What to do if a boy has phimosis

Phimosis is a disease that has a great impact on male reproductive health. Not only does it make men prone to balanitis, it can also cause women to suffer from gynecological diseases such as vaginitis. It is generally treated with surgery. However, in daily life, some parents find that their children also have phimosis. So, what should we do if a boy has phimosis? Let’s take a closer look at it below.

What are the dangers of phimosis and excessive foreskin?

Phimosis or excessive foreskin may easily lead to the accumulation of dirt in the local area, which may cause balanitis and foreskin stones. Long-term chronic inflammatory stimulation can even increase the incidence of penile cancer. If the foreskin is not restored in time after being turned up, it may cause local blood and lymph flow obstruction, congestion and edema, which is called foreskin incarceration and requires emergency surgery to relieve the incarceration. Some patients suffer from repeated infections, which lead to local adhesions and difficulty urinating. In severe cases, glans deformities may occur.

Sometimes doctors will suggest that parents gradually turn up their child's foreskin, clean it and then reposition it. Repeating this process may cure phimosis and turn it into a relatively mild case of prepuce hyperplasia. But it must be done step by step. If foreskin bleeding or exudation occurs, more difficult foreskin and glans fibrous adhesions may form. Therefore, the current view does not advocate forcibly retracting the foreskin to treat phimosis. Children with prepuce that is too long can often pull up the foreskin for cleaning to prevent infection. After cleaning, be sure to remember to reposition the foreskin to avoid foreskin incarceration.

Generally speaking, phimosis must be corrected surgically; excessive foreskin leading to recurrent balanitis and stenosis of the foreskin opening also requires surgical treatment.

If it does not affect urination, the best time to perform surgery for phimosis is around 7 or 8 years old. Those with phimosis should undergo surgery in a timely manner. If the foreskin is too long, it is not easy to get infected and local infection is easier to control, so you can decide whether to perform surgery after you become an adult. Parents should also understand that children need general anesthesia for circumcision, while adults only need local anesthesia.

Expert Tip

In addition, phimosis and prepuce are too long and need to be differentiated from other rare diseases, such as hidden penis, buried penis, webbed penis, micropenis, hypospadias, etc. Therefore, before surgery, you must go to a regular hospital for a diagnosis.