Cracking up over a bit of roughness

Dear Dr. G,

I am a 25 year-old uncircumcised man who is not so experienced in sexual matters and I hope you can provide me some advice.

I started having sex about a year ago, and generally noticed that when the sex is a bit rough, I tend to get cracked foreskin.

This is often accompanied by dryness and itchiness. On several occasions, I even noticed some rashes, which disappear within a few days.

I was initially concerned my girlfriend may have passed my some sexually transmitted infection.

Don’t get me wrong, not that I don’t trust my partner. I was just worried and had myself checked out. The doctor confirmed that I did not have any sexually transmitted infection.

However, he reckoned I have to be a bit gentle during intercourse, to prevent rough frictions.

I really would like to put Dr. G on the spot this week about the correlation of rough sex and cracked skin.

What are the causes of cracked dry foreskin for uncircumcised men like me?

Is rough sex the only cause of cracked foreskin?

How rough is rough, anyway.

Please help,
Rough Ralph

In general, there is no real definition of rough sex. In the 1950s, the Kinsey Institute revealed 55% of couples desired rougher sexual acts in the bedroom. Of course, time has changed since the fifties. It is impossible to demonstrate whether our tendency towards roughness in bed is innate in nature, or completely influenced by a cultural shift to rough sex as portrayed in books such as Fifty Shades of Grey. The important question is, is rough sex harmful to our partners and us?

Of course, a man may be completely alarmed when noticing cracked and dryness of the foreskin after a bit of roughness in bed. Contrary to common fears, in most cases, it isn’t a sign of a serious medical condition, as cracked dry foreskin is generally not a common manifestation of genital warts, herpes or other sexually transmitted diseases.

In most instances, the cracked skin may just be triggered by pre-existing skin conditions of the foreskin.

The most common cause of dryness of the foreskin can be the over-washing the foreskin with harsh soap or cleanser. In is also not uncommon for men to experience the skin complaint with allergic reaction to laundry detergent, personal deodorant, condoms or even spermicides. These allergens often lead to red itchy rash, which clearly can be bruised, even with “gentle” sexual intercourse. In most instances, the use of moisturiser and the removal of the offending agents can prevent the recurrence of the cracked skin.

Another offending factor causing cracked dry foreskin in men would be tight clothing worn around the genital area. The tight garment can potentially chafe or rub against the foreskin causing dryness.

Common skin complaints such as eczema and psoriasis can also manifest themselves in the most unfortunate places such as the penis. The skin conditions often appear as dry red lesions on the shaft or the foreskin. Clearly the fragile skin tends to be injured during sexual activities, with or without the roughness.

Lastly, yeast infection such as candidiasis is common in women, and can be transferred easily during sexual intercourse. Men with candida infection of the foreskin often have red itchy irritation around the glans penis. This tends to happen in men even without foreskin. Antifungal treatment of both partners is often required to eliminate repeated irritation and infections.

One of the most important British writers in modern times, George Orwell once said: “We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand steady in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm!” Uncircumcised men are commonly troubled by the thought that his roughness in bed can result in harmful consequence to his delicate manhood. In reality, the penis is a rough organ designed to withstand significant frictional ordeal, even withstanding the trauma of rough sex.

Therefore, when Dr. G is put on the spot by uncircumcised men relating his skin complaints to roughness between the sheets, his response is simply: “We sleep safe in our beds because even rough men with rough intercourse can stand steady in night, as long as we eliminate the foreskin problem doing us harm in the first place!”