Adult phimosis may be caused by repeated episodes of balanitis or balanoposthitis. Such infections are commonly due to poor personal hygiene (failure to regularly clean under the foreskin). Phimosis may be a presenting symptom of early diabetes mellitus.
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.
Phimosis can also develop later in life after puberty and can be caused by infections, STIs, or skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, lichen planus, and more commonly by lichen sclerosus.
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 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.
As the child grows older the foreskin naturally separates from the penis and can then be retracted (pulled away). It is estimated that for the majority of boys phimosis usually resolves on its own by the age of 7 and for most others by the age of 10.
Inflammation or an infection of the foreskin or the head of the penis (glans) may cause phimosis in boys or men. Balanitis is an inflammation of the glans. It's sometimes the result of poor hygiene or an infection of the foreskin. One of the infections that can lead to balanitis is called lichen sclerosus.
This can take anywhere from four to eight weeks, so don't be concerned if your foreskin doesn't budge after a few days. You can also massage your foreskin while you're taking a hot bath or shower. The high water temperature helps loosen the skin and makes it easier to stretch.
Leaving phimosis untreated can increase your risk of potentially serious complications such as balanitis (an infection that can happen when you don't keep the inside of your foreskin clean) and penile cancer.
In adults, phimosis will not go away unless surgery is performed or an infection is treated.
If you have phimosis, you are more likely to get penile cancer. If left untreated, it can lead to increased swelling, and in extreme cases, gangrene, and eventually the loss of your penis.
After drying apply Vaseline to the head of the penis and wound unless given an antibiotic cream instead. Avoid sex for 4-6 weeks (until wounds healed) Expect the penis to be swollen and bruised for at least a week. New post operative redness or purulent discharge is abnormal-seek a medical review/antibiotics.
Phimosis of the prepuce can be treated without performing a circumcision. The most common and most effective treatment option is the local application ofcorticosteroid ointment.
Washing away the oil with warm water is the best way to get rid of any dirt and dead cells. This is another effective and simple tip for you to treat phimosis treatment naturally. Massage with a herbal oil– Gently massaging the penis with a herbal oil also works quite effectively in allowing the foreskin to retract.
The condition you have is phimosis which is tightness of foreskin prevent easy retraction. It is not usually interfering with penile growth.
If you're an adult with lots of scar tissue, your provider will probably recommend circumcision. This procedure will remove the foreskin and free the glans. Your healthcare provider is almost sure to suggest circumcision if balanitis xerotic obliterans (BXO) is causing the phimosis and steroid creams don't work.
Medical Management
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.
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.
You can use your fingers to stretch the foreskin, that is if your fingers can fit inside the foreskin. Place your fingers back to back on either side of the foreskin, gently stretch the skin by pulling in opposite directions, then relax and repeat. Your fingers must be clean while doing these stretching exercises.
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.
Phimosis has been defined as unretractable foreskin without adherences or a circular band of tight prepuce preventing full retraction. We suggested a new treatment protocol combining betamethasone with stretching exercises to reduce the number of patients requiring surgery for phimosis.
Therefore, when the foreskin is narrowed, the male penis will be more sensitive than usual and very easy to ejaculate even with slight stimulation, which not only makes the partner unsatisfied, but also makes the partner unsatisfied. More severe can affect reproductive function.
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.