It's normal for babies and young boys to have a tight foreskin (phimosis), but adults can also be affected. See a GP if your or your child's foreskin is sore or swollen.
Male babies are born with a tight foreskin as it is attached to the penis head. Uncircumcised boys will usually develop retractable foreskins by the time they reach their teens. In adults, phimosis is caused by infection, inflammation, a skin condition or a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI).
Phimosis usually goes away on its own within the first few years of a child's life. If it causes problems – for instance, when urinating (peeing) – it may need to be treated. Using a special cream is often enough. Surgery is only rarely needed.
What is phimosis? Phimosis is a condition of the penis that occurs in some adults and children who aren't circumcised. If you have phimosis, your foreskin can't be pulled back (retracted). It may look like your penis has rings around the tip.
A healthy penis foreskin should be easy to pull back over the head of the penis and put it back again without feeling too tight or painful. “This is important so that you can clean underneath it – so a good time to try it is in the shower,” says Dr Ranj Singh.
In men, circumcision is most commonly carried out when the foreskin is tight and won't pull back (retract), which is known as phimosis. But alternative treatments, such as topical steroids, are sometimes preferred.
How far back should the foreskin retract? Usually, you can retract your foreskin behind the ridge of your penis. You should move it far enough back while you're peeing to see the meatus (the hole where urine comes out).
Foreskin retraction may happen right after birth. Or it may take several years. Most foreskins can be fully retracted by the time a young man is 18 years old. Retracting or pulling back the foreskin from the tip of the penis should not be forced.
During childhood, the foreskin gradually starts to separate from the glans, so children can start to pull it back. But even at 10 years, the foreskin often can't be fully pulled back because the opening at the end is too tight. The foreskin might not fully separate from the glans until after puberty.
Some research shows that 2 percent of men have nonretractable foreskins throughout their lives, despite being otherwise healthy. Read on to learn more about the classifications of tightness in the foreskin, causes, and treatment options.
A tight foreskin may interfere with the normal passage of urine. In severe cases, this can prevent the person from emptying their bladder fully. Phimosis can lead to inflammation of the penis, called balanitis, or inflammation of both the glans and the foreskin, called balanoposthitis.
Phimosis is where the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back over the head of the penis (glans). Phimosis is normal in babies and toddlers. It isn't usually a problem unless it causes the symptoms described. Take your child to your GP if they have these symptoms.
During erection the head or the glans of the penis further expands in size and the current state of elasticity of your foreskin do not allow it to smoothly unfold. This gives you pain and discomfort.
Like all surgery, circumcision is painful. To relieve pain, anesthetic is given to numb the area. About one hour before the procedure, a numbing cream is placed on your baby's penis. Right before the procedure, the doctor injects a local anesthetic at the base of the penis.
By age 17, most boys will be able to fully retract their foreskin. Phimosis can also occur if the foreskin is forced back before it is ready. This can cause a fibrous scar to form. This can stop the foreskin from retracting in the future.
Phimosis is normal for the uncircumcised infant/child and usually resolves around 5-7 years of age, however the child may be older. Pathologic phimosis: Phimosis that occurs due to scarring, infection or inflammation.
Smegma. If you do not wash your penis every day, a cheesy-looking substance called smegma can build up. Smegma is a natural lubricant that keeps the penis moist. It's found on the head of the penis and under the foreskin.
There is another classification of phimosis severity invented by Kikiros et al., which is as follows: Grade 0 is full retractability, Grade 1 is full retraction but tight behind glans, Grade 2 is partial exposure of glans, Grade 3 is partial retraction with meatus just visible, Grade 4 is slight retraction but neither ...
It sounds like you are suffering from a phimosis, where the foreskin cannot be pulled back to expose the head (glans) of the penis. This can be caused by a few conditions but most commonly, a skin condition known as BXO (otherwise called lichen sclerosis) is responsible.
Normally, by the time a boy reaches 16 years of age, he should be able to easily retract his foreskin. This is true in 1% to 5% of men. If they cannot retract the foreskin by this age, they may possibly have phimosis.
The foreskin is extremely sensitive and only light pressure and gentle motions must be used while stretching. Stretching the foreskin too aggressively may worsen your condition. Try tensing and relaxing regularly for increased flexibility.