Brief overview
- Treatment: fungicidal medication such as ointments or creams, no sexual intercourse, sauna or swimming pool if possible, adequate genital hygiene
- Symptoms: Reddening of the glans and possibly the foreskin, itching, burning and pain during urination and sexual intercourse, blistering and oozing
- Causes and risk factors: Infection with a yeast fungus, usually Candida albicans; AIDS or diseases such as diabetes mellitus are risk factors, as are changing sexual partners and unprotected intercourse
- Diagnosis: Visual diagnosis, medical history, swab of the affected skin
- Prognosis: If treated, the disease heals within a few days; treat sexual partners as well, otherwise mutual re-infection is possible
What is a penis fungus?
Penile mycosis is a fungal infection (mycosis) that affects the male member, the penis (especially the glans). The infection, also known as candida balanitis (balanitis is an inflammation of the glans), is sometimes inaccurately called “male vaginal mycosis”. In most cases, yeast fungi from the Candida genus are the cause of the infection. In women, the same pathogens cause a fungal infection of the vagina.
The pathogens are often transmitted during sexual intercourse, but other transmission routes are also possible. It is therefore advisable to treat your sexual partners as well.
How is penis fungus treated?
Special active ingredients, known as antifungals, are used to treat fungi. Antimycotics inhibit the growth of fungi or kill them directly. In the case of penile fungus, Candida balanitis, antimycotics are usually applied externally, for example in the form of ointments or creams. You need to apply these regularly to the affected areas for a few days – your doctor will give you more detailed instructions.
During treatment, the penis should be kept as dry as possible. If the penis fungus is oozing, it is advisable to wrap the glans and foreskin with gauze strips after applying the antifungal agent to absorb the moisture.
Also ensure that you maintain adequate hygiene during treatment. Change towels and underwear every day and wash them at a temperature of at least 60 degrees Celsius.
You should avoid swimming pools and saunas until the fungal infection has completely healed.
Surgical intervention for foreskin constriction
For men with foreskin constriction who repeatedly have a penis fungus, surgery may be advisable. As with circumcision, the foreskin is removed. This makes it easier to clean and keep the glans dry in future. The doctor and patient decide on such an operation together.
What are the symptoms?
It is also possible for small blisters to form on the glans. Fluid collects in these. If the blisters burst, the penis oozes. Another sign of penis fungus is whitish to grayish deposits under the foreskin.
If the fungal inflammation is limited to the glans, it is known as candida balanitis. In uncircumcised men, the foreskin is usually also inflamed. This is known as fungal balanoposthitis.
Causes and risk factors
Fungal infections of the penis are triggered by yeasts. The yeast Candida albicans is most frequently responsible for the infection – just as with vaginal yeast infections in women. Other yeasts (such as Candida glabrata) are less common.
However, Candida albicans occurs asymptomatically on the skin and mucous membranes in 50 to 75 percent of all people and only becomes a pathogen in cases of immune deficiency.
Risk factors
The penis has a natural skin flora that is made up of various types of bacteria and other microorganisms. These create an environment in which other pathogenic germs do not normally multiply well. A healthy penis flora therefore very rarely leads to a penis fungus. It mainly develops when the skin flora of the penis is disturbed.
Antibiotics often also promote penile fungus: these drugs generally have an inhibitory or killing effect on bacteria – including the beneficial bacteria of the skin flora in the intimate area. Antibiotic therapy may therefore disrupt the balance of the natural skin flora and thus pave the way for penile fungus.
In this context, boys or men with foreskin constriction (phimosis) are particularly susceptible to penis fungus: the constricted foreskin often means that the smegma cannot be removed as thoroughly as necessary.
Another risk factor for the development of penile fungus is frequent sexual intercourse. Anyone who frequently has unprotected sexual intercourse has an increased risk of infection for sexually transmitted diseases such as penile fungus. It is particularly risky if you change sexual partners frequently.
Older age and severe obesity are also risk factors for penile fungus: fungi (and other germs) multiply more easily in the skin folds of older or overweight men.
Diagnosis
- Do you often have unprotected sexual intercourse?
- Do you frequently change partners during sexual intercourse?
- Have you been abroad recently?
- Have you ever had such complaints in the past?
The medical history is followed by a physical examination. The doctor examines the changes to the penis in detail. The classic changes (redness, whitish-greyish deposits) in conjunction with the symptoms described (such as severe itching) usually already clearly indicate a penis fungus.
In some cases, a look under the microscope does not reveal exactly what type of pathogen is involved. The swab is then sent to a laboratory and a culture is created. This means that the pathogens in the swab are exposed to optimal growth conditions so that they multiply. This makes it easier to identify them. It usually takes about a week before the result is available. However, non-specific treatment can be started before the final diagnosis is made.
Prognosis
If there is a disease-related immune deficiency (such as HIV or diabetes), the underlying disease should be treated professionally. If the foreskin is constricted, surgery may be considered. If such risk factors for penile fungus are not eliminated or reduced, there is a risk that the fungal infection will recur after successful treatment.
Prevention
Normal genital hygiene, i.e. neither excessive nor too little, is a good prevention against infectious diseases of the penis. If you have frequent sexual intercourse with different sexual partners, condoms are an effective protection against sexually transmitted diseases – not only against penile fungus.