The condition when it is impossible to expose the head of the penis, doctors call phimosis. This situation can be either congenital or acquired. It is important to start tracking its development immediately after the baby is born.
The foreskin in infants is quite often inactive (tight and close to the surface of the penis). According to different authors, from 40 to 90% of all newborn boys have congenital physiological phimosis. Normally, this condition should disappear within the first 12 months of life, although it sometimes remains until adolescence.
As the body develops, the skin between the head of the penis and the foreskin coarsens (doctors call this process "keratinization of the epithelium"), which allows natural exposure of the head. A fundamentally different situation occurs with acquired phimosis. Due to non-compliance with personal hygiene (including in children and even newborns) or sexual infection, inflammation of the foreskin (the so-called balanoposthitis) develops, leading to its gluing and narrowing. Phimosis can also be caused by trauma or systemic diseases of the connective tissue.
Symptoms
If phimosis occurs, its symptoms will be quite unambiguous: it is impossible to expose the head, there is straining when urinating, urine is excreted in a thin, weak stream or drops. With the development of inflammation, pain and itching will appear in the area of \u200b\u200bthe foreskin and the head of the penis, body temperature may well rise and inguinal lymph nodes increase. And in advanced situations, there will also be pus.
Dangerous situations
It is important for parents to understand that congenital phimosis, combined with personal hygiene violations, can quickly lead to inflammation, and then turn into an acquired, permanent form. This situation is the path to violations in the genital area (up to infertility) and a source of permanent infection of the bladder and kidneys. From ancient times, circumcision was performed to prevent this condition in boys. A complication of phimosis is paraphimosis, or infringement of the head. In children, this is rare, since this unpleasant situation mainly develops during intercourse. The narrowed flesh, like a noose, pulls the penis, causing circulatory disorders. Like any ischemia, paraphimosis can have very deplorable consequences. To eliminate it, you should immediately consult a doctor.
What to do and how to treat
Firstly, to observe hygiene, to teach the boy to cleanliness from a very young age. Secondly, to monitor the situation, while taking a bath, carefully, without violence, to expose the head, not necessarily completely. Notallow inflammation, and if it appears, you can make special baths, but it is better to consult a pediatrician. In a hospital, phimosis is eliminated either with the help of a special procedure (under anesthesia, the head is removed from the foreskin and a special antiseptic