Possible penis infection and needing help

[glowing]

Hello all!

I have a two year old son who has had a ring of that white stuff (forgive me for not remembering what it is called) under the skin of his penis for over a year now. I have heard that is ok because it helps him open up properly and he seems to be. My older son we kept cleaning it out of there and he is as tight as could be (at the time we didn't know any better. Anyway, my little guy has been kinda complaining about it a bit and I notice it is a bit red and inflammed. But I also notice that that ring of white stuff is now right at the tip and you can see bits of it coming out now and then and I think his body is trying to get rid of it now. I don't want to ignore it but all the doctors he has seen in this town want to circumcize him and I am against it 100%. Does anyone know of anything I could do to try and help the redness or does anyone have any advice? I would love some feedback...pleeeeeeeeease!

Thank you!

[Xenogenesis]

Congratulations! Your son is going through the perfectly normal process of becoming retractable - the way nature intended! He may experience some discomfort at this time but circumcision is not the answer. A warm soak in the tub with some baking soda added might serve to soothe him.

's

Ps. It's called "smegma". Womyn produce it also.



Welcome to the boards.

[glowing]

Thank you Laila! I believed that because I believe eveything that happens in the body happens for a reason, and to me this is a natural process.

Could I also ask you if you know of anyone whose son has very tight foreskin and what is best to do about it. I put both of my boys on the couch after their bath with a blanket and a movie so they can play with it, as I hear that is natural and is good to help it with the opening process. However, because my 4 year old has such tight foreskin I don't know if there is anything else to do. If you or anyone else has some advice on this, I would love to hear it.

Thank you very much!

[Sarah]

Amanda- It is perfectly fine for a 4 year old to have a tight foreskin. Most of the time the hormones of puberty will cause that tightness to ease up. If not, artificial steroid ointment will jump start that and 95% of the time that is all that needs to be done- ointment with stretching- but NOT AT FIVE...or six or even seven... it is not even beginning t be considered as a "problem" until he is well into puberty.

Research phimosis at crip.org

Don't give him a complex about it- he should know that is foreskin will retract, and know what the anatomy is in there...but he should not feel obligated to try to force it. And also, if his foreskin is tight- warn him to not force it back and to always replace it forward after pulling back- if his foreskin is tight- you want to be sure that he does not wind up with "paraphimosis" (that's an emergency situation which would require a trip to the ER!)

Love Sarah

[Xenogenesis]

It sounds as if you are doing everything just right!

It may take up to eighteen or so years to become fully retractable according to This Expert.

[glowing]

Thank you all!

My biggest concern is because as a new mother I listened to the doctor who said "pull it back as far as you can and clean out anything that comes out when you pull it back". So, mom knowing no better did that and I am hoping it won't be a problem for him.

We have shown him not to pull it back and to just pull it forward, so I am hoping it will be ok. I guess I will just leave it as is and keep true to my instincts of just leaving it alone.

You guys are great! Thank you for your help!

[Frankly Speaking]

Yup! The white stuff is called smegma and it is absolutely normal and probably essential. When it comes out in lumps, there is a different name for it. It's then called pearls so your son probably has more pearls than you do! :LOL

It is absolutely normal for the foreskin to be tight in children up until 8-10 years old even though some become loose well before that and some remain tight long after that age. This is one of those areas where "normal" is very hard to define since it occurs normally over such a wide span of time.

The complaints from your son are normal as is the redness during the separation process. The normal adhesions are probably breaking down and it is not an even process. This pulls at the adhesions and results in mild short term irritation that probably is more of an itch than actual pain and it will be short lived, probably no more than 24 hours. Since the foreskin is much like the lips and show even the most minor traumma as redness and puffiness, it can be quite alarming to an inexperienced mom seeing it for the first time.

Watch him and if it doesn't appear better in 24-36 hours, then consult a medical professional. Of the dozens of Moms we have seen here describing the exact same symptoms, not a single one ended up taking her son to a doctor. They were all much better the next day!

Keep us posted!



Frank

[glowing]

He has had the problem for about six days now, but it is almost one day on and one day off, or even sometimes I see it when he complains about it and it is red and a bit inflammed, and two hours later I look at it and it looks better already. The thing I notice most is that when it is inflammed, that is when some of the SMEGMA is coming out and you can see little bits of it. The lump of SEMGMA is only about as wide as half a pea but is probably just over an inch long and kinda wraps around his penis. And I noticed for quite a few months now that it was getting closer and closer to the tip of his penis, but now it is sitting right there at the tip and looks as though it is forcing it open, though you can't actually see the lump (PEARL) of SMEGMA.

Thanks for your input! It is appreciated!

[MamaAllNatural]

The best thing for a red, irritated penis is definately a nice hot soak in the bath (with no soap, oils, bubbles) and to let them air out as much as possible, especially when they're at that diaper age. Just for future reference. As long as no one tries to forceably retract his foreskin, everything should be AOK!

I'm horrified that your Doc wants to Circ your little guy at the drop of a hat! Do you think you could find a more foreskin/intact friendly Doc? Just a thought...