hurt). I’m really just trying to get the majority of the old cream off so I can apply new stuff.
- Dry the area thoroughly and very gently, dabbing/pressing the area and avoiding rubbing as much as possible
- Apply tolnaftate 1% liquid (it was made for treating the nails so has much better penetration than the creams) to the infected areas and a little around it. I usually do a couple coats to make sure I really get it on there. This may sting a lot if there are abrasions, but since mine have healed it only really stings if some gets in the urethra.
- Wait for the tolnaftate solution to dry. It usually takes less than a minute.
- Apply clotrimazole 1% cream over the infected areas and a bit around. At this point I’m doing this step mainly to get the itching relief (which the tolnaftate liquid doesn’t seem to provide) and I assume it doesn’t hurt to hit the fungus with a second chemical.
- Wait for the clotrimazole cream to dry before getting on with my day. This usually takes a little longer, like 5 minutes or so, but I find it important to keep the cream from getting wiped off on my clothes or something. Once it dries it leaves a thin clear/whiteish layer on the skin which I find will usually stay until I reapply, and has a slightly leathery texture that provides some protection against abrasions/chaffing.
Update 2:
My plan didn’t work… Gonna get some proper antifungals from the doctor.
I think a lot of “scrotum-havers” use talcum powder to keep their genitals dry, you could try that out? I think it’s more common for like athletes. I think it’s not uncommon to apply talcum after toweling down after a shower, for example.
And yeah, my understanding is like you that estrogen generally makes skin more dry and require more moisturizer.
An animal like a cat can also be a vector for a fungal skin infection - cats and dogs can either have the fungal spores on them, or they can have a fungal infection on their skin as well. It depends on the species of fungus, not all of them easily transfer from the animal to humans, but it can happen. Might be worth inspecting the cat for any fungal skin infections.
In terms of discharge - yes, estrogen definitely results in changes to discharge. To be honest, I only ever noticed this during sex or arousal. Mostly I noticed my precum became very copious and thinner, and I basically stopped ejaculating. Pre-op, I don’t think this ever impacted the moisture of my genitals, it seemed unchanged to me. Post-op it’s really hard to tell, but I don’t think my vagina is wet from anything like regular discharge through my urethra, I think it’s mostly excess lube from my vaginal canal (except during sex, when I’m aroused I become very gushy and wet, which is clearly pre-cum like before). Yay for the Cowper’s gland!
I hope your rash clears up, that sounds no fun. I have no idea if those drugs are safe to use together or the way you’re using them, I would be careful and do thorough research from good sources - even better if you can see a doctor (even a walk-in clinic). Hopefully it doesn’t last much longer 🤞