Expert: John Thai, MD - 10/21/2009

Question
Hey John,

I'm 14, and about a week and a half ago I lost my virginity (unprotected) to my girlfriend who is a year older and had had sex 12 times before me. She told me that she always asked if they had gotten STD tests, and she always used a condom, unless it was with a virgin, like me. Since then, and before then, I had almost stopped to masturbate. And just a few days ago I started again. Yesterday, after having masturbated, I looked down at my penis and freaked out when I saw that I had skin peeling of the head of penis. All I did was put some water on it, and it appeared to go away. Earlier today I masturbated again, and I noticed the same thing. My penis is not red at all, and it doesn't look like a rash. It's a lot like a sunburn, but without the redness. It has all the same symptoms, peeling skin, itchiness, but no redness. I found that kind of weird, because all the other people that I've heard talk about this say they have red blotchy skin :S. First thing I want to know, is "Is this an STD?". Second thing I want to know, "Is there any real method to make this go away, or do I just ride it out?". Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Wesley

Answer
Hi Wesley,

It is never recommended to have unprotected sex. It is never recommended to TRUST ANYONE's word of mouth regarding their STD status, even if she was only 15 years old. Your symptoms may suggest candidiasis which is a yeast infection. I highly recommend that you seek advisory from your physician and to also request a complete STD screening. You should continue to get tested once every three months as long as you are sexually active.