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).
Causes of phimosis
In adults, phimosis can occasionally be associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It can also be caused by a number of different skin conditions, including: eczema – a long-term condition that causes the skin to become itchy, red, dry and cracked.
A tight foreskin is not usually a problem, unless there are symptoms such as: swelling and tenderness. pain when peeing or a weak flow of pee. blood in urine.
The foreskin (also called the prepuce) is tight when babies are born, but usually gets looser by the time the child is 2 years old.
The loose skin covering the end of the penis is called the foreskin. It covers the glans (head) of the penis. You don't need to do anything special to care for the foreskin during infancy or childhood. You don't need to pull it back for cleaning.
Gently pull the skin on the shaft of the penis backward towards the stomach. This will make the foreskin open up. You will be able to see part of the glans. The glans is the tip of the penis.
When the foreskin separates from the glans of the penis it can be pulled back (retracted) to expose the glans. Foreskin retraction may happen immediately after birth, or it may take several years. Some boys can retract their foreskin as early as age 5, but some may not be able to do this until their teenage years.
Up to 10% of males will have physiologic phimosis at 3 years of age, and a larger percentage of children will have only partially retractible foreskins. One to five percent of males will have nonretractible foreskins by age 16 years.
Phimosis makes sexual intercourse uncomfortable, but does not interfere with a man's fertility. Therefore a man can definitely make a woman pregnant despite having phimosis.
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.
Circumcision is usually performed before your baby goes home from the hospital. 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.
The functions of the foreskin include protecting the head of the penis and contributing to sexual sensations. While recent research suggests that circumcision may bring some medical benefits, some doctors believe these are too small to justify surgery.
While there is no definite age at which male ejaculation ceases, it has been suggested that it may happen when a man reaches his late 40s or early 50s. It is important to note, however, that this is not a universal rule and some men may continue to ejaculate at a later age.
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.
Generally, circumcision isn't medically necessary. Parents may decide to have their newborn males circumcised for social, cultural, or religious reasons. There are medical reasons we may recommend circumcision, such as preventing bacteria from getting trapped and lowering the risk of infections.
Balanitis is irritation of the head of the penis. It is more common in males who have not been circumcised. The area under the foreskin that covers the head of the penis is often warm and moist. This can cause the growth of bacteria or a fungus.
“Female sex partners of uncircumcised men are at increased risk of bacterial vaginosis,” says an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Supriya Mehta.
Circumcision doesn't have a direct effect on a man's fertility. Not being circumcised increases the risk of developing phimosis or infections such as balanitis and STDs. These conditions can impact male fertility, but these risks can also be avoided through good hygiene.
Phimosis is normal and present in almost all newborn babies. As boys age, their foreskin becomes progressively easier to retract over the glans. By adulthood, physiological phimosis affects between 1 in 200 and just over 1 in 8 men1.
Phimosis can lead to inflammation of the penis, called balanitis, or inflammation of both the glans and the foreskin, called balanoposthitis. These conditions both tend to be caused by poor hygiene. Symptoms of balanitis include: soreness, itchiness, and odor.
Phimosis is defined as the inability to retract the skin (foreskin or prepuce) covering the head (glans) of the penis. Phimosis may appear as a tight ring or “rubber band” of foreskin around the tip of the penis, preventing full retraction. Phimosis is divided into two forms: physiologic and pathologic.