You know there is something wrong with your dingle. It’s irritated and coughing up off-white, stinky, clumpy, cottage-cheesy discharge. From everything you’ve read, it could be smegma. But wait, it also seems like it could be a yeast infection. You didn’t even know dudes could get those. How do you tell the difference? There are a few subtle hints, but let’s learn about each, first.

What Is Smegma?

Smegma is the body’s way of cleaning itself up. In this case, in the penile area. Smegma is an accumulation of dead skin cells, oil, and other fluids on the tip of the penis. This buildup accrues over time, getting more inflamed and funkier until it’s fiery and causing problems.

Smegma presents itself as a thick, off-white, foul-smelling cheese-like paste that forms on the head of the penis and under the foreskin. Smegma overgrowth comes from one thing and one thing only – a lax attitude toward personal hygiene. If a man doesn’t shower often or thoroughly, he can find himself with an overgrowth of smegma. It is most common in uncircumcised men; however, anyone, including women, can have it.

What Is a Yeast Infection?

Candida, which is a type of yeast, is present in all bodies. It has a particular affinity for warm, moist, dark places, like the inner realm of a man’s groin. Candida is present in the body’s bacterial flora, which keeps body ecology intact. However, an overgrowth of candida can throw it all off-track and result in a yeast infection.

Men are less likely to get yeast infections than women; however, they can still get them. Moreso when a man has diabetes due to the excess of sugar a man has in the urine, or when a man still has his foreskin. Men can get yeast infections in several ways that range from being in a humid environment to antibiotic use to sex with a woman who has a yeast infection.

A yeast infection will produce an off-white, cheesy discharge like smegma. It will, too, include irritation, redness, and a potential rash.

How Do the Symptoms Differ?

Smegma and a yeast infection seem to have a lot in common, but generally, there are a few ways to differentiate them, but it’s in the details. Here are a few things to look for.

A yeast infection:

• Will have a greater itch-factor
• Will cause a greater urgency to urinate frequently, without much urine being produced
• Will spread to other areas fairly quickly
• Generally, will be more inflamed and painful than smegma overgrowth
• Will appear soon after having sexual contact with a woman

Treatment

If a man has smegma overgrowth, the only thing he can do is wash, wash, and wash again. If the foreskin is having trouble retracting or going back into place, however, go immediately to the emergency room for assistance, as phimosis and paraphimosis are severe issues. Smegma will eventually go away with regular, thorough washing.

If a man has a yeast infection, he will want to get an OTC or prescription antifungal cream to stop the infection, but it can take up to 3 weeks to clear up the infection. The oral medication fluconazole is the most effective means to clear up a yeast infection, often dissolving it in 5 days or less.

While treating whichever issue a man has, he should refrain from sexual activity until all is back to regular working order.

An excellent way to keep a penis clean in fresh is to use a specially formulated penis health oil (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which has been clinically proven safe and mild for skin) in addition to daily washing and drying. The shea butter and vitamin E lock in moisture while calming the skin. Vitamin A scares off bacteria, and healthy doses of alpha lipoic acids keep the penis young and robust. Use once or twice daily for best results.