Sometimes, after urinating, urine gets trapped under the foreskin. If you have diabetes, the sugar in your urine can encourage bacteria to grow under the foreskin, leading to infection.
*Diabetic patients are at very high risk for severe infection if they have phimosis and consequently poor hygiene. Diabetics with recurrent infections may be advised to undergo circumcision.
Tight foreskin – phimosis
Phimosis is caused by an infection and high blood sugar levels as a result of diabetes may provide a breeding ground for infection. Treatment for phimosis will typically involve a topical steroid cream which can help to reduce the tightness.
Poor hygiene due to tight foreskin can cause cracks on the foreskin and irritant balanitis. Diabetic patients with uncircumcised men have a high (35%) prevalence of balanitis which gives them cracks to the foreskin. Among men with an acquired tight foreskin, 26% had a history of diabetes.
Balanoposthitis is inflammation of the foreskin and glans. This only occurs in uncircumcised men or people AMAB. Signs of balanoposthitis include itching, irritation and swollen foreskin and glans. Balanoposthitis occurs more often in people who have diabetes or a tight foreskin.
Diabetes can cause changes in the small blood vessels. These changes can cause skin problems called diabetic dermopathy. Dermopathy often looks like light brown, scaly patches. These patches may be oval or circular.
Treatment of foreskin problems
Inflammation – avoid irritants such as bubble bath lotion or harsh soaps. Wash gently under the foreskin. Nappy rash cream or hydrocortisone ointment may be recommended. Infection – the doctor may prescribe antifungal or anti-inflammatory creams, oral antibiotics and pain-killing drugs.
Erection problems, also called erectile dysfunction or ED, are common in men with diabetes. Especially those with type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar over a long period of time can damage the nerves and blood vessels. This damage causes problems with getting or keeping an erection firm enough for sex.
Treatments for a tight foreskin
If your or your child's foreskin is causing problems, treatments include: steroid creams or gels (topical steroids) to help soften the foreskin. antibiotics if the foreskin or head of the penis is infected.
What Treatments Are Available for Men With Diabetes and Erectile Dysfunction? Men with diabetes having trouble with achieving and/or maintaining an erection can take oral medications like avanafil (Stendra), sildenafil (Revatio, Viagra), tadalafil (Adcirca,Cialis), or vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn).
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.
Uncircumcised and circumcised penises both work the same way, they just look a little different. Most uncircumcised people pull their foreskin back when putting on a condom, but that's a matter of personal preference. Bottom line: do what makes you feel the most comfortable.
Though circumcision makes the penis a bit less sensitive to touch, it has no negative impact on sex life.
Diabetes can cause changes in your appearance, either mildly or extremely. For starters, your skin will appear dry with off-color patches and texture. Next, there's the likelihood of alopecia or hair loss. Likewise, there is also a higher probability of changes in your body type.
But that doesn't mean abdominal weight gain should be ignored. It can be an early sign of so-called "diabetic belly," a build-up of visceral fat in your abdomen which may be a symptom of type 2 diabetes and can increase your chances of developing other serious medical conditions.
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).
You are more likely to get balanitis if you have diabetes. Your doctor may suggest a cream that usually clears up the problem within 2 weeks. You can prevent balanitis by keeping your penis clean. You also can help prevent it by not using products that cause irritation.
Balanoposthitis is inflammation of your foreskin and the head of your penis. Balanoposthitis is common in people with foreskin on their penis. It usually goes away without treatment, but it may still be alarming, embarrassing and annoying.
Cover the raw area with a layer of antibiotic ointment (such as Polysporin). If you don't have one, use petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline). Once the raw surface is protected from the air, the pain should go away. The pain should slowly improve over a few hours.