- How to know if it is phimosis
- Phimosis treatments
- 1. Ointments for phimosis
- 2. Exercise to retract the glans skin
- 3. Phimosis surgery
- Female phimosis
Phimosis corresponds to the inability to expose the glans, which is the terminal part of the penis, popularly known as the head of the penis, due to excess skin at the site. This condition is common in baby boys and tends to disappear in most cases up to 1 year of age, to a lesser extent up to 5 years or only at puberty, without the need for specific treatment. However, when the skin does not sag enough over time, you may need to use a specific ointment or have surgery.
There are 2 types of male phimosis:
- Physiological phimosis: it is the most common and has been present since birth; Secondary phimosis: can occur at any stage of life, and occurs after a recurrent infection or local trauma, for example.
In some cases the skin is so tight that even the urine can get trapped inside the skin, increasing the risk of urinary tract infection. Phimosis can cause complications such as difficulty in cleaning the region, increased risk of urinary tract infection, pain in sexual intercourse, greater propensity to have an STD, HPV or penile cancer, in addition to greatly increasing the risk of developing paraphimosis, which is when the foreskin gets stuck and doesn’t cover the glans again.
How to know if it is phimosis
The only way to confirm the presence of phimosis is to try to retract the skin that covers the glans penis manually. When it is not possible to see the glans completely, this represents phimosis, which can be classified into 5 different degrees, although the degree is not very important in deciding the best treatment, because it depends especially on the boy's age. The first verification of the presence of phimosis is done on the newborn baby, but it is part of all consultations with the pediatrician up to 5 years old.
In the case of secondary phimosis that can appear in adolescence or adulthood, the man himself can observe if there is any difficulty in retracting the skin, and if this is verified, a consultation with a urologist is recommended.
During the consultation, the doctor tries to retract the skin covering the glans and if it is not possible, a diagnosis of phimosis is made.
Phimosis treatments
Childhood phimosis is curable and it is not always necessary to resort to specific treatments and, therefore, the pediatrician should assess the situation, as it can be naturally resolved until the child's 4 or 5 years. But if after this stage the phimosis persists, or in case of secondary phimosis, specific treatment is necessary, which can be done with:
1. Ointments for phimosis
Use of corticoid-based ointments that have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibiotic properties in order to facilitate the sliding of the skin over the glans and thus promote greater retraction. The ointment indicated by the doctor should be applied twice a day, for 1 month and may be enough to cure phimosis. Check out what they are and how to use some ointments for phimosis.
2. Exercise to retract the glans skin
Another possibility, for boys over 5 years old, is to perform an exercise to retract the skin without forcing too much or causing pain, as this way it is possible to facilitate the sliding and, thus, promote the exposure of the glans.
For exercise, hold the penis with one hand and with the other apply the ointment and pull the skin back slowly, for 1 minute, 3 to 4 times a day. This exercise should not cause pain or discomfort, but it should 'loosen the skin little by little'. When the exercise is done incorrectly in addition to pain, scars, new adhesions and a ring of fibrosis, which is the characteristic of paraphimosis, can form.
3. Phimosis surgery
When treatment with ointments and exercises is not enough, you can also have a phimosis surgery called postectomy, after 2 years of age. The surgical procedure must be done by the doctor taking into account the person's age and the degree of phimosis and can be done by completely removing the excess skin or making small cuts in the skin of the region to facilitate the exposure of the glans. Understand how it is done and the necessary care after surgery for phimosis.
Phimosis surgery cannot be performed in situations such as difficulty in blood clotting, local infection, or in case of abnormalities in the penis, as these situations are at higher risk of complications and it may be necessary to take advantage of the removed skin to reconstruct some tissue in the genital region.
Female phimosis
Although rare, it is possible for women to have phimosis, this situation being characterized by the adherence of the small lips of the vagina, covering the vaginal opening, however this adherence does not even cover the clitoris or the urethra, which is the channel through which it passes the urine.
As in boys, female phimosis can be resolved over time according to the girl's development. However, if the adherence is persistent, it may be necessary to perform specific treatment that should be recommended by the pediatrician or gynecologist. See more about female phimosis.
