Are you protecting your penis?
Penises are pretty resilient, but there are several bad habits you might be guilty of which can negatively affect your comfort, sex life, and just overall health down there.
Just because vaginas get gynecologists and annual exams and all that jazz doesn't mean you can just forget about your penis health. In fact, there are a lot of problems that can arise if you don't look after your penis properly.
So to find out more about how to keep your penis as healthy as possible, BuzzFeed Health spoke with two board-certified urologists: Dr. Harry Fisch, clinical professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital and author of Size Matters; and Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, director of Men's Health Boston, clinical professor at Harvard Medical School, and author of The Truth About Men and Sex.
Here are some common mistakes, bad habits, poor hygiene practices, and behaviors they'd suggest ditching ASAP.
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You ignore any new lumps, bumps, or blisters on your penis.
New bumps, rashes, blisters, warts, or discoloration on the penis should never be ignored, especially if they're red or painful or itchy. "Red is not right," Fisch tells BuzzFeed Health.
This could be a sign of a sexually transmitted disease, a bacterial or fungal infection, an allergy, or something else, so you should get it checked out ASAP. Even if it turns out to be nothing, it's better to be safe than sorry. "If you have open blisters or sores, these can also increase the risk of transmission for certain STDs," says Fisch.
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You don't wash your penis often enough.
Since the penis is an external organ, it doesn't have the same magical ~self-cleaning~ mechanisms that the vagina has to keep bacteria and other stuff out. Plus, the penis and surrounding area can get pretty warm and sweaty, which makes it easy for bacteria and fungus to grow.
"If you don't shower or clean the penis enough, especially if you're sweating a lot, you can end up with a rash and irritation, or fungal infections like jock itch," says Fisch. Not to mention, the buildup of bacteria down there can also cause an unpleasant odor, Fisch says, and smelling bad is never fun.
"A lot of men don't realize that they can also get yeast infections which look like red patches on the penis," says Morgentaler. "Our bodies are naturally covered in fungus (candida albicans), which can grow out of control if the area is too moist."
According to the experts, you should be washing your penis with soap and water at least once a day (depending on how dirty and sweaty you get). You should also be washing your penis after you have sex, because fluids from your partner might allow more bacteria to grow. Here's more info about cleaning your penis.
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Or if you're uncircumcised, you don't clean up under your foreskin.
If you're uncircumcised and your foreskin is long enough to cover the head of your penis, you'll want to make sure to keep it clean under there. "If you have poor hygiene, bacteria and fungus can get trapped under the foreskin," says Morgentaler. This can result in inflammation of the foreskin (posthitis) or inflammation of the head or glans of the penis (balanitis).
"Sometimes if there's a bacterial or yeast infection under the foreskin, it can cause a buildup that looks like cottage cheese," Morgentaler says. To prevent this from happening, Morgentaler suggests washing your penis with soap and water at least once a day, making sure to withdraw the foreskin and clean underneath, then drying it off well.
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