Painful er... stuff

[randomroads]

Today at work I had a sharp pain in crotch. Specifically, the tip of the clit/cock exposed beyond the foreskin to the point where it had dried out and stuck and was rubbing on my boxers. OUCH OUCH OUCH. I power walked to the restroom to adjust myself. This isn't the first time things have gotten uncomfortable, but it's happening more often and this time it was unbearable. I even said 'OUCH!' out loud. Is there anything I can do to prevent this short of wearing a cup so nothing rubs against it? Will the skin eventually stretch to cover it, since it's obvious that the meat itself has grown past the skin?

[LordKAT]

I haven't had that issue unless you count the morning...stiffness. Is that a possibility?

[brayden4]

I've been having this same problem since starting T. The only thing I have found that helps is when I wear my Peecock packer, its like a soft cup and keeps anything from rubbing against it

[Night Haven]

Damn, that's got to suck--
I'm not on T yet, and therefore am not any authority as to what this could be caused by, but maybe lotion would help for the dryness, or even medical-type cream with a numbing agent (I think most anti-itch creams have this) for the pain. If you can find pants and boxers that manage to not get too close or put too much pressure on your crotch, that could also help (softer boxers, as well. They might not make much of a difference in the pressure, but in my experience rough clothing is never pleasant to wear, especially around a sensitive area).

[insideontheoutside]

I've had the sharp pain thing but couldn't determine the cause (it wasn't a dry/stuck thing). It was kind of a random pain. Definitely didn't have to do with any "stiffness" and it couldn't be any growing pains type thing since I haven't had any size change in that department since I was a teenager. The only thing I could guess in my case was that maybe it's a skin thing. I do notice when it happens that any kind of extra touching is definitely uncomfortable if not painful and that certainly applies to moving the skin back and forth.

[Beth Andrea]

Today at work I had a sharp pain in crotch. Specifically, the tip of the clit/cock exposed beyond the foreskin to the point where it had dried out and stuck and was rubbing on my boxers. OUCH OUCH OUCH. I power walked to the restroom to adjust myself. This isn't the first time things have gotten uncomfortable, but it's happening more often and this time it was unbearable. I even said 'OUCH!' out loud. Is there anything I can do to prevent this short of wearing a cup so nothing rubs against it? Will the skin eventually stretch to cover it, since it's obvious that the meat itself has grown past the skin?

If the head stays exposed (circumcision = permanently, in your case it may be only temporary) the skin of the head will eventually develop a dry, calloused appearance, and may lose some sensitivity during sex.

Information on this tends to be difficult to locate, because much of the medical community sees C as beneficial, so they play down its effects (and consequently, how to deal with it)

Keratinization

The glans (penile head) is normally an internal organ protected by the moist mucosal tissue of the prepuce (foreskin). Without the foreskin, the glans is exposed to the outer environment (air, soap, clothing, sun, etc.). The glans dries out and develops several extra layers of skin (keratinization).1 Compare the dry, cracked appearance of the glans of a circumcised penis (upper right) with the moist mucosal end of the glans of an intact penis (lower right). The unnatural dryness of the circumcised penis can cause abrasion and bleeding during sex, whereas the moistness of the intact penis makes sex more comfortable, especially during penetration. For women with circumcised male partners, the problem of 'vaginal dryness' during sex may also be partly attributable to the unnatural dryness of the circumcised penis.

Besides removing the densely nerve-laden foreskin, circumcision removes 50% of the penile shaft skin and associated nerve endings.2 The exposed glans then keratinizes, causing further loss of sensation. Many circumcised men in the Awakenings survey3 reported that desensitization caused them to abandon or bypass the subtler pleasures of genital foreplay in favor of immediate intercourse, which would offer them greater stimulation. They often hurried through intercourse, however — often needing extraordinary and sometimes violent thrusting — to obtain sufficient stimulation for both pleasure and orgasm. Other men reported frequent reliance on behaviors offering more stimulation than vaginal sex (e.g., oral sex, anal sex or masturbation) or compensating for diminished quality of sexual response with quantity (sexual compulsivity).

Eventually, keratinization occurs even after adult circumcision. It can also occur in intact men with short foreskins or those who habitually wear their foreskin in the retracted position.

Imagine how different female sexual response would be if the clitoral hood (female foreskin) and the labia were removed. Exposure of the clitoris to the constant effects of the outer environment would approximate the effects of male circumcision.

In my case, I hadn't noticed it until I had almost started my transition...but I was able to find a page for men who wanted to restore the protective hood/foreskin. I don't know if you would be interested in looking into that area, but if help isn't found here on Susan's, perhaps they could help with reducing the discomfort.

[Magnus]

I think perhaps it would be worthwhile to look for some "silky" boxers (polyester/spandex). The more polyester, the smoother they are (I have a pair of Joe Boxers at 90% polyester to 10% spandex and they're literally what I'd think water weaved into fabric feels like. Unfortunately I don't think they make them quite to that standard anymore but others come very close). While that likely won't resolve the problem entirely, it should definitely be an improvement.

Otherwise I'd suggest you try some Vaseline. It shouldn't rub off as quickly as other things like far less thick ointments or lotions. I know it's not ideal but it also should be an improvement.

[LordKAT]

Avoid lotion. Most lotions contain alcohol and would only exacerbate the problem.