Eventually, the foreskin should be retracted far enough during urination to see the meatus (the hole where the urine comes from). This prevents urine from building up beneath the foreskin and possibly causing an infection.
After having sex, going to the bathroom or cleaning yourself, be sure to pull your foreskin back down to its natural position. Never leave your foreskin behind the head of your penis for any longer than you need to.
Older boys and adults
Always put the foreskin back to its normal position if it has been pulled back. This may happen during sex. Or you may pull it back before sex, before you urinate, or while you clean it. Be sure the foreskin is in its normal position after any doctor examination or procedure.
A tight foreskin is normal in babies and young boys. Most boys' foreskins do not pull back (retract) before the age of 5, but sometimes it's not possible until they're 10 or older.
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.
Most boys will be able to retract their foreskins by the time they are 5 years old, yet others will not be able to until the teen years. As a boy becomes more aware of his body, he will most likely discover how to retract his own foreskin. But foreskin retraction should never be forced.
We see this with some frequency. It's important that you speak to a doctor about this. The foreskin should be able to retract readily at all points in life after infancy. It should be able to retract to allow for full erections.
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.
Tight foreskin
But if you or your child has concerns about phimosis, check with your GP. The GP might prescribe a corticosteroid cream to help treat the phimosis. If the foreskin is still tight after puberty, it's best for a doctor to check it.
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.
What could have caused my tight foreskin? In children, a tight foreskin is usually congenital but, in adults, it is often due to a scarring disease known as balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO, sometimes called lichen sclerosus).
Eventually, the foreskin should be retracted far enough during urination to see the meatus (the hole where the urine comes from). This prevents urine from building up beneath the foreskin and possibly causing an infection.
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.
Sometimes there's a medical need for circumcision, such as when the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back (retracted) over the glans. In other cases, particularly in parts of Africa, circumcision is recommended for older boys or men to reduce the risk of certain sexually transmitted infections.
There are a few ways to go about self-circumcision, but it is generally not recommended. The most common method involves using a sharp object to remove the foreskin, but this can be extremely dangerous and result in serious injury. Even if done correctly, there is a risk of infection and scarring.
Current incidence of phimosis is about 1% in 7th grade boys. Physiologic phimosis: Children are born with tight foreskin at birth and separation occurs naturally over time. Phimosis is normal for the uncircumcised infant/child and usually resolves around 5-7 years of age, however the child may be older.
Symptoms of phimosis and paraphimosis
redness. soreness. swelling. difficulty urinating (peeing), if the opening blocks the flow of urine (pee) - this may cause the foreskin to balloon during urination.
A teen circumcision performed at Gentle Circumcision should be virtually painless, as Dr. Pittman makes every patientʼs comfort a priority at every stage. We recommend teens take a pre-surgery loading dose of extra-strength acetaminophen at bedtime, and repeat at breakfast the morning of their procedure.
In adulthood, the foreskin is normally loose enough to be fully retracted. In this case, the glans (including its root) should be fully exposed. During erection, the foreskin retracts by itself, exposing the entire glans or at least part of it.
If your foreskin is very tight, it's advisable to speak to your GP. There are creams available on prescription, but if these don't work you might need a circumcision (don't worry, it's harmless, in America almost everyone is circumcised).
So both circumcised and uncircumcised penises are common in the U.S. It's also worth mentioning that in many countries outside of the U.S, it's much more common to be uncircumcised.
However, circumcision does not increase the penile size, and a meta-analysis revealed that circumcision does not affect premature ejaculation10.