What to do if a three-year-old child has phimosis

Most children have phimosis from birth. For many children, phimosis can heal on its own. However, many parents do not know what to do if phimosis in a three-year-old child does not heal on its own. In this case, we must first ensure the cleanliness of the penis area, and then decide whether to undergo surgical treatment.

1. Prepuce is too long means that the foreskin covers the urethra opening, but can be turned up to expose the urethra opening and the glans penis. Children with prepuce too long should pay attention to maintaining local cleanliness and hygiene, clean the dirt inside the foreskin every day, and prevent inflammation of the foreskin and glans penis. If the glans penis is often stimulated by inflammation, the foreskin opening may shrink and adhere to the penis to form acquired phimosis, and this long-term chronic inflammation stimulation has a certain relationship with the formation of penile cancer. Therefore, in addition to paying attention to cleaning, children with prepuce too long should also go to the hospital for nursing guidance and treatment. Phimosis can easily lead to abnormal development of the child's penis, and surgery can be performed before school age, that is, between 5-8 years old.

2. For congenital phimosis in infants and young children, the foreskin can be repeatedly tried to be turned up in order to enlarge the foreskin opening. The technique should be gentle and you should not be too hasty in retracting the foreskin. When the glans penis is exposed, clean the smegma, apply antibiotic ointment or liquid paraffin to lubricate it, and then restore the foreskin, otherwise it will cause phimosis. Most children treated with this method can be cured as they grow older, and only a few need circumcision. Patients with acquired phimosis need to undergo circumcision because their foreskin opening is a fibrous and narrow ring.

3. Some people believe that circumcision can reduce the incidence of penile cancer and cervical cancer in married women. However, data show that the incidence of these two cancers is very low and there is no significant difference between Israel, where circumcision is routinely performed, and the Nordic countries where circumcision is not popular. In recent years, the circumcision procedure has also been greatly improved, such as sleeve circumcision, which causes less damage, recovers faster, and is more acceptable to patients. It is generally recommended to be performed after the age of 3.