What causes itching and peeling of the scrotum? Beware of scrotal eczema

If a male friend has symptoms of itching and peeling on the scrotum, he should be alert to scrotal eczema. Scrotal eczema is a skin disease and an allergic disease, not a sexually transmitted disease. It can be acute or chronic. Needle-sized blisters or papules will appear in the affected area.

Symptoms and signs

1. Acute manifestations are needle-sized papules and blisters in groups on the scrotal epidermis with diffuse edges. As the disease continues to develop, the blisters sometimes fuse to form larger blisters, which rupture to form erosive surfaces with exudate. The exudate forms scabs after drying. The scrotum is red and swollen, and pus will flow out when there is a secondary infection. Afterwards, the inflammation gradually subsides, the redness and swelling gradually disappear, the secretions decrease, the papules and blisters no longer occur, and the erosions heal. However, some patients have significantly infiltrated and thickened skin due to scratching, forming more or less lichenified changes, and the acute eczema has transformed into chronic eczema.

2. Chronic eczema is divided into two types according to clinical manifestations: dry type and moist type. In the moist type, the entire scrotum is swollen and protruding, with mild erosion, discharge, scabs and significant infiltration, hypertrophy, deep wrinkles, slightly shiny, darker pigmentation, and the scrotum is significantly larger than normal. Due to severe itching, there are numerous scratches. The other is the dry type, in which the edema and thickening are not as prominent as the former, with thin scabs and scales, and is gray. Due to infiltration and thickening, there are cracks in between, and irregular pigmentation may disappear.

Clinically, it is divided into the following two categories according to the course of disease and manifestations:

(1) According to the course of the disease, it is divided into acute scrotal eczema and chronic scrotal eczema.

(2) Chronic scrotal eczema is divided into two types: moist type and dry type according to different clinical manifestations.

The main symptom of acute scrotal eczema is itching. Patients often discover the disease due to itching of the scrotum. As the disease progresses, the itching gradually worsens. Scratching cannot relieve the itching. In severe cases, it affects sleep and work. The rash symptoms include the following:

(1) Small papules, rashes and small blisters Densely distributed millet-sized papules or small blisters with a red base can be found in the scrotum.

(2) Exudate and erosive surface: Due to itching, scratching causes papules, papule-like rashes, eczema and other skin lesions to be broken, causing continuous exudate to seep out, often soaking the underwear and forming erosive surface.

In addition, washing with soap and water and scratching can aggravate the skin damage. Drinking, insomnia and tension can also aggravate the skin damage.

Chronic scrotal eczema, due to long-term and constant scratching, causes the skin of the scrotum to become dry and thickened, with deeper wrinkles and a walnut-like appearance, often with thin scabs and scales, and darker skin pigmentation. There are also cases of hypopigmentation caused by scratching, often with severe itching and insomnia. Due to the difficulty in treatment and repeated failure to heal, the scrotal skin may undergo changes like edema.

The diagnosis of scrotal eczema is not difficult and can generally be made based on the characteristics of the skin lesions and severe itching.