All things relevant about Phimosis
What is Phimosis?
Phimosis can happen in both men and women; it’s nothing but issue with skin tightening. In case of Males the skin of their foreskin cannot be retracted over the glans penis. In case of females, the clitoral hood cannot be retracted.
In case of Males till Adolescence the foreskin cannot be retracted is a normal scenario but post that if it continues is considered to be a problem and demands treatment because if it continues can cause difficulties in urinating and also provides hindrances in normal sexual functions.
There are mechanical conditions that prevent foreskin retraction which is different from normal growth:
1. First case can be, the tip of the foreskin is too narrow to pass over the glans penis which is found normal in children and adolescents.
2. The second condition can be the inner surface of the foreskin is fused or attached with the glans penis which is though normal in children and adolescents but is very much abnormal in adults.
3. The Third and high problematic case is the frenulum is too short to allow complete retraction of the foreskin.
Till 10 years of age there is no problem but post that if foreskin tightening problem exists then it demands Phimosis treatment. Non surgical measures are more effective in such cases.
How is phimosis treated?
Basically the treatment depends on the age of the male, severity, and resulting symptoms. The Doctor can recommend the treatment based on physical examination and if required examination using devices.
Depending on the age of the patient Doctor provides exercises and medicines.
Always the first choice of treatment is applying a steroid ointment that is locally applied. This has already shown a result with a success rate of over 70%. The ointment softens the foreskin and is applied for 4 to 6 weeks. If full retraction is possible post this treatment.
If by any chance the steroid treatment is not successful, a circumcision might be recommended which totally depends on the underlying symptoms.
Doctors can diagnosis the Phimosis problem and its required treatment based on its history and symptoms.
Effective measures can be taken through Topical Phimosis steroid creams such as betamethasone, mometasone furoate and cortisone which are very effective in treating phimosis and may provide an alternative to circumcision. Several researches say that the steroids make the skin thin and also reduce the body's inflammatory and immune responses.
Also in case of pathological Phimosis problems, Steroid creams and Phimosis Lotions are used before going for any other treatment to check if it results in normal retraction.
At Home Phimosis can be treated by basic few exercises. Using own hand some stretching exercises can help to treat this problem. One basic stretching exercise can be done by using two fingers and stretch the foreskin opening to the extent it can go without pain which is like increasing its radius, by fixing a finger on either side of the opening. Though this exercise is a little hard to describe and might need few tries to get right. Its best results right after a shower. This can be done for few months to get the better result before deciding for surgical options.
In case of situation where home based treatments or creams etc are not working then might think of surgical treatment. Phimosis Surgery is the Male circumcision refers to the surgical removal of the foreskin. If Padiatrics Urologist recommends Circumcision due to failure of steroid ointment, pathologic phimosis, paraphimosis wherein foreskin stuck in the retracted position behind the head of the penis or the case is of such situations, recurrent urinary tract infections, or severe/recurrent balanoposthitis, there can be demand of surgical cure and Phimosis treatment.
In recent research and science, there are phimosis devices invented to use for treatment considering the intensity of the problem and the age of the patient.
Phimosis Help is available in many websites and can be answered online in few cases. It depends on the severity of the problem, the responds should be chosen. Considering the age is very important in Phimosis treatment. All the websites available gives the result more or less satisfactory and the solutions are tested.
