Persistant lesions, but all tests negative

[focoslut]

Several months ago I noticed what felt like a cut or tear on my anus. I started babying it and applying triple antibiotic ointment but it persisted. More recently, a second one has appeared on the.perineum/taint along with a painful/irritated sensation throughout the area and persistent itching. The two lesions look a lot like a syph chancre in appearance, but other than that there are no other visual symptoms and they don't heal up or go away that I've noticed.

I haven't had any new partners since the last time I was tested and new STD tests have come back negative twice now from two different healthcare providers including my GP who also inspected everything in person. GP says at least the itching part of it was ringworm/jock itch and prescribed some anti-fungal creme which has resolved the itching but the lesions & pain still remain. Their next suggestion was surgically removing the lesions which seems a bit extreme to me, so I'm seeking some unofficial advice here before my next return visit. Any thoughts on  this?

[polyglutton]

Sorry you're going through this. I would try to see a proctologist if you can. Sometimes a specialist can make all the difference. 

[focoslut]

Thanks, that's a good idea I'll ask my GP for a referral.

[PigFaggot2904]

I second @polyglutton's suggestion:  see a Colon & Rectal Surgeon aka proctologist.  😉  Good luck sexy

[viking8x6]

Fungus can take quite a while to resolve, even after the itching comes down. Keep using the cream for 2-6 weeks.

[backpackguy]

Get tested for HPV and get the HPV series of 3 inoculations (Gardasil). HPV is very prevalent in the gay community. Paraphrasing my gay doc (Stanford University Medical Center), "it's not just 15-year-old Kansas farm girls that get it," as the CDC guidance suggests. I got tested, diagnosed, just completed the inoculation series yesterday, and had a High Resolution Anoscope (HRA) performed by my specialist team.

[focoslut]

8 hours ago, backpackguy said:

Get tested for HPV and get the HPV series of 3 inoculations (Gardasil).

Interesting, I'm glad you mentioned this - I had actually asked about a HPV test and they said there isn't one for men. I didn't know there was a vaccine for it either so I'm reading up on that now. They also seemed out of the loop on DoxyPEP, think I'll push some more on both topics during my follow-up. Thank you!

9 hours ago, viking8x6 said:

Fungus can take quite a while to resolve, even after the itching comes down. Keep using the cream for 2-6 weeks.

Good to know, thank you. Fungus is such a crazy thing, I wasn't expecting that one at all. I had read Head & Shoulders can help so I picked some up on the way home from the doc and the effects were immediately noticeable once I lathered up with it, so between that and the creme I remain hopeful there won't be any 'The Last of Us' reenactments here lol

Oh, and also thank you for this post from 2023 - if things don't progress after this I plan to ask for that culture.

[Leather69]

being from Australia I have found that using Tea Tree Oil is great at clearing up lots of fungi. You might not be able to get it in the us.. so as discussed before go and see a specialist.

[fuckyouraw777]

I go through bouts of skin issues, and tend to be a bit ADHD and or OCD (it's one of them), and pick at things without thinking; I've learned to stop that as soon as I realise it and these days I'm not as bad as before, but I've found:

1. Zinc Pyrithione can help calm my skin down especially my scalp
2. Coal Tar products can also help
3. Benzoyl Peroxide products can help too
4. Cortisones can help - I find if it gets truly out of hand and there is no skin breakage then memtason furoate (which you'll probably need a prescription for) can work within a day
5. Anti-Fungal products may also help depending on where it is

I second tea tree oil. Aloe solution may work too especially if it's inflamed.

Note: I am not a doctor and the above may only treat the *symptoms* and not the *cause* - I'd second the other folks who suggest a specialist.

Edited 17 hours ago by fuckyouraw777
Typo/Clarity

[viking8x6]

14 hours ago, focoslut said:

I had actually asked about a HPV test and they said there isn't one for men.

