Until the foreskin fully separates, do not try to pull it back. Forcing the foreskin to retract before it is ready can cause severe pain, bleeding, and tears in the skin.
Be gentle. Don't pull the foreskin back too hard, and stop pulling when it starts to hurt. Use a topical steroid cream to help massage and soften the foreskin so that it's easier to retract. A prescription ointment or cream with 0.05 percent clobetasol propionate (Temovate) is usually recommended for this.
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. The end of a boy's penis may bulge or balloon when they pee, particularly if their foreskin is tight.
Retraction of the foreskin should not be forced. This may cause pain and bleeding and can lead to scarring and adhesions (where skin is stuck to skin).
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. Unfortunately, there are no exercises I can recommend to help with this. There is a steroid cream that can be very helpful to relax the tissue and allow for better retraction.
The foreskin doesn't need any special care in childhood. After puberty, children should be able to pull back the foreskin. It's common for foreskin tips to get irritated.
Circumcision of older boys and men
Some older boys and men need to have a circumcision due to medical problems such as: scarring of the foreskin that stops it from retracting (phimosis) recurring inflammation or infections of the penis (balanitis or lichen sclerosis)
Aesthetics aside, from a medical or functional standpoint, there's no such thing as a foreskin that's "too long" to do what it needs to do, which is to protect your penis and help create a pleasurable, gliding sensation during sex. In other words, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a little extra skin on your penis.
Circumcised men take longer to reach ejaculation, which can be viewed as "an advantage, rather than a complication," writes lead researcher Temucin Senkul, a urologist with GATA Haydarpasa Training Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.
“There are no health benefits to having foreskin,” says Dinh.
Balanoposthitis. This occurs when the glans and the foreskin are inflamed. This inflammation of both foreskin and glans make the foreskin tighter. Although a yeast infection known as candidiasis is often to blame, bacterial or other types of infections can also cause balanoposthitis.
But over the first few years of life, the foreskin gradually pulls back more easily. By the time a boy is 5 years old, his foreskin usually can be pulled all the way back. Some boys' foreskins cannot be pulled all the way back until they are 10 to 17 years old.
Phimosis will occur in less than 1 percent of teenagers between 16 and 18. It is most likely to occur in older boys with: repeated urinary tract infections. foreskin infection.
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.
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.