Phimosis

Phimosis is characterized as the incapability to pull back the foreskin or prepuce that covers the glans or tip of the penis. Phimosis can occur as a compressed ring of foreskin around the upper part of the penis, stopping retraction. Phimosis has two types including physiologic and pathologic. The current incidence of phimosis is approximately 1% in 7th-grade boys. Young boys perhaps do not require treatment for phimosis except if it leads to difficulty in urinating or induces other manifestations. When these young boys grow up quick treatment becomes imperative.

Complications Associated With Phimosis or its Treatment

The complications linked with steroids are not often a problem with the creams applied to pull back the foreskin. Those problems are mainly associated with the long-term oral application of steroids. Circumcision was a typical procedure done on babies, which is not done anymore. Complications linked with circumcision are:

  • Having a too short or too long foreskin
  • Bleeding
  • Infection.
  • Discomfort.

Causes of Phimosis

Phimosis can happen inherently but it is still ambiguous why it happens in a few boys but not all. The disease can likewise happen if the foreskin is retracted with full force before it’s all set. It can damage the skin and lead to scarring, making it even more challenging to pull back the foreskin afterwards. Rash or a foreskin or glans infection can lead to phimosis in both boys and men.

Other main causes of phimosis include:

  • Inadequate hygiene
  • Skin diseases including lichen sclerosis, eczema, lichen planus, and psoriasis
  • Different masturbation techniques
  • Scar tissue or preputial adhesions that hold the foreskin hooked to the head (glans) of the penis
  • Wounds
  • Infections, such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Symptoms of Phimosis

The primary symptom of phimosis is the incapability to pull back the prepuce or foreskin by the age of just 3. The prepuce or foreskin often slackens over time; however, it can get extended in a few boys. By the age of 17, a boy should quickly pull back his prepuce or foreskin. Another typical symptom of phimosis is a bulge of the prepuce or foreskin that occurs while urinating.

Diagnosis & Treatment of Phimosis

The doctor or healthcare specialist will do a physical test to diagnose phimosis. Moreover, they may order tests to discover any type of infection that occurs in urine or during penis discharge.

Physiological or congenital phimosis usually does not require any treatment. However, pathological phimosis, also known as secondary phimosis, must be treated.

  • The doctor or healthcare professional will likely recommend a steroid cream to apply to the penis's skin.
  • The doctor or healthcare professional may recommend to carefully stretch the foreskin after around 2 weeks of utilizing the steroid cream. You will have to push the skin really carefully, retracting it solely as far as it is possible without inducing any damage. You can apply the cream on the areas of the glans that are uncovered by the stretching practices.

Surgical Alternatives For Phimosis

Surgery is usually required in severe cases. If the kid or person is undergoing troubles, the doctor may create a tiny cut in the foreskin so that they can retract the prepuce or foreskin easily. In case you are an adult with a lot of scar/cicatrix tissue, the doctor will likely suggest circumcision. This procedure will clear the prepuce or foreskin and free the glans. The doctor will surely recommend circumcision if balanitis xerotic obliterans (BXO) is resulting in phimosis and the use of steroid creams is being ineffective.

Foods/Diets To Follow After The Treatment of Phimosis

  • Berries
  • Vegetables
  • Green Leaves
  • Proteins providing Iron
  • Probiotics
  • Carbohydrates through the consumption of whole grains
  • A lot of water intake.