Tight Foreskin – Stretching Exercises, Symptoms, Cure, Surgery and Causes

What is Tight Foreskin?

Tight Foreskin or what is medically known as phimosis is a condition that is common to males that are uncircumcised. It occurs when their foreskin or prepuce can’t be able to retract fully from the head of the penis or glans. It is termed as partial phimosis if there is flaccid retraction. While it is termed as full phimosis if there is really no retraction at all. Others would medically define it as the perpetual ring undergoes as stenosis or tightness. In layman’s terms, the foreskin becomes tight and can’t be pulled back in order for the glands to be disclosed.

Tight Foreskin Causes

The etiological condition that may lead to having tight foreskin of Phimosis includes either of the following:

Infection

Infections are due to balanitis and posthitis. Posthitis is the foreskin infection which is due to fungal infection that exists in moist and hot conditions. On the other hand, balanitis is both foreskin and glans infection that is brought about poor hygiene. Some males will have posthitis or the so call balanitis which tends to iterate which could lead to scar formation. Chronic infections also may lead to having urinary tract infections. While infections that recurs in the kidney will greatly affect the function of the kidneys per se.

Inflammation

There will be a manifestation of sore and red foreskin which is due to forcing of retraction and other irritants such as nappies being dirty.

Phimosis

When the foreskin is tight, which is an abnormal condition, leads to the prevention of retraction to occur. When there is a recurrent balanitis, it will lead to having this medical condition. When a person has this condition, he will experience urinating problems.

Paraphimosis

When the foreskin is permanently retracted, it will lead to Paraphimosis. What happens is that the foreskin becomes swollen and is painful.

Others

Tumor – This condition is very rare. It is when there is an abnormal growth that develops on the foreskin.

Zipper Trauma – It is when a man’s genitals and most primarily the foreskin get caught up in the zipper of their pants.

Tight Foreskin Symptoms

The common symptoms associated with this condition and are symptoms that are commonly manifested by person having this medical condition include the following:

• Foreskin Bulges
• Urination is difficult
• Pain
• Penis’ tip is swollen
• There is inability of pulling back the foreskin

Symptoms that indicates a serious condition includes:

• High Fever
• Inable to urinate
• Inable to reposition the foreskin
• Discolored or bruising of the foreskin
• Tenderness

Picture 1 – observe the inability of foreskin to retract, Penis tip swollen

Tight Foreskin Diagnosis

In diagnosing the tight foreskin or phimosis, the physician will usually require:

• Medical History
• P.E or Physical Examination
• Swab test that is done to confirm or test for any infection

Tight Foreskin Treatment and Cure

In treating the phimosis or Tight Foreskin which required three types such as:

• Gradual stretching of the opening of the foreskin of prepuce to be able to widen it and prevent it from tightening.
• Medications such as steroids, non steroidal and topical creams such as betamethasone
• Surgical reshaping methods
• The famous surgical procedure- circumcision.

If however, the foreskin or prepuce can’t be relieved either through medications or surgical procedure, treatment of it should be sought as soon as possible. Failure to do so, will lead to damage of the male’s outer reproductive gland.

There could be other medical and non medical things to be done with this kind of condition such as:

Stretching Exercises for Tight Foreskin

Stretching is the basic principle in applying pressure like the one you would do whenever you stretch an elastic band. The stretching exercise includes phimosis and frenulum breve exercises. It is advisable that you do these exercises every 5 minutes in two times a day till four weeks afterwards. The advantage with this kind of treatment is that you can do it freely and privately at any time and place.

With regards to the Phimosis exercise, it includes two parts:

Phimosis Exercise number 1

First you retract the prepuce in as much as you can tolerate. Then, you hold if for thirty seconds and pull it again forward. Afterwards, stop and relax. You repeat this procedure for five minutes. You can do this procedure in a hot tub; the heat will make it become dilated.

Phimosis Exercise number 2

Here you first insert two fingers in the prepuce opening and pull the fingers in opposite directions. Discomfort is natural as long as it is not agonizing. Hold that position for about thirty seconds and pull it forward again. And as the first exercise, repeat these procedures for five minutes. You can also do it in a hot tub bath.

And the last two exercises are:

Frenulum Stretching

Here, you first locate the phimotic ring and grip the frenulum end using both your thumb and forefinger. Pull the position away from the body and hold that position for thirty seconds and let go. You can do it when you are in the hot tub bath.

Stretching with a Steroid Ointment

With the use of diprosone ointment or the so called betamethasone 0.05%, stretch the prepuce and then apply the ointment thinly as appropriate and let the steroid cream do its work. It doesn’t really need further more stretching.

Surgery for Tight Foreskin

You can undergo either preputioplasty for phimosis reconstruction or frenuloplasty for frenulum breve. Both procedures require incisions and stitches. In can also be done at the same time and local anesthesia is used for this kind of procedures. It is expected that his kind of surgery will have a recovery period of at least four weeks.

You can also have circumcision for both treatment of phimosis and frenulum breve. Circumcision, once done, is a final procedure. Once you decide to undergo this procedure, there will be no turning back or redoing it. Hence, making this procedure the last option for surgery.