If you have ever experienced the tip of a penis burn, then you understand what penis burning is and how uncomfortable it can be. Penis burning can be uncomfortable, especially when urinating or during sex when ejaculating. It can cause sharp pain that can also be accompanied by swelling and headache.

The penis burning sensation can be due to many causes. Despite the many cause and the sharp pain, most penile burning sensations are treatable with antibiotics or other types of medication, depending on the causes the infection. The infections due to sexually transmitted infections are preventable through protected sex.

Many conditions can cause penis burn. Please read on to learn about possible causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea and mostly affects young people between the age of 15-24- the sexually active group. Gonorrhea primarily spreads through sexual contact with an infected person and can affect both genders. Gonorrhea spreads via vaginal, oral, or anal sex.

Gonorrhea rarely shows symptoms, but when it does, it causes swelling of the penis as well as a painful and burning sensation while urinating. Other symptoms of gonorrhea include:

  • Swelling of the testicles
  • Pus-like discharge 

Gonorrhea spreads through skin-to-skin contact, and you can spread it to other body parts like the rectum, eyes, throat, and joints.

Like in the penis, gonorrhea can cause pus-like discharge from the rectum and the eye. When it affects the throat, it can cause sore throat and swelling of the lymph nodes.

To prevent and avoid contracting gonorrhea, you always use protection when having sex and know your status by going for STD testing, which you should do regularly if you are sexually active.

Gonorrhea is curable and a bacterial infection; you can treat it using a combination of antibiotic treatments.

Urinary tract infection (UTI)

Urinary tract infection is common in women, but it also affects men. It is an infection affecting the urinary tract system, including the bladder, ureters, kidney, and urethra. There are two types of urinary tract depending on where the infection affects:

  • Lower tract infections. These infections occur in the lower urinary tract, including the bladder and the urethra, causing cystitis and urethritis, respectively. They are usually due to intestinal bacteria. They can also be due to pathogens transmitted to the urinary tract through STDs like gonorrhea and chlamydia.
  • Upper tract infections. These infections affect the upper urinary tract, including the kidney and ureters. They are due to the bacteria that travel upward in the urinary tract from the bladder.

A burning sensation while urinating is a common symptom of UTI. Other symptoms include:

  • Frequent urination
  • Bloody urine
  • Low-grade fever
  • Trouble urinating 
  • Cloudy urine with a strong odor
  • Persistent urge to urinate, which is strong

UTIs are treatable using antibiotics, but your healthcare professional has to identify the type of bacteria causing the infection to prescribe the most effective antibiotics.

The UTI treatment duration varies depending on many factors, including the severity of the infection. While undergoing treatment, it is important to drink plenty of water.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection affecting males and females. Chlamydia passes from one person to another through oral, vaginal, or oral sexual contact. Chlamydia is caused by bacterium chlamydia trachomatis that spread through unprotected sex.

The bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis causes the tip of penis burn that leads to a painful or burning sensation while urinating and abnormal penile discharge. Swelling testicles are another symptom of chlamydia.

Chlamydia is curable, and the most effective medication is antibiotics. While under treatment, it is advisable to avoid sexual intercourse.

Chlamydia does not always cause infection. It is, therefore, possible to spread chlamydia without knowing. For this reason, it is important always to use protection while having sex. Also, if you are sexually active with multiple partners, you and your partners should regularly receive STD testing.

Urethritis

Urethritis is the infection and inflammation of the urethra- a tube carrying urine out of the body from the bladder. Bacteria or viruses can cause it, which is one of the urinary tract infections causing the tip of penis burn.

The main effect of urethritis is a burning sensation while urinating, which can sometimes cause painful ejaculation. Other symptoms of urethritis may include:

  • Tender penis and its surrounding
  • Itchy penis
  • Bloody urine or semen
  • Redness around the urethra opening
  • Yellow urethra discharge

The treatment of urethritis depends on what causes it. If it is bacterial, your doctor will prescribe antibiotic medications; if it’s viral, they will prescribe antiviral medications.

In some cases, urethritis can be due to other conditions like gonorrhea, and treating the underlying condition will solve the urethritis problem.

Kidney stones

Kidney stones are tiny bad hard deposits that develop in the kidney and stick in concentrated urine. They are formed when the waste products in the urine turn into crystals. These crystals start small but can buildup to bigger crystals, making it difficult to pass them out with the urine.

When the kidney stones are smaller, you can pass them out through urine without any problem. However, large kidney stones are challenging to pass out as they cause pain. To ease the symptoms of kidney stones, use OTC pain relievers and drink lots of fluids.

You can remove larger kidney stones through surgery or other treatments. The commonly used procedure for kidney stones is shock wave lithotripsy. This procedure breaks down the larger kidney stones into smaller ones that can pass out of the body through urine using high-frequency sound waves.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is commonly due to the irritation of the nerves around the prostate gland- a small gland below the bladder that produces a fluid that makes part of the semen.

In rare cases, an infection, mostly bacteria, can cause inflammation of the prostate gland, causing prostatitis. This can occur when the urine-containing bacteria leaks into your prostate. This prostatitis can cause the tip of penis burn leading to a burning sensation when urinating.

Other symptoms of prostatitis may include:

  • Frequent urination
  • Difficulty urinating
  • Testicle or penis pain
  • Painful ejaculation
  • Cloudy or bloody urine
  • Painful groin, abdomen, or lower back

To treat bacterial prostatitis, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. They can also recommend half-blockers to aid problems with urination.

Penile cancer

Penile cancer is a rare form of cancer, and according to the American Cancer Society, it only accounts for less than one percent of cancer cases in the United States. Though very rare, penile cancer can sometimes cause the tip of the penis burn leading to a burning sensation, especially when urinating.

Other symptoms of penis cancer may include:

  • Thickening penis skin
  • Growth in the penis
  • Changes in penis color

Many options are available to treat penis cancer which depends on the severity of the cancer. Among the many treatment methods, your doctor may also suggest chemotherapy.

Other causes of the burning sensation of the penis

Besides the common sexually transmitted diseases and common causes of the tip of penis burn, other conditions can cause penile burning cause though less likely. These conditions include:

  • Dermatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Allergies
  • Balanitis
  • Lichen sclerosis
  • Contact with irritants

What are the complications of penile burning sensation?

Burning sensations of the penis are due to some severe conditions like sexually transmitted diseases, which can cause severe complications if not treated. Once you diagnose the cause, it is important to follow it with a treatment plan.

Leaving a burning sensation in the penis due to STIs like gonorrhea can lead to infertility. This can happen when the infection spreads and affects the epididymis, an organ that transports sperm from the testicles to the penis. This can cause inflammation of the epididymis leading to epididymitis.

Leaving these infections untreated can also cause scarring in the opening of the penis.

Conclusion

The penile burning sensation can be painful and uncomfortable, making it difficult to urinate and even ejaculate. You should therefore be keen on the slight changes on your penis.

Penile burning sensations are due to bacterial, viral, or fungi though the common infections are bacterial. This condition can be due to sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea. Urinary tract infections, prostatitis, urethritis, and kidney stones can also cause the tip penis burn.

In extremely rare circumstances can, penile cancer cause a penile-burning sensation.

Contributor: admin