Q: For the past few years, the foreskin of my penis has become dry and small cuts appear on the tip. They used to disappear on their own after few days, but last year when they did not disappear I consulted a doctor. He gave me a cream called Elocon and tablets Famtrex. Till the time I apply the cream twice a day and eat 2 tablets of Famtrex daily, the cuts go away. But as soon as I stop any one of them, they appear again. What could it be?

A:Persistent cracks on foreskin depict chronic changes in that part of the skin. The cracks heal with fibrosis, making the foreskin tight to slide back on the glans when retracted. You have not mentioned how difficult is it for your foreskin to slide back on glans, specially when in erect condition. Cracks reappear as tight foreskin stretches over the glans. And the vicious cycle continues. Some chronic diseases may require biopsy of the skin. Both these usually may be dealt by performing circumcision, and subjecting the removed foreskin to pathological examination.