4 yo says his penis hurts--it's pretty red

[brightonwoman]

My son is 4 1/2. He retracted himself maybe 9-12 months ago. At that point I talked with him about retracting in the tub to get clean everywhere, but I admit I don't always sit there every second when he is in the tub, and I can't say how consistent he is with doing that. I've also talked with him about retracting when he pees, but he usually does NOT do that. I have not fretted over it because I figure for the first 4 years of his life he peed with the foreskin down so it's probably not a big deal...

Yesterday he came up to me after going to the toilet and said that his penis hurt. He pulled back his foreskin to show me (after telling me to not touch cuz it hurts), and about half of the head of his penis is dark red. I don't see any bleeding or places that look like a rash or a cut/scrape/etc, just part of his penis is definitely a much darker red than the rest of it. He says it is very sore, and every time he has gone to the bathroom in the last day and a half. It doesn't look different from the rest of his penis except for the color--it's not dried out, i can't see a line at the edge of the color change--just part of his penis is darker and he says it hurts.

I have no idea what this is or what might have caused it. Might it be an infection?

Is there something I could/should do or put on it?  He's clearly upset by the pain (he is in a dramatic stage, so I don't know how severe the pain really is--he hasn't been crying over it, but he definitely doesn't want me to touch either. He says it hurts whether the penis is in or out and even when it's in his clothes, but he has only mentioned it to me after going to the toilet.

Do I need to make sure he washes better, or retracts when peeing? Forgive me, I don't really know my way around an intact penis!!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

He should not be using soap on the area and if he does rinse it then it should be with clear water. If he has been sitting in a soapy bath or washing with soap this could be the cause of his pain.

He could also have yeast if that is the case then you can try 7 day OTC monistate and see if it looks/feels any better.

Even if he is retractable he dosnt need to retract and wash that rule is mostly for boys in puberty the only reason for him to retract, rinse, replace now is to get in the habit not for cleanliness issues.

Whether or not to retract while urinating is personal choice. Some men do and some dont either way is just fine.

[brightonwoman]

I've never soaped my kids (except occasionally for serious mud/grime). There may be a little soap in the tub but not much. I've never told him to rub it or anything, just said to retract it and maybe swish for a second while bathing. As I said, I think he only does it sometimes.

I don't know what yeast would look like in this kind of situation...that does seem possible i guess, but would he have any other symptoms?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Yeast symptoms would be burning, pain and possibly a white discharge. It might show up on the rest of his genitals or it might not.

It is also possible that he had something on his hands that irritated things while exploring.

If it where me I would give it 24 hours, (if it didnt get worse before then) and if it is still irritated take him in for a swab to identify any infection present.

You can do some soothing baths like baking soda and see if that helps in the meantime.

[brightonwoman]

thanks

[Old man]

Just to correct misinformation in above posting. Cleaning under the skin is indeed important. A male will slough dead skin under the foreskin and it has no where to go.  In time, bacteria starts to grow in the smegma (the proper name for the slough.) and your penis will feel like it is on fire and itches like all get out. Know what I am talking about.  I got one.

[3timesamom]

Interesting. Since my son is 6 and this is good to note;) He can't pull back as far as OP but I will be sure to tell him to clean it more than I currently do!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

My ds is 7yo and does not retract to clean even though he is fully retractable now. I havnt started talking to him about it yet since the last time I tried he didnt quiet get it. He has had no issues what so ever with itching or irritation. But then sitting in the bath and him tugging on it is enough to do the job.