Forceful retraction can cause the foreskin to get stuck behind the glans. The glans is the head of the penis. This can cause severe pain and swelling and is a medical emergency.
You don't need to pull it back for cleaning. If your child does pull back the foreskin in the bath or shower, that's fine – but it's not needed. Once your child goes through puberty and can easily pull back the foreskin, it's good for your child to do this in the bath or shower for cleaning.
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.
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.
However they vary widely in outcome. The present study shows in a large cohort of men, based on self-assessment, that the foreskin has erogenous sensitivity. It is shown that the foreskin is more sensitive than the uncircumcised glans mucosa, which means that after circumcision genital sensitivity is lost.
Does circumcision affect length? Technically, no. A circumcised penis can appear less bulky due to the loss of the foreskin, but penis size cannot be changed by losing a thin layer of skin. It is also important to note that penis size depends greatly on your genes, making it difficult to change through circumcision.
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.
The NMC group included 72 patients (29.0%) who were circumcised during the newborn period; the non-NMC group included 176 patients (71.0%) who were circumcised after the newborn period. There was no significant difference in height, weight, and second to fourth digit ratio between both groups (Table 3).
At birth, the foreskin is attached to the head of the penis (glans). It is attached by a layer of cells. Over time, the foreskin will separate from the head of the penis. This is a natural process and occurs over 5 to 10 years.
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.
Normally, by the time a boy reaches 16 years of age, he should be able to easily retract his foreskin.