Phimosis

Phimosis is a condition in which the male foreskin cannot be fully retracted. Phimosis is not a disease. Phimosis is the normal developmental condition in young boys, however the condition occurs in 2% of uncircumcised adult males, which can be a cause of pain or discomfort during sex or an erection.

It is entirely normal for the prepuce to be adherent to the glans in babies, and for the prepuce to not fully retract in young boys. Premature retraction, which is extremely painful, can cause permanent damage to the glans and ridged band, and is also the primary cause of infection in this area. As a boy grows to sexual maturity the prepuce normally becomes retractable. About 44 percent of boys have a fully retractile foreskin by age 10.

Many studies show that adult phimosis may be inexpensively treated medically without surgery by the application of topical steroid ointment to the narrow part of the foreskin.[1] Circumcision, which formerly was the treatment of choice, is rapidly becoming outmoded.

Other alternatives to circumcision are Preputial Plasty and stretching. Preputial Plasty is a less traumatic operation involving a dorsal slit along the constricting band of skin[1].

Stretching of the foreskin can be accomplished manually, sometimes with masturbation, also known as the Beaugé method[1]. The stretching can also be accomplished with baloons placed under the skin under anesthesia, or with a tool [1]. The tissue expansion promotes the growth of new skin cells to permanently expand the narrow preputial ring that prevents retraction.

Table of contents

1 Historical examples
2 See also
3 External links

Historical examples

Marie and Louis. Marie Antoinette was 14 and Louis, the future King, was only 15 when they married. Louis had phimosis which was corrected by minor surgery, but only after 7 years of marriage. Marie Antoinette finally gave birth to their first child the following year.
President Garfield was assassinated by Charles Guiteau in 1881. The autopsy report for Guiteau indicated that he had phimosis. At the time, this led to the simplistic speculation that Guiteau's murderous behavior was due to phimosis-induced insanity. Belief in such ideas may have contributed to an increased use of circumcision in the United States.