Chronic groin crease pressure after healed skin irritation?

Hi everyone, this is a bit embarrassing for me to share, but I’m hoping to learn from others here and understand what might be going on.

Back in high school (around 2015–2016), I was a healthy, active cross-country runner with no prior skin or nerve issues. I developed a case of jock itch in the groin/inner thigh crease. Unfortunately, the medical care at my boarding school was very poor, and I was repeatedly given hydrocortisone creams and basic treatments that didn’t fully resolve the issue.

At one point, I made a mistake trying to self-treat—I used undiluted tea tree oil directly on the crease (just a couple drops), not realizing it needed to be diluted. It caused a strong burning reaction in that exact spot. I was young, overwhelmed with school and athletics, and just wanted relief and to get back to normal.

Over time, the skin healed, but ever since then (now 2026), I’ve had a persistent issue in that exact area:

* The skin looks mostly healed but has some red/purple/gray discoloration
* It’s smooth to the touch, no open wounds
* Hair grows around the area but less directly in the patch
* My right side is completely normal, which makes the difference very noticeable

The main issue is the sensation. It feels like:

> a constant pressure, like a thumb is pressing into the crease

It’s not sharp pain it’s more like:
* continuous awareness
* pressure or “being touched” feeling
* localized to that one specific spot

It can get worse with:
* heat
* sweat
* friction from clothing

And sometimes better with:

* loose clothing
* gentle care

Recently, I tried a lidocaine cream and experienced significant relief, which made me wonder if this could be nerve-related.

I did see a dermatologist a few years ago, but they mostly said the skin looked like it was healing and didn’t explore it further. I’ve never seen a neurologist or pain specialist, and I’ve never had the nerves in that area evaluated.

At this point, I’ve essentially lived with it for years, but I’m now trying to understand whether this could be something like a localized nerve issue (dysesthesia or allodynia) following the original skin irritation/burn.

My questions:

* Has anyone experienced a similar situation where the skin healed but a persistent “pressure” or “touch” sensation remained?
* Has anyone had success treating something like this as a **nerve-related condition** rather than a skin condition?
* Have treatments like **nerve blocks or other therapies** helped in similar cases?

I’m now trying to take a more structured approach to this and explore whether there are real treatment options, especially from a neurological perspective.

Any shared experiences or guidance would really mean a lot.

Thank you.