First retraction - is this normal?

[kythe]

Last night my 5-yr old son's foreskin retracted for the first time, but it didn't go back over the head on it's own. He was just playing with his toys and suddenly started yelling, "Oh, my penis hurts!". When I took him into the bathroom, it was fully retracted, but appeared red and constricted. He says no one touched it (I have no reason to believe anyone did), and he indicated that it had happened spontaneously earlier in the day but had returned to it's normal position.

I called his doctor, who advised that if it a warm bath to try to relax him, then to help him push gently on the head while he pulled his own foreskin back down. He said if it stays retracted, it will swell and become painful and need medical treatment. The doctor also said that although this is uncommon, it's not unheard of for a foreskin to naturally retract and get stuck. I had always thought the first retraction would likely happen while he was touching himself (and he wasn't then), but the doctor said it can happen during spontaneous erections.

Things didn't go quite as smoothly as I would have hoped, but his foreskin appeared less tender after the bath and we were able to manipulate it to its original position after about an hour and a half. He felt fine immediately after we were able to pull it back down.

So for future information - will the foreskin loosen over time, or is this likely to happen again? How do I know if it's too tight? How often does he need to retract it to clean it?

[thixle]

Congrats on getting an awesome doctor! I couldn't find anything wrong with the info you posted.

So for future information - will the foreskin loosen over time, or is this likely to happen again? How do I know if it's too tight? How often does he need to retract it to clean it?

Yes, it will loosen over time.
Yes, it is possible it will happen again (not necessarily likely), just do the same thing you did before- your son is also just as likely to say "Oh, my penis hurts!" if it happens again.
It's not too tight! The frenar band (the tip) is a contracting/relaxing skin-muscle (like the skin responsible for making your nipples hard). It will grow and stretch on it's own as your son gets older and plays with his penis more.
He doesn't have to retract to clean, he can still simply soak in the bath. Remember, urine is sterile and will flush out any bacteria or smegma under the foreskin. And that same tight frenar band will keep anything from getting in... if your son is comfortable retracting in the tub, don't discourage him- but there is really no need for him to retract himself all the time-- in fact, that can cause the frenar band to tighten even more if he is trying to follow your instructions even if it hurts. (As in, it's ok for him to do it himself, but with authority "pressuring" him, even gently, he might fight through uncomfortable feelings, causing micro-tears and scarring, which would cause the frenar band to become too tight.)

[kldliam]

I agree with thixle. however, just to form good early habbits- I do encourage my son to retract and rinse (no soap) in the tub. It just takes 2 seconds. I'd rather teach him about hygeine in that area at 4 or 5 than say.............10.

I would also add, that he's never displayed any discomfort while doing this. I would of course, be very sensitive to that.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Paraphimosis, were the foreskin gets stuck behind the glans can be a emergency situation. It is treatable without circ but you have to be really careful because most Dr here will want to circ if it happens and it dosnt slide back. Here are some links on papaphimosis for future reference so you will know exactly what to do and what needs to be done if you cant get it back.


Paraphimosis reduction: http://www.cirp.org/library/treatmen...osis/reynard1/

Paraphimosis reduction: http://www.circumstitions.com/Paraphim.html


I like knowing what is going on so that I know how to deal with it if it ever happens. Since I do not trust Dr around here to know how to deal with intact issues.

I would have a talk with your ds about making sure he puts the skin back every single time so that this wont be a issue.

[pigpokey]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

I would have a talk with your ds about making sure he puts the skin back every single time so that this wont be a issue.

Now just anecdotally, having read these stories I made that request to my son and sometimes I think he would be more likely to put it down if I'd never made that request. Sometimes it feels like a nonstop request to be contrary but it really is just periodic.

But (circ'd kid) gets to leave his glans out! (He was circumcised.) I want to be circumcised so my glans can stay out!

[kythe]

Thanks for the information, everyone. At this point, I'm not concerned about him leaving it retracted, regardless of what I tell him. It hurt enough that he is actually afraid to let it retract again. I followed up with the doctor this morning and thanked him for his advice, and he said I should encourage ds to manipulate it in the bath so it loosens gradually.

Although I agree with this for later on, right now ds is too afraid of the discomfort to let his foreskin retract again. I plan to wait it out and let it continue to develop on it's own, rather than telling him he should retract it. It developed this far at it's own pace, and I'm sure he will continue to be fine without pressure in any way. I also feel more confident in what to do should it again retract involuntarily and get stuck.

MCatLvr, thanks for the links. I didn't realize there was a name for this condition. The second link is exactly what happened to him. Hopefully his foreskin will loosen a bit on its own each time it retracts and this problem will lessen, but it is good to know the alternatives to circ should it occur again severely enough that we would need medical attention.

[Frankly Speaking]

Originally Posted by kythe

Thanks for the information, everyone. At this point, I'm not concerned about him leaving it retracted, regardless of what I tell him. It hurt enough that he is actually afraid to let it retract again. I followed up with the doctor this morning and thanked him for his advice, and he said I should encourage ds to manipulate it in the bath so it loosens gradually.

Although I agree with this for later on, right now ds is too afraid of the discomfort to let his foreskin retract again. I plan to wait it out and let it continue to develop on it's own, rather than telling him he should retract it. It developed this far at it's own pace, and I'm sure he will continue to be fine without pressure in any way. I also feel more confident in what to do should it again retract involuntarily and get stuck.

It is not unusual for a boy to report a burning or stinging sensation the first time his glans is exposed to air or water. This simply indicates that the process for retraction is not complete yet. The burning and stinging will subside.

It is normal for the foreskin to retract with erections. It is also normal for the foreskin to slide back over the glans when the erection subsides. Your son's foreskin staying back just indicates that the process is not yet quite complete. I suspect this will be very temporary and that the opening will enlarge sufficiently in a month or two that this will not be an issue anymore.



Frank