problem with uncirc'd toddler...please help!

[Stinkerbell]

My 3 yo son is uncirc'd. 2 weeks ago he developed some redness on the tip of his penis and complained when he peed. Saw the pediatrician, she gave him antibiotic cream. It seemed to work (I was not messing with it too much and foreskin covers it so I didnt investigate a lot but he felt better and it looked better).

This morning as I was changing him I noticed redness so I peeked a little and there is a piece of skin coming from his foreskin directly attached to the center of the tip of his penis! I asked him to retract it (he does this all the time) but he said no.

It does not look like the frenar band, as that is usually coming from the underside of the penis and not directly on the tip, correct?

ack! I am nervous. Not having a penis makes these issues seem more difficult.

Any advice? It's Friday so if I need to get him back to the pediatrician, I need to do it now!

[Stinkerbell]

AND....
Internet searches keep coming up with "phemosis" but up until this morning, he's been retracting without problem since about 18 months old.

[Quirky]

My guess is that he probably didn't need the antibiotic cream in the first place...did she do a culture? It could have just been separation irritation and not a real infection. Honestly, if it were me, and if my son were peeing OK, I wouldn't worry about it and wait to see what happens. If there are signs of real trouble, like yucky/stinky discharge, pain, real redness on the whole penis, obvious swelling, etc. then I'd get him seen, but it sounds pretty minor right now.

He's your son, though, and you're there with him -- does he seem sick? Is he complaining at all like he did before? I would trust your gut on this one.

[Stinkerbell]

No, he doesn't seem sick at all!

My concern is that if it only took a few days for a band of skin to grow and attach the foreskin to the tip of his penis, will things grow further and get worse over the weekend? I've never heard of this happening in a toddler so I have no idea how to "file" this, if you know what I mean.

[ThreeBeans]

Is it skin or smegma?

Too bad this isn't the sort of thing where you can say, "Just post a picture and we'll figure it out!"


A yeast infection, maybe? Antibiotic cream would have made it worse, not better.

[Night_Nurse]

I don't know what it might be but I want to bump this to the top. Maybe other folks will have some good advice.

[eepster]

Is it the frenulum.
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/sex/c...ibank/0050.jpg
http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/a...enis/index.php

These drawings represent fully retractable adults, so don't pull your toddlers foreskin like this.

[njeb]

How is he doing this morning?
to you!

[glongley]

Remaining attachments connecting the foreskin to the glans can look like thin stretchy membranes of tissue. You said he was already fully retractable, but I would bet anything that there is some back and forth in the attachment underneath the foreskin that we are not always aware of during childhood development. The other thing is the foreskin may not actually be grown onto the head of the penis just loosely adhering or sticking to it. If he had been willing to retract for you, it may have just pulled right off the head no problem.

I would not worry about this. You're imagining a worst case scenario which is not really what's happening. A little irritation of the tip of the foreskin is not going to all of a sudden cause a major breakdown in his penis! I wouldn't see this as a need for seeing a doctor. It certainly sounds like he's comfortable and not acting sick, so myself I'd just watch and wait.

The foreskin tip normally will look at little redder than the rest of the foreskin because it is transitioning into the inner mucous membrane surface. So know what's normal for him, and if it gets a little redder than that or appears swollen in addition, apply your usual diaper area strategies - keeping it clean, frequent diaper changes, making sure your diapers are well stripped (if cloth), frequent warm sitz baths with baking soda, air drying (naked time), applying a barrier cream.

Let us know how you're doing!

Gillian

[AXEius]

Originally Posted by eepster

Is it the frenulum.
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/sex/c...ibank/0050.jpg
http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/a...enis/index.php

These drawings represent fully retractable adults, so don't pull your toddlers foreskin like this.

exactly what i was thinking, in some males the frenulum can be very pronounced and be attached right up near the urethra which matches the description. This is often removed or at least fairly damaged in circumcised males so that its rarely even visble.