skip to navigation
Pampers® Village a place to grow
  • Home
  • Pregnant
  • New Baby
  • Baby
  • Toddler
  • Pre-school

Health

Expert Q&A:
Could the rash on my 14-month-old's penis be an allergic reaction?

0   people commented
on this article
 
1
 
0
Answered by Anthony Mancini M.D.
Meet our authors


Dr. Mancini received his undergraduate and medical educations at the University of Arizona, and trained in pediatrics, pediatric dermatology, and dermatology at Stanford University. He is currently Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and Head of the Division of Dermatology at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.



Dr. Mancini has served as a member of the AAP Executive Committee, Section of Dermatology since 2001. He is a member of the AAP Super CME Planning Group and the AAP Pedia Link Pediatric Dermatology Project Team, and is Secretary-Treasurer of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology. His teaching accomplishments include the Faculty Excellence in Education Award from the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern, which he has received for the last eight years. Dr. Mancini is a peer reviewer and/or sits on the editorial board for several academic journals, and has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters. He is co-author of Hurwitz Clinical Pediatric Dermatology, 3rd edition, and is an associate editor for the comprehensive dermatology textbook Dermatology. His special interests include infectious skin diseases and exanthems of childhood, vascular malformations and hemangiomas, and neonatal skin maturation and skin disorders.



Dr. Mancini is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Dermatology. He and his wife, Nicola, a neonatal intensive care nurse, have three children (Mallory, Christopher, and Mackenzie) and reside in Evanston, Illinois.
Read bio Hide bio Hide

Question


My 14-month-old son gets red rashes on his penis regularly though we change his diapers often. Is he allergic to something? Are there any harmful effects to all these rashes?

Answer


Boys in diapers commonly develop red rashes on the penis or scrotum, which usually represent simple irritation and maceration related to the moist environment. It's unlikely that your son's rashes are an allergic reaction. A common location for the redness is in the crease on the underside of the penis, where it meets the scrotum. Most cases of this "irritant dermatitis" will respond to the use of a good barrier product, such as petroleum jelly or an ointment containing zinc oxide, at each diaper change. Your son will probably not suffer any harmful effects. However, if you see any pustules (whiteheads) in the area, if the tip of the penis is red, or if the rash persists for more than two or three days, contact his doctor. In some instances, such rashes may require treatment with prescription medications.
ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
0
Member comments

You might also like

The security of all night protection up to 12 hours

Find out about: Pampers® Extra Protection Diapers
Pampers® Extra Protection Diapers