Penile Adhesion

[livinlovinlaughin]

I have a friend who feels weird about asking this question. I understand that most people on here are against circumcision. Regardless this mama needs some compassionate natural advice and this seems to be one of the best resources for that. Here is the story:

Friend's DS is circumcised loosely and has had a few mild penile adhesions. at each diaper change they gently roll back the loose skin to get some air in there and make sure nothing is sticking. the couple times there were adhesions they came right off eventually by this gentle rolling back. This time again the adhesion released gently form this rolling back at a diaper change. Here is where the issue starts. Dr had advised her to put polysporin on it after circumcision. The skin looked red and raw so she grabbed what she used on the only diaper rash he had, witch hazel. My friend says DS cried hard, it must have burned bad. Now he does not want anyone to even change his diaper. In fact he peed in his potty for the first time to avoid a diaper change.

She has decided to use the polysporin until the red raw look heals. The problem is that he will not let anyone gently roll the skin back to apply the polysporin. Everything we have researched says that after Dr forcefully removes penile adhesions (thank goodness this is not the case) that some barrier cream should be applied for about 2 weeks to avoid another adhesion. e even found where someone stated that adhesions can happen between 1 diaper change. My dear freind is at a loss of what to do. She says that she can tell her DS is not in pain nor does it hurt even now when she gently rolls the skin back. He is simply scared that he will feel that awful burning sensation that the witch hazel gave him. Poor little guy! She asked me if it would help to simply apply the polysporin to the head of his penis. I do not know the answer to this. Will the polysporin melt between the skin and create a barrier to keep the skin from re-adhering? Or does she need to roll his skin back and be sure to get it down between there?

Also everything I researched for her says that "majority" of penile adhesions will correct themselves and the rest can be surgically taken care of later in life. I am sure that will not make her feel any better so I have not mentioned it. I would think that some people will say just leave it be. But I know she would not want him to end up being the minority who needs a surgical procedure later. She feels she has already done enough damage with the circ alone.

Please be nice and share any helpful unbiased advice you may have. Thank you for keeping an open mind for this dear mama in need.

[13Sandals]

the most important thing is to STOP pulling the foreskin down after diaper changes. most intact children do not have separation of the foreskin/glans while in diapers. In this case, the boy's body is trying to repair the damage from circumcision and will continue to try and re-adhere what's left of the foreskin to the glans. ....pulling it down after every diaper change is increasing scar tissue and asking for infection. tell her to leave it alone and let nature take its course. adhesions will develop...let them be. She should follow the rules of intact children: no one but the child should touch his foreskin. It may be that the scar tissue already developed from this practice will lead to a problematic adhesion that will one day have to be surgically removed. would be nice if doctors mentioned the actual risks before performing the procedure. so sad and unnecessary. if she suspects infection - still, don't pull the foreskin down. rinse the area in clean water (without any soap or irritants) -just water and then add polysporin to the tip and squish down into whatever gaps there are without any type of tug on the foreskin.

[Lady Lilya]

Yeah, she should completely leave it alone. It is common for adhesions to form. They should release later, at the same schedule as would have happened if he had the whole foreskin and it released on its own. However, now that they have irritated it so much, it might not want to release. Better to detach it once later in life than to do it over and over again in babyhood.

[blessedwithboys]

Oh, god, most witch hazels are in a base of isopropyl alcohol! Poor little guy! Tell her to leave his poor penis alone. The damage is done, let it be and he can have it fixed later in life as an adult if necessary.

[DivineMrsM]

This happened to my son. We would just keep detaching it and applying Vaseline or Polysporin to it. My ds2 had an adhesion one time, and once we detached it and kept up with the vaseline, it didn't reattach. My ds1, he had it pretty bad.