Phimosis is defined as the narrowing of the skin that covers the glans, the foreskin. It is a normal and common condition in children that usually disappears without the need for treatment during the first five years of the man’s life. When this does not occur and remains until adulthood, it can lead to constant inflammation in both the glans and the foreskin, in turn making sexual activity and urination difficult and considerably increasing the risk of infections in the urinary system.
Circumcision is the medical-surgical therapy that corrects phimosis when this condition is severe and does not change naturally over the years.
Phimosis should not be confused with a short frenulum. The latter is a disorder that becomes evident during sexual intercourse when at the moment in which the penis is stretched during erection, intense pain is felt. In addition, there is a risk of injury and bleeding because the frenulum is not large enough to fully expose the head of the penis or glans while it remains rigid.
If you want to know more about this topic, we invite you to continue reading that FastlyHealarticle on how to see if I have a short frenulum or phimosis.
Table of Contents
How to know if I have a short frenulum
The frenulum is the small layer of skin shaped like a triangle or V located on the underside of the penis in charge of joining the glans with the inner part of the foreskin. Usually, the frenulum is hidden behind the foreskin and becomes noticeable during erection.
This area, within its functions, represents a male erogenous zone, keeps the foreskin in its proper position (on the glans), protects the glans, and facilitates sexual intercourse after the foreskin has been displaced.
Rarely do men experience painful sexual intercourse or dyspareunia due to several factors, most notably the short frenulum or frenulum brief, which affects almost half of the population who have sexual intercourse with pain.
It is characteristic that men who have a short frenulum suffer from:
- Recurring infections such as yeast infection or balanitis.
- Painful urination
- Stinging in the intimate area
- Dyspareunia or painful intercourse.
- Risk of breakage and bleeding of the frenulum.
In addition, men with a short frenulum are likely to suffer from paraphimosis. This complication represents a medical emergency since it involves the strangulation of the head of the penis precisely in the balance-preputial groove.
The presence of a short frenulum can be congenital, or it can be a consequence of phimosis. In either case, the treatment will include:
- Fast frenulum operation: or frenuloplasty performed by the urologist through a small incision to reduce the tension on the frenulum during penile erection. This makes retraction easier. It is a reasonably straightforward surgery, and fortunately, it is minimally invasive. Recovery time is approximately four weeks.
- Exercises: Some stretching exercises can be beneficial in treating a short frenulum. One of them consists of retracting the skin as much as possible but without pain, counting 30 seconds, and bringing the foreskin forward again. Do this for 5 minutes, at least two times a day, and a minimum of 4 weeks for effect to be noticeable.
Phimosis: symptoms
Males from birth have a “normal” physiological process known as phimosis. It is the narrowing of the skin that covers the glans or the head of the penis, called the foreskin, and at that time, it appears with a kind of fibrous layer or tissue medically called balano-preputial adherence.
It is expected that in the newborn, it is difficult to retract the skin that covers the glans to expose it. At four years of age, the child should retract his foreskin without a problem. If this is not possible, it is normal for it to be in the following years. When puberty arrives, he can do it without limitations, contributing to the growth of the penis and spontaneous erections.
What is certain is that during the first years of the child, this process should be done alone and without forcing it.
Phimosis is a disorder that makes hygiene difficult in the penis and, in addition, makes sexual intercourse painful. Phimosis is often confused with the short frenulum, but they do not mean the same thing. To know if you have phimosis, you must detect the presence of some symptoms such as:
- Difficulty exposing the head of the penis.
- Pain with erections.
- Pain during sexual intercourse.
- Pain when trying to lower the foreskin.
- I was itching in the foreskin and even the presence of pus or whitish discharge due to poor hygiene.
- Inflammation of the foreskin.
- Difficulty urinating.
- Appearance of paraphimosis when the glans do not pass through the preputial ring and, therefore, cannot return to normal. This constitutes a medical emergency.
Phimosis is classified into three types:
- Pointed: in this case, urination is complex; the narrowing of the foreskin is only in the area of the hole.
- Scarring: urination can be difficult; in this case, the outer part of the foreskin is hard as a result of chronic inflammation, trauma, or fungal infections.
- Annular: finally, annular phimosis is characterized by the fact that the foreskin does not fully retract, forming a ring around the head of the penis and without leaving the baltic groove noticeable.
Phimosis: operation
Once the specialist has verified the presence of phimosis, he will indicate the treatment: a surgical intervention called circumcision, with which the foreskin ring or the skin that covers the penis is fixed, exposing the glans or the head of the penis.
This process consists of cutting part of the skin of the penis in such a way that the glans are exposed. This is usually the treatment for both phimosis and short frenulum; it is performed under local anesthesia in the case of adult patients and under general anesthesia in the case of children. In the following article, you can see what care you should consider after a phimosis operation.
When the phimosis is not so severe, the performance of some exercises can facilitate the mobilization of the foreskin on the glans; this can be done in conjunction with the application of ointments that the specialist indicates.
Finally, you should know that it is unlikely that phimosis will resolve on its own after adolescence. On the other hand, if you think you have a short frenulum, do not hesitate to go to a specialist to determine the best way to treat it.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to know if I have a short frenulum or phimosis , we recommend that you enter our category of Male reproductive system .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.