Stop Press: I'm not full clear of BXO just yet
It might come as a surprise to many of you, but after many years of recovering from BXO, I'm not healed yet. I've often talked about how the underside of my head is one of the last areas to clear, and this week I decided to get serious about healing the remains of it.
Here's a picture I took a few nights ago showing what I mean. If you look toward the bottom of the head, you'll see the skin colour lightens considerably. It feels different to the touch as well. It's not 'scarring' from BXO (I'm still not convinced that such a thing exists)... it's BXO itself.
As I've said a lot on here, my BXO developed around about the time I started dribbling after urination. When I pay very close attention to my flow these days, even though I use toilet paper as a rule after urination every time, I still find I sometimes dribble slightly after I'm done dabbing myself. Previously, I had been thinking that a couple of pats with toilet paper would be enough, but evidently it's not.
I am therefore working on a couple of aspects of this. The first, obviously, is to force the remaining patches of BXO skin to peel. The second is to try and address the cause of the dribbling to begin with.
This is known as Post Micturition Dribble and is relatively common among men. Evidently, it can be resolved by doing pelvic floor muscle exercises, which is exactly what I've started doing when I remember. The whole idea of having to dab myself with toilet paper every time I urinate might be something I'm used to, but it's not something I want to have to spend the rest of my life doing if I can avoid it.
I think this is a really good reminder of the benefit of asking 'why' multiple times. For example,
'why do I have BXO?' because of urine being in contact with my penis and foreskin
'why is urine in contact with my penis and foreskin?' because I dribble after urination
'why do I dribble after urination?' because my pelvic floor muscles are weak
'why are my pelvic floor muscles weak?' ????
Only you will know the answer to that. In my case, I think it's due to IBD. Your own reasons will be unique. It certainly appears that most men experience BXO because of urine, so targeting the source of excessive dribbling seems like a great approach to take.
However, pelvice floor exercises take some time before having any effect, so in the meantime I'm doing a couple of things:
I know I've spoken highly of talcum powder in the past, but I feel I really can't say enough good things about it. Not only does it dry the skin out and promote peeling of the BXO skin, but it also highlights the areas where it peels, giving a good indication of progress. In the photo above, you'll notice what appears like some tiny white specks. Those are peeling. I had been covered in talcum powder all day before I took that photo. I washed it off, but you can still see the peeling. It's even more obvious when the powder is still on.
Where I'm attempting to heal is probably the most challenging part of the penis, because of gravity. Liquid wants to end up there. It's also very close to the urethra, which rules out harsh compounds. But I'm going to beat this completely, and I will document it for you all to see.
As I've said a lot on here, my BXO developed around about the time I started dribbling after urination. When I pay very close attention to my flow these days, even though I use toilet paper as a rule after urination every time, I still find I sometimes dribble slightly after I'm done dabbing myself. Previously, I had been thinking that a couple of pats with toilet paper would be enough, but evidently it's not.
I am therefore working on a couple of aspects of this. The first, obviously, is to force the remaining patches of BXO skin to peel. The second is to try and address the cause of the dribbling to begin with.
This is known as Post Micturition Dribble and is relatively common among men. Evidently, it can be resolved by doing pelvic floor muscle exercises, which is exactly what I've started doing when I remember. The whole idea of having to dab myself with toilet paper every time I urinate might be something I'm used to, but it's not something I want to have to spend the rest of my life doing if I can avoid it.
I think this is a really good reminder of the benefit of asking 'why' multiple times. For example,
'why do I have BXO?' because of urine being in contact with my penis and foreskin
'why is urine in contact with my penis and foreskin?' because I dribble after urination
'why do I dribble after urination?' because my pelvic floor muscles are weak
'why are my pelvic floor muscles weak?' ????
Only you will know the answer to that. In my case, I think it's due to IBD. Your own reasons will be unique. It certainly appears that most men experience BXO because of urine, so targeting the source of excessive dribbling seems like a great approach to take.
However, pelvice floor exercises take some time before having any effect, so in the meantime I'm doing a couple of things:
- Keeping the area excessively dry - after I urinate, I don't just dab once. I keep doing it and squeezing down the urethra until every last drop is gone. Then, I simulate putting myself back in my pants and dab again with toilet paper. If It's wet, I'm not done, and I have another go.
- Applying talcum powder to the area to maintain dryness.
I know I've spoken highly of talcum powder in the past, but I feel I really can't say enough good things about it. Not only does it dry the skin out and promote peeling of the BXO skin, but it also highlights the areas where it peels, giving a good indication of progress. In the photo above, you'll notice what appears like some tiny white specks. Those are peeling. I had been covered in talcum powder all day before I took that photo. I washed it off, but you can still see the peeling. It's even more obvious when the powder is still on.
Where I'm attempting to heal is probably the most challenging part of the penis, because of gravity. Liquid wants to end up there. It's also very close to the urethra, which rules out harsh compounds. But I'm going to beat this completely, and I will document it for you all to see.
Hope you are doing well. Because of lockdown I'm able to start a more rigorous routine, I'm following along and greatly appreciate your blog. Have you managed to make any more progress on removing more of the bxo on the glans?
ReplyDeleteHi there. Yes, I have made a small amount of progress I think. The top of my glans has been clear for many years, while the underside has been slower to clear. But I think the patches of white skin have retreated a little.
DeleteLargely, though, I think that what I have now is about as good as I'm going to get.
Good to hear things are still improving, albeit small incremental improvements. I want to try a course of keeping things dry, but also applying Manuka honey, split by 12 hour intervals. Do you think it's best to apply Manuka honey during the day, and, for example talcum powder at night, or vice verser. I'm thinking that honey at night might be easier to deal with because things aren't sticky during the day, and also I can be more vigilant during the day about keeping things dry. Keen to hear your thoughts :)
DeleteI always used honey at night, and talcum powder during the day. Normal daily activity often caused whatever treatment I started with to rub off. If I was wearing something like manuka honey, it would be detrimental for it to rub off during the day. But given talcum powder is just about drying the skin out, having it rub off isn't the end of the world, as it's just replacing dryness with dryness of a different type.
DeleteAlso, as you say, trying to deal with honey during the day when urinating would be a bit of an issue. The heat of the body causes it to go very runny, and I imagine you'd lose most of it any time you went to the bathroom.
Any powder recommendations? I'm based in New Zealand. We get the normal Johnson's baby powder but perhaps I'll consider a talc free product. Interested to know what you use
DeleteI used Curash baby powder, which has 25% Zinc Oxide in it.
DeleteThere is a new product from sweet cheeks that is called baby bum powder, it is made from arrowroot starch and works well. Talcum powder is banned because breathing it is can be carcinogenic.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog, it’s very insightful. Just have a few questions, I need to have an identical looking urethra opening which has only occurred after dealing with these symptoms. I don’t have a tight foreskin but I was diagnosed with post micturition dribble ( due to pelvic floors muscles being weak) which is from what I’m told cause the dermatitis on my gland. It doesn’t seem to want to go away no matter what creams or anything I try. The major issue I have is the urethra opening ( meatus) are inflamed and red and gets worse after urinating.
Is this something you dealt with?
Any suggestions for dealing with the meatus? I have tried Talcum powder and drying it out, which I did peak a bit but the dryness of the powder would irritate and really inflame the meatus.
Thank you
Thanks for the comments.
DeleteNo, I never dealt with anything like that. Any kind of inflammation whereby there is redness should really be seen by a doctor. It doesn't sound like BXO to me.
U said u have IBD ...how long do u have IBD ...wat were ur symptoms
ReplyDeleteI’ve been using this blog as inspiration to help clear up my BXO on my inner foreskin (restored foreskin by the way! I had about half my glans covered in foreskin since my circumcision at birth). There’s so much good on this blog, but I wanted to share something that I’ve been using in the past week that has given me the fastest peeling and what appears to be healing. It is something my dermatologist prescribed a few years ago for acne that is now available OTC (over the counter). It is either called Differin Gel 0.1% (or the generic is Adapalene 0.1%, which is what I have been using. Doing some research and there is evidence of “retinoids”, which is what this product is being highly effective with BXO/LS. You can find it on Amazon!
ReplyDeleteCan you post an update on this blog of how you are doing now that it has been a few years? Have you maintained your healing? I think so many of us would love an updated post!