3 Things To Know If Your Son Has Phimosis

Health & Medical Blog

Phimosis is a common condition for many boys. Here, the foreskin can't be pulled back; it sticks to the head of the penis. This often happens from birth.

While any medical problem is a worry for parents, you shouldn't be too concerned at this stage. While you should talk to your physician about your son's problems, learning more about phimosis and its cures first will put your mind at rest. What do you need to know?

1. Some Boys Don't Need Any Treatment

Most cases of phimosis cure themselves a few years after birth. The foreskin often sticks to the penis naturally during the early stages of life. It gives extra sanitary protection to the head of the penis and the urinary system.

Most boys find that this condition resolves itself as they get older. The skin will loosen and start to retract normally. Your son might not need any treatment, and your doctor might recommend a wait-and-see approach unless your son has other problems, such as difficulty urinating or penile pain.

2. Some Boys Need Phimosis Foreskin Stretching Treatments

If phimosis doesn't resolve itself, or if it causes other problems, then your doctor might recommend a stretching treatment. Manually encouraging the foreskin to move often fixes the problem.

Typically, your doctor will recommend a steroid cream. You apply this cream to the foreskin and then gently move it one or two times a day.

Over time, the cream will make the foreskin more supple, and it will move more naturally. After a period of weeks, your son's phimosis should disappear and the foreskin will work as normal. At this stage, you stop using the cream; however, you or your son might need to carry on manually retracting the foreskin for a while to make sure that the problem doesn't come back.

3. Some Boys Need Surgical Treatment

While rare, surgery is an option for some boys. If the foreskin doesn't fix itself on its own and stretching doesn't work, then your doctor might recommend that your son has a circumcision. Some boys find that phimosis returns even though stretching fixes the problem for a while.

During this procedure, a surgeon removes part or all of the foreskin. Surgery will give your son a complete phimosis cure.

To find out more about your son's foreskin problem, talk to your doctor. They can recommend whether you need to take any action yet. For more information on a phimosis cure, contact a professional near you.

Share

23 March 2023

Take Your Health Into Your Own Hands

My name is Katie Langer. For a long time, I was bed ridden and I felt like I had no control over my life. I simply went along with what was instructed by my doctor and I didn't ask questions. It wasn't that my doctor wasn't willing to work with me, but I preferred to simply not think about the illness I was suffering from. I didn't realize that some of the symptoms I was suffering from were side effects of my medication and were not normal. After communicating more with my doctor, I was able to alleviate my symptoms. Since then, I've taken an interest in patient-doctor relationships and how to improve them.