foreskin trouble?

Question

a tight one, and when i roll back when errect it kinda rolls back in on itself on the head. its tight so any ideas how to loosen up.
it rolls back easier when flacid but then i'm afraid to get an errection incase it splits.

Answer 1

You seem to have a condition called phimosis, where the foreskin opening is too tight/narrow for you to be able to pull it back all the way to expose the glans (penis head). It sounds like your condition is fairly mild, so it shouldn't be too difficult to "fix" or "cure."

The first thing you should try is something called stretching exercises. In one stretching exercise, take two fingers (one from each hand), "hook" each finger on either side of the foreskin, and stretch the foreskin in opposite directions (like increasing its radius) as far as possible without pain or discomfort. Stretch and hold for a few seconds, then let it relax for a few seconds, then repeat the process again for a few minutes each day for a few weeks to a month. It's a little hard to describe and may take a few tries to get right. It's also best to do this right after a shower/bath when the skin's most flexible.

If after a month and there's little/no progress, then ask a doctor about certain prescription creams that'll help loosen the foreskin. In one study, these creams are the most cost-effective treatment a doctor can provide (link 1, names of creams in one of the tables). Be aware that it may take a month or two for the creams to give you the full effect, but you can generally speed things up a little by combining them with the stretching exercises.

In almost all cases of phimosis, the above treatments or a combination of the two are all that's necessary. Ignore any suggestions/comments urging you to get circumcised, as that's almost always overkill (as well as being painful and expensive).

Good luck with whatever you try and see the remaining links for some more info.

Answer 2

The foreskin is the hood of skin that covers the head of the penis. If you have been circumcised, you will not have a foreskin.

In small children the foreskin is tight and stuck to the glans, but normally begins to separate at about the age of 3 or 4. If the hole in the foreskin looks abnormally tiny, ask your doctor to check.
After the age of 7, it is usually possible to pull the foreskin back over the head (or glans) of the penis, but in some boys this is not possible before the age of 14 or 15. So if you are 13 or 14, do not worry – this is perfectly normal.
If you are 15 or over and cannot pull your foreskin back, it may be too tight.
A tight foreskin is called phimosis . If you have phimosis, you will not be able to wash under your foreskin properly, so a white, cheesy material called smegma can accumulate. Also, if the condition is severe, it may be painful when the penis is erect.

Some men have phimosis from childhood, but it can also occur late in life, perhaps as a result of several thrush infections affecting the head of the penis. Another common reason is a skin condition called balanitis xerotica obliterans, which makes the foreskin pale and thickened. The cause of this condition is not known; it is not an infection.

Treatment
If it is very tight, there is no point in trying to force the foreskin back: you will only cause painful cracks on the inside of the foreskin, which will scar as they heal and make it worse. NORM-UK suggests that you try gentle stretching, and advises on how to do this.

If this does not solve the problem, you probably need an operation.

Circumcision is the most common operation. The surgeon separates the foreskin from the head of the penis (if it is stuck down), cuts the foreskin away and closes the incision with stitches. The glans will seem very sensitive after the operation, because it is not used to being exposed. Most men have erections during their sleep, so for a few weeks after the operation, you may wake in the middle of the night with a sore penis; taking a pain-relieving medication at bedtime will help. Wear loose boxer shorts and use a condom during sex for the first month or two.

If the doctor thinks the cause is balanitis xerotica obliterans, steroid creams will be used first; this often relieves the condition for several years, but eventually circumcision is usually needed.

Preputioplasty is a lesser operation. It involves making a vertical incision in the foreskin and then stitching it crosswise to widen the opening; it usually leaves a very normal appearance.

Answer 3

I was in the same boat as you were when I was 25. You likely have a form of phimosis, this in short means you cant pull the skin back because its too tight. I ended up being circumsied. You also have the option of frenuloplasty. Which cuts the frenulum or small cord holding the skin below the head of your penis. I recommend that you trying some stretching in a warm bath, however I personally wouldnt go for the full circumsicion now that I have already done it. People who say its not clean to be uncircumsized, obviously ARE circumsized or arent clean themselves. I never had an infection, you just shower like everyone else. You also lose some feeling when you get circumsized, if you do it later in life because scar tissue grows and stays.

This is different than being circumsized at a young age. Either way talk to your doctor and dont consider a full circumsicion.

I use to get the same feeling of feeling like I was gonna split open. In short it hurt.

Paraphimosis and phimosis are abnormalities that occur involving the penis and its ability to retract or extrude from the prepuce. Paraphimosis refers to the presence of an engorged (distended) penis that cannot be retracted into it's normal position because of constriction of the preputial orifice. Phimosis in constriction of the orifice of the prepuce so that it cannot be drawn back over the glans. The causes of each are different.

It seems that many people responding, dont know what Phimosis is. Also Frenulopasty
Here is a link with pics, It can be graphicc but educational.

http://www.london-urology.co.uk/frenuloplasty_images.htm

Answer 4

If you have a tight foreskin, you can actually stretch it like I did. When you shower. =)

Work on getting it less tight. Here's what you do. When you shower and soaping up your body, pull the foreskin back the most you can without forcing it, and then wash the head there underneath. If you do this for a few weeks each day, you'll see results. It'll slide back a little more every few days.

(and this part is in case your head is too sensitive to touch; might not be if you've been able to pull the foreskin back when soft) Now, as for the sensitivity, as studies have proven, the foreskin keeps the head sensitive. That's not a bad thing, since that creates pleasure. However, you don't want it too sensitive. Yours is just too sensitive because it hasn't been used much before. So you just have to rub it gently at first for some weeks and you'll see the difference. Then you'll be able to rub the head however you want. =) So in a way, those two things are tied.

So yeah, work on it and in a few weeks you'll like it. =) And of course, feel free to e-mail me from my profile if you have any questions!

You do NOT need circumcision. And you have every right to remain uncircumcised, as after all, circumcision does carry risks and most 'benefits' are unfounded or contradicted. There's a reason why the USA is the last developed nation doing it to newborns, and our rates are falling; it's as low as 14% in some states by now.
http://circresearch.googlepages.com

If you work on it, everything will eventually be fine, as it was for me. (is for me, I mean)

In the end, if the stretching fails after a few weeks, you can ask a doctor for a cream. It's 0.05% betamethasone, which is successful in over 90% of cases. You can even take the study to him. It's a really inexpensive cream; Wal-Mart sells it for $4 with prescription and online you can buy it for about $10 at drugstore.com, for example.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1677-55382005000400012&script=sci_arttext

Answer 5

There are some Phimosis levels where the worst leads prepuce to be so tight to throttle the glans and being immovable. In this case only a simple surgery will reinstate the full functionality. The mild phase, instead, brings prepuce to become tight only when penis is in the erect state, rolling with some difficulty. In this case often it's possible to enlarge a little bit the foreskin through some constant stretching, i.e.
We don't know exactly what your foreskin condition is and for that we advice you to get an urologist visit!

Answer 6

As a senior staff nurse in GU medicine I have seen this more times than you've had hot dinners. You got a few choices - you can do the stretching whilst showering or in the bath when the skin is relaxed and warm, gently stretch the foreskin with a couple of fingers, not to the extent that it bleeds or you get pain! Alternatively go see your GP tell him your problem, he could refer you to a urologist for a circumcision or a modified circumcsion the operation is called a frenuloplasty - where they just cut the frenulum to release the foreskin. The operation is quick and pretty much painless. Your penis will not get shorter and you will not lose sensitivity during intercourse, 2 very common misconceptions with circumcision.

Answer 7

Try using a penis health creme that contains Vitamin E and shea butter. This creme will hydrate and loosen your foreskin, which should help it retract easier. If this doesn't work you might want to go see the doctor. Good luck.

Answer 8

This is a fairly common problem and it is best you seek help from your GP.
There is a fairly simple procedure that can be done ( well short of circumcision !!) which will sort it out
If you are still in puberty you are still developing and you could try using something like baby oil to make the process easier , and over a period it may correct itself
Good Luck

Answer 9

Hi you see it depends if its always been a problem or if its just recently. If its just a recent thing maybe you should see your gp incase you have swelling that is causing the discomfort or if you have always been this way then maybe you should see your gp anyway to discuss surgery. It is very important that you are able to clean and dry the end of your penis to prevent infection and other painful complaints. Paula

Answer 10

Nothing wrong with it bunching up behind the head, mine does a bit as well. It will loosen up with time, have you tried to pull it back when hard? it is very stretchy and should be fine. Just don't listen to those who say you need a circumcision