Summary
- Here is what phimosis is and the cases in which it is possible to intervene
- What is phimosis and how does it arise
- What are the symptoms
- What is phimosis and why it is important to treat it
Here is what phimosis is and when it is possible to intervene
If you are wondering what phimosis is and if there are possible cures, here is an in-depth study that will be useful for you. Phimosis is a narrowing of the skin covering the glans (the head of the penis) and when this occurs, the man’s foreskin is unable to slide to reveal the glans. In infants or very young children this is a common thing that tends to resolve spontaneously, while in older children it can be the consequence of an inflammatory condition from which scar tissue has developed. In adult men, phimosis appears following an infection and must be treated foravoid the onset of complications . It definitely becomes a medical emergency the moment it hinders urination . What is phimosis and what does it look like
? In children who have not been circumcised, the foreskin does not flow enough to uncover the glans. After 7 years of life this situation resolves itself in 90% of cases . Sometimes you have to wait longer but in any case by the age of 16 the phimosis resolves in 99% of cases.
The causes of phimosis can be different:
- the final part of the foreskin is not very elastic and too tight;
- the surface of the foreskin merges with the glans;
- the frenulum, the flap of skin that joins the glans penis to the foreskin, is too short.
Phimosis can therefore be:
- congenital , if present from birth;
- acquired , if it occurs in adulthood.
Acquired phimosis occurs following the onset of infections or diseases such as:
- balanitis and balanoposthitis affecting the foreskin and glans;
- lichen sclerosus, the causes of which are unknown, which generates scar tissue that constricts the foreskin;
- repeated catheterization maneuvers.
Risk factors are also diabetes and poor hygiene. What are the symptoms
? The first symptom of phimosis is the inability to slide the foreskin to uncover the glans penis.
- The tight phimosis is when the sliding of the foreskin is impossible even with a flaccid penis and the narrowing is such as to cause problems such as the inability to urinate. Hygiene is affected and further infections can arise.
- Non – tight phimosis occurs when the glans cannot be uncovered with an erect penis.
- Paraphimosis occurs when the foreskin reveals the glans but fails to return to where it was before causing the area to be strangled .
- Disorders voiding
- Balaniti e balanopostiti
- Pain during erection and intercourse
- Premature ejaculation
What is phimosis and why it is important to treat it
In case of phimosis, it is necessary to intervene in time as it represents a risk factor for penile cancer . The andrologist is able to make a diagnosis of phimosis during a visit by evaluating the patient’s medical history. In children there is a tendency not to intervene because in almost all cases the phimosis resolves spontaneously, in adults a pharmacological approach can be evaluated depending on the case , the use of cortisone-based creams and in the most serious cases we resort to surgery by carrying out the technique of aesthetic circumcision.
