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It’s a myth that Candida affects only women. This article outlines the symptoms and treatment of a male yeast infection.
Yeast infection – also known as thrush – can occur when there’s an overgrowth of a yeast called Candida albicans in your body or on your skin.
Candida albicans naturally lives in your body and provided it’s kept under control by friendly bacteria and the immune system, it causes no harm. However, when conditions are favorable for candida, it proliferates and may invade certain organs of your body and cause many seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Symptoms of Male Yeast Infection
Aside from common Candida related problems, men often experience different symptoms than women usually do:
- redness, soreness & itching of the foreskin and the head of the penis
- dry, cracking skin on the sexual organs
- penile discharge – usually white
- sexual dysfunction
The above symptoms can be due to a number of causes, which means that aside from the candida yeast infection, other conditions like sexually transmitted diseases can cause similar or identical symptoms. Do not assume that all of your health problems are linked to Candida.
Who’s at Risk?
While it’s possible to get yeast infections from sex, most experts say this isn’t usually the case. You don’t catch Candida – the yeast is naturally present in everyone, even the healthiest of people. Rather, this condition is primarily a consequence of other favorable conditions like prolonged antibiotic use, poor immune system, extreme stress, or unbalanced diet high in sugar.
Additionally, men with a foreskin are more susceptible to candida yeast infections because the moisture and warmth underneath create the perfect environment for Candida albicans to grow.
Treatment Options for Male Yeast Infection
If you’re experiencing these symptoms for the first time, you need to visit your doctor to find out for sure if you have a yeast infection and not another more serious condition.
Two treatment options are available:
- Topical treatments – you can buy creams that contain anti-yeast substances such as clotrimazole at the drug store or grocery store without a prescription.
- Tablets like Fluconazole (trade name is Diflucan) are more convenient but prescription is usually needed to obtain them.
Regardless of what your treatment choice is, you should always read the product label for full information.
What If the Treatment Does Not Work?
You should begin to see improvement within the first week of treatment. However, if the rash doesn’t go away, or if the problems recur frequently, see your doctor. You may be suffering from a chronic Candida infection.
If that’s the case, you’ll most likely need to address the root causes of the infection. Read the candida treatment page
