Treatment Of Balanitis And Scrotal Dermatitis Using Cold Atmospheric Plasma-A Preliminary Study

Objective Balanitis and scrotal dermatitis are common male external genital skin diseases.This preliminary study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment of balanitis and scrotal dermatitis by cold atmospheric plasma（CAP）by comparing the pain,itching and skin lesions of subjects before and after treatment.Methods CAP treatment was utilized for adult male patients diagnosed with balanitis（n=10）and scrotal dermatitis（n=7）at the dermatology clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2020 to June 2021.Pruritus,pain,erythema and exudation changes at the lesions before and after treatment,and adverse reactions during treatment were recorded.The patient’s subjective feelings,pruritus and pain,were measured using a Numerical Rating Scale（NRS）.Patients received a six months follow-up after CAP treatment..Statistical software was used to analyze the changes of symptoms and skin lesions before and after treatment to reflect the effectiveness of the treatment.Results The total treatment efficiency was 88.2%,and the recurrence rate was 6.7%.In the balanitis group,pruritus and pain were effectively relieved by CAP treatment,with88.9% remission rate of erythema and 83.3% remission rate of exudation.In the scrotal dermatitis group,only pruritus was effectively relieved by CAP treatment,while there is no statistical significance in the relief of pain,with both 100% remission rate of erythema and exudation.Conclusions Our preliminary research reveal that CAP could effectively relieve pain or pruritus,and improve skin lesions in balanitis and scrotal dermatitis patients that had a poor initial response to drug therapy without serious adverse reactions.Given the incidence of male external genital skin diseases such as balanitis and scrotal dermatitis,CAP could prove to be a potentially effective and safe treatment option in the future.