Phimosis is a condition of the penis that occurs in some adults and children who aren't circumcised. If you have phimosis, your foreskin can't be pulled back (retracted). It may look like your penis has rings around the tip. Having phimosis isn't necessarily a problem.
It's normal for babies and young boys to have a tight foreskin (phimosis), but adults can also be affected. See a GP if your or your child's foreskin is sore or swollen.
I can't pull my foreskin back, my foreskin is too tight
“Phimosis may not cause you any problems, but it can get worse and cause difficulties peeing – and you won't be able to clean underneath it,” says Dr Ranj. Try pulling the foreskin back really slowly.
Phimosis in a young child is likely to improve on its own. In adults, phimosis will not go away unless surgery is performed or an infection is treated.
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.
Retracting exercises – Pulling the foreskin down over the glans (penis head) gently and regularly may also encourage better stretching. However, use extra caution and only pull the foreskin slowly and gently. If you notice any discomfort, pain, skin cracking or bleeding stop immediately.
In cases of severe or repeated balanitis or balanoposthitis, doctors may recommend treating the phimosis itself. They may prescribe steroid creams to help soften the foreskin and make it easier to retract, or surgery may be an option.
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).
Phimosis isn't usually a problem unless it causes symptoms. These include: redness. soreness.
In 90% of cases, natural separation allows the foreskin to retract by age 3 years. However, phimosis persisting into late adolescence or early adulthood need not be considered abnormal. The entity of pathologic, or true, phimosis is far less common and can affect children or adults.
What are the main treatments? A doctor can manually retract the foreskin under local or general anaesthesia. You may also be shown how to gradually retract the foreskin after a bath, using petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or some other form of lubrication. But if the problem persists, circumcision may be necessary.
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.
In this conservative (non-surgical) treatment approach, a steroid cream is applied to the tip of the foreskin twice a day over a period of four to eight weeks. The steroid cream makes it easier to stretch the skin. After two weeks, the child or his parents can start trying to gradually stretch the foreskin once a day.
Start stretching exercises on the foreskin, usually best by pulling the foreskin back until it feels tight (but not painful), and holding it back under tension for 10 minutes – usually after a bath or shower twice a day.
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.
A tight foreskin naturally occurs in babies and young children, and it can occasionally persist into adulthood. Although a tight foreskin does not always lead to serious medical complications, it may cause symptoms such as redness, pain, and inflammation.
Traditionally, surgical treatment through circumcision under local anaesthesia is considered the gold standard treatment of adult male phimosis and several surgical techniques have been described (2). Usually, circumcision is a simple and safe surgical procedure.
If your insurance company doesn't cover circumcision, you will likely pay $150-$400 for your newborn's procedure. However, this price can increase up to $800 or more if the doctor fee or any additional facility fee is included.
The condition if left untreated can worsen over time and requires medical attention. There are several treatments for phimosis and possibly surgery will be required. However, your doctor may recommend certain exercises and doing them regularly may provide temporary relief.
Try not to force the foreskin back yourself, as this can lead to painful cracks on the inside of the foreskin. As these cracks heal, they will form scars, which could make your condition worse.
Changes in the actual penis structure can make getting an erection difficult. Peyronie's (a bending in the erect penis), phimosis (a tight foreskin) or a tight frenulum (the elastic piece of skin that joins the foreskin to the shaft of the penis) can all cause ED.
Phimosis is not an urgent condition unless there is associated pain, infection, ballooning of the foreskin when urinating or painful urination. Treatment may be required if discomfort persists.