Urology

I assume from your nickname you are male. Any item that holds moisture and is not sanitized can easily foster the growth of bacteria. Razors are risky items to share because they often contain blood, even if you can't see it. You never know another person's health status unless you were at the doctor's office and heard the report first hand. Doctors will tell you that 80% of people lie about their health status to a partner.

It sounds like (and you haven't given sufficient detail to really guess accurately) you are experiencing some kind of redness or rash in your pubic region, something that might look like a skin infection.

There are several possible causes. Shaving is one of them. Your body is not designed to shave your pubic region. There is too much friction at your groin, which is why you have hair there that makes things slide more easily. If you shave the hair, the skin becomes unshielded and prone to irritation, and often results in ingrown hairs that become infected (or at least itchy). Adding strange substances such as silicone lubricants with the use of a sex toy can further irritate exposed skin that has been scraped with a razor, and appear like an allergic reaction because of the sensitive nature of all recently shaved skin.

Aside from that, you could be adding unwanted bacteria from a sex toy that was not properly cleaned, even if you were its only user. Silicone holds moisture and other junk and can easily grow bacteria, yeast, mold, etc. which is why these items come with cleaning and drying instructions. Using a toy and spreading bacteria from one body area to another can also be a problem, just during a single session of use.

It's also possible that you could simply have a yeast infection, either spontaneous, or passed by a sexual partner.

Most infections have an unpleasant smell, the worse the infection, the worse the smell.

Overall it sounds like you're already aware of potential germ sources, but not clear on what is causing the irritation of your skin. First, I would suggest trimming hair, not shaving it. Second, wash all items thoroughly with soap after use and dry before putting them away. And third, you likely need to seek some treatment for a skin infection whether it's bacteria, ingrown hairs, or yeast, even if it's OTC. Do not put an antibiotic ointment in your groin area without doctor's instructions. Some such ointments can have bad effects if not intended for use in that area.

If you choose to be more specific about what happened and what you are seeing, more specific suggestions will be possible.

Thanks for your help. Yes I am male 21 years of age. I'm concerned that I could have a yeast infection mainly based on the odor. I have never had sex with a partner before but from what I've heard you can still get infections on your own. It's very distracting to the point that people notice it and do seem to have reactions to the smell. Some have told me that I smelled like A$$. I immediately suspected my digestive issues to be the culprit so I had it checked out at my gastro but nothing abnormal was found. I've tried a lot of different products to try and mask it (creams, powder, bodywash, etc.)--Not knowing exactly what caused it.

I don't have a rash in the area that I shaved, it only gets red after shaving. I've since stopped manscaping with a razor due to irritation. However I have noticed a single red bump on my upper thigh that is above the skin like a pimple but it never goes down. Could that be from an ingrown hair?

Sometimes my pubic area tends to flare up and the smell gets worse. If I have the need to use the restroom, if I'm eating a big meal or even just from sitting down for long periods of time. It's similar to a burning feeling, although it may be from excessive bodyheat I'm not sure.

I've delt with depression and anxiety over the years. From the outside looking in it's as if I destroyed my own life but I know it's being caused by something. I know you don't go from a normal kid with friends, good grades, and a future to someone who's emotionally unstable, deprives himself of relationships with friends/family, and refuses to go out in public because of fear. The fear that people will label me everywhere I go. I know somethings wrong. I know they know. But why won't anybody listen to me.

I'm tired of being told it's nothing or that I should just ignore it. Sure you ignore a bully but what if that bully is your friend. What if that bully calls you out for it because they want to help. That's no bully. That's being honest. I pushed those people away because I believed that everything was fine and they were just being mean. Now, my own family thinks I'm nuts. Like I would make it up. I need someone who feels my pain. I need support.

Well by all means go get some anti-yeast cream from the drug store and try that for a week. It's the same as what women use. Yes, yeast infections can spontaneously occur, usually when you have a weakened immune system, eat too much sugar, drink too much caffeine, etc. so cut back both on sugar and caffeine too while you're treating.

The other bump is probably an ingrown hair. Have you not had a (regular annual) medical visit where you could talk to your doctor about these things?

That makes sense...No, I haven't made an appointment to talk about this specifically but I will now. The smell has been an issue for awhile (again not knowing what it was or anyone close having knowledge of it) but the ingrown hair happened just recently. What exactly is an ingrown hair? I mean is it something to worry about?

About 2 months ago, I came down with badly infected tonsils and had them removed. The doctor couldn't tell me what caused it really. Is it possible that the yeast infection could've spread or been the culprit? I've never had problems with my tonsils before and normally I don't get sick.

I had a tract infection when I was 15-16 and got treated for that. I remember being self conscious of the smell before that but it wasn't as bad then. It's gradually gotten worse since. At that time my urology doctor didn't diagnose a yeast infection and couldn't tell me anything definative about the smell.

BTW...Young men need to be aware of these things because I've had experienced doctors laugh at me when I tried to explain what was going on (apparently it never happened to them before) and they called it growing pains. So, when you get humiliated like that multiple times do you think it's easy to bring it up again!? I don't think so.--Lived it!--

Thankfully, I can talk about it on here and get help. This post has already answered my questions that have been looming over my head for...well long enough. Thanks again for your knowledge on the issue!

An ingrown hair is not a urology issue. When a hair does not follow the channel of the follicle and gets trapped beneath the skin, it causes irritation and sometimes infection. Liberating it gently will usually resolve the issue.

Tonsilitis can certainly be a cause of a weakened immune system, but are otherwise unrelated to a yeast infection.

UTIs generally don't occur in men unless there are one of three problems 1) you're inserting things in your urethra, 2) you are incontinent and have soiled underwear, 3) have a physical abnormality.

There are some people who just stink. This is usually due to poor diet choices such as too much sugar, caffeine, and red meat. Reducing the intake of these three food types can significantly change the odor of body fluids from highly unpleasant to none at all. Hormone changes in adolescent boys frequently result in a "goat-like" smell, but those should resolve with the completion of puberty, and can be improved by a healthy diet.

It may also help to use a different kind of body wash that more effectively removes the oils and waxes in which the smelly bacteria grow (like T-Gel or other shampoo made with coal tar, used in all those crevices that gather smell).

So, I'm guessing anti-bacterial soap used in that area is harmful...killing good bacteria, leaving you more prone to infection, etc. Does prolonged use like that require medical attention or will it heal on its own?

I know people can just smell worse than others but I didn't grow up with it. The decline happened shortly after puberty 13-14. I do have a very high sex drive and masturbate regularly. Is it possible that my hormones still haven't balanced out?
Surely there's more to it than that.

Anyways, I would like to try some otc treatment for the yeast infection/ingrown hair but will probably consult with my doctor first. As far as using different body washes, it's something to think about. I got a compliment once for smelling good, which would indicate that it's not always the product at fault. Maybe it's just me, my diet, my hormones, the infections...It seems very likely that any one of those could be the root of the problem. Now it's time to find out for sure.

Thank you once more for your help!
Much needed and appreciated!

NEVER use antibacterial soap on your body! (only very limited use in medical settings) Widespread use of antibacterial soap causes all kinds of problems, not as you describe them, but problems nonetheless.

You don't need to see the doctor to try the yeast-fighting cream for a week, and it will tell you whether that was the issue or not with very little fuss. You can certainly talk to them about your diet and hormone concerns though.

I wasn't speaking of a body wash, I was talking about a specific ingredient in specialized shampoo used to treat serious dandruff and oily scalp problems, such as the shampoo called T-Gel.