They are wrong! (and if they are that ignorant about these issues, you may need a different provider) Among many other Google results, here's one:

https://www.verywellhealth.com/anal-papilloma-screening-47925

[PozBearWI]

Yes, they are wrong, and yet...  Here in Wisconsin my provider made it clear that while testing is borrowed from traditional pap smears and used on men; the testing is locally approved, not FDA recognized.  

[backpackguy]

3 hours ago, PozBearWI said:

Yes, they are wrong, and yet...  Here in Wisconsin my provider made it clear that while testing is borrowed from traditional pap smears and used on men; the testing is locally approved, not FDA recognized.  

Like my gay doc at Stanford told me: the CDC focuses on "15-year-old farm girls from Kansas." Many straight docs (yes, even from Kaiser) don't understand the prevalence of HPV amongst gay men and therefore deny it is an issue or downplay it. When I went with my husband to see his Kaiser doc and pushed them to begin the HPV inoculation series, his doc agreed but it was apparent that it was an afterthought and mostly at my insistence. When he went to the inoculation clinic to actually get the shot, the nurse questioned it (once again the female only issue) and only administered the shot after contacting his doc directly and confirming the order. My overall recommendation: find a gay doc if at all possible!! 

[PozBearWI]

2 hours ago, backpackguy said:

Like my gay doc at Stanford told me: the CDC focuses on "15-year-old farm girls from Kansas." Many straight docs (yes, even from Kaiser) don't understand the prevalence of HPV amongst gay men and therefore deny it is an issue or downplay it. When I went with my husband to see his Kaiser doc and pushed them to begin the HPV inoculation series, his doc agreed but it was apparent that it was an afterthought and mostly at my insistence. When he went to the inoculation clinic to actually get the shot, the nurse questioned it (once again the female only issue) and only administered the shot after contacting his doc directly and confirming the order. My overall recommendation: find a gay doc if at all possible!! 

Fortunately, my HIV doc (and PCP) does understand, and referred me to an HPV specialist out of Medical College of Wisconsin.  My HPV is type 16 and I am set up now for annual monitoring.  

But @backpackguy you raise an excellent point, it is up to US to train our doctors in gay health needs.  

[backpackguy]

2 hours ago, PozBearWI said:

Fortunately, my HIV doc (and PCP) does understand, and referred me to an HPV specialist out of Medical College of Wisconsin.  My HPV is type 16 and I am set up now for annual monitoring.  

But @backpackguy you raise an excellent point, it is up to US to train our doctors in gay health needs.  

Wow, glad you are monitoring your HPV and seeing a specialist...HPV 16 is one of those prone to anal cancer. Ya boys, get a gay doc if at all [possible and take control of your own gay health needs!!! I had a straight doc a few years back (2014) who I approached for a PrEP prescription...she knew very little about it (I was probably her own gay patient). I explained everything I knew (I had done a fair amount of research). She commended me on my knowledge, did a bit of her own research in front of me, and referred me to a Stanford HIV specialist for consultation. After a brief consult, which included 2 questions: how many sex partners had I had in the past few months (yup, I'm a slut), and could I be relied upon to take my PrEP daily, I had my prescription (after the mandatory HIV tests).

[chibtm2breed]

On 4/1/2025 at 10:28 AM, backpackguy said:

Get tested for HPV and get the HPV series of 3 inoculations (Gardasil). HPV is very prevalent in the gay community. Paraphrasing my gay doc (Stanford University Medical Center), "it's not just 15-year-old Kansas farm girls that get it," as the CDC guidance suggests. I got tested, diagnosed, just completed the inoculation series yesterday, and had a High Resolution Anoscope (HRA) performed by my specialist team.

You got diagnosed with HPV, they were willing to do approve the vaccine after diagnosis? I know t covers a bunch of subtypes, or was it as treatment? If you don't mind what's your age? They never studied/evaluated in middle age 45 year old+ so FDA hasn't approve -> insurance doesn't usually pay and doctors hesitant to prescribe often 😞 Maybe I need to catch it 🙂 so insurance would approve as treatment LOL?