Understanding and Crushing Male Yeast Infections

When men want rapid treatment for a yeast infection, they are generally referring to a yeast infection involving the penis, prostate or the skin around the inner thigh or scrotum. But it may also include a yeast infection of the toenail, digestive system or occasionally the mouth or throat, and these are all things I’ll cover elsewhere.

Men and boys who experience a chronic yeast infection of the genital region most often experience digestive problems, toenail yeast infection or athlete’s foot as other related symptoms.

Some practitioners may see yeast infections in both men and women primarily as sexually transmitted diseases, when in fact a yeast infection will have the tendency to much more commonly occupy the digestive tract and cause major issues there. Nevertheless, yeast infections do commonly affect males and females in their genital region and are amongst the most common reasons both why sexes seek help for their yeast infection.

It is unfortunate that yeast infections commonly seems to be thought of as primarily as a “women’s” complaint. A male patient who came to our clinic for treatment some time ago for yeast infection treatment of the penis had consulted a medical doctor only to be told that “only women get yeast infections because they have a vagina”.

Male yeast infections are in fact quite widespread and commonly misunderstood. There is an effective and rapid natural treatment option available for men who experience yeast infections, and this solution exists without having to resort to pharmaceutical drugs such as antibiotics that only produce unwanted side effects.

The Causes of Male Yeast Infections

From personal experience in dealing with many men who have a yeast infection, the causes can range from alcohol, chronic ongoing stress, antibiotics or a diet high in the foods that yeasts thrive on like sweet foods.

Most guys with yeast infections tend to snack more indiscriminately and have diets high in refined carbohydrates (sugars, alcohols, breads). They may have larger portion sizes and are less fussy about the quality and quantity of what they eat. These factors can easily account for an overgrowth of candida in the digestive tract.

A male’s yeast problem may have started because a partner who had an existing candida problem infected him. A lesser-known cause of penile skin yeast infections, especially in uncircumcised males, is poor hygiene after sex.

Medical Treatment of Male Yeast Infections

Like women, men who go to their doctor with a yeast infection will often be prescribed Diflucan (Fluconazole) in either a tablet, capsule or in a cream form to apply to the affected areas. I’ve yet to meet a guy who was told by their doctor to stop alcohol or any sweet foods if he wants to recover fully from his yeast infection, with a drug being prescribed instead. Some men may even treat themselves with an over the counter preparation like Monistat which women commonly purchase from their drug store to treat their vaginal yeast infection. The problem with self-prescribing is that the results are usually only temporary, because in most instances the yeast infection comes back as the cause is not addressed.

Preventing Recurrences and Permanently Curing Your Male Yeast Infection

Always treat a yeast infection promptly and never let it get to a point that it becomes chronic recurring problem requiring continuous treatment. If you begin to rely on the Azole type of prescribed drugs or creams you may develop resistance to these drugs and you will then find it considerably more difficult to get rid of your yeast infection. The smartest thing you can do in preventing a yeast infection in the first place is by observing proper hygiene, diet and lifestyle practices.

Some believe that using a topical fungal preparation (treating the skin locally) is sufficient while others insist that for a faster and more complete treatment, a more systemic approach may be necessary for complete eradication of a yeast infection. I tend to agree with the latter, local treatment gives temporary result whilst local and systemic treatment gives a permanent result.

Yeast Infection Hygiene

Are you an uncircumcised male? If you have a penis yeast infection you will generally find that if you roll back your foreskin that the infection is most likely to be present here, because this is the most common place for the yeast infection of the penis to be. Circumcised males do not usually get an infection here, because the glans penis in these men is exposed to the air and represents a considerably less favorable environment for the yeast infection to thrive. It is important to remember that a yeast infection requires a warm, moist and dark environment to thrive, and now you can understand why a woman’s vagina is the perfect place for yeast to thrive. Hygiene is very important because a man can get a penis yeast infection from having sex with a partner that has a yeast infection; or from having oral sex from a person with genital thrush, and even from anal sex with an infected partner. It is very important to use a condom if you are unsure and to observe a high level of personal hygiene at all times to prevent the spread of a personal yeast infection.

Prostate Involvement

More rarely, a male may experience a yeast infection internally. This is much less likely to occur in a male due to the length of his urethra, in comparison to a female’s urethra. Men who have an internal genital-urinary tract yeast infection may experience symptoms similar to that of a female who has a vaginal yeast infection which may include a burning or stinging pain on urination or a feeling of an intense itch inside the penis which can be most uncomfortable, irritating and persistent. On a rare occasion the prostate gland can even be affected by a yeast infection and there may even be a discharge from the penis.