Different retraction question

[~NewMa~]

My son is 11 months old and intact
We've never had any problems.
The info I read and was given was that the penis should be wiped like a finger never pulling the foreskin back as this will cause pain and potential scarring.
I have never pulled the skin back but know that it should do so naturally over time and am wondering when that is?
I worry that the skin will grow too tight around the glands making that impossible, which I understand can be a reason for circumcision later in life.

[Fellow Traveler]

It varies with each boy the average age for being able to fully retract is about 11 or 12 though many do it sooner some do it later. You can read a bit about it here: http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/

Don't worry the foreskin won't get too tight it will grow with the rest of his penis.

If he figures this out and can do it relatively early, don't worry you'll hear about it.

[~NewMa~]

Thank you for the link
I just found another link for a sticky in another thread I was reading that gave alot of helpful information too!

[Yulia_R]

The foreskin will not grow too tight; it is an EXTREMELY rare medical condition. Don't worry about it just as you wouldn't worry about your daughter's clitoral hood growing too tight LOL! Foreskin is there to protect and this is what it's doing; it's tightly fused to the glans in order to keep them protected.

Your son will retract on his own in his own time (most likely before he is 18 y.o.)

[eepster]

The chances that you DS will develop phimosis if you just leave his penis alone are very slim. It is premature retracting and vigorous cleaning (which leads to yeast infections) that causes phimosis most of the time.

Should your DS actually develop phimosis, there are nonsurgical and less damaging than circ surgical treatments. None of these treatments should be considered till after puberty though.

Drs in the US and other english speaking countries will sometimes dx phimosis in young children. This is a misdiagnosis, since it is develpomentally normal to remain nonretractable till puberty is completed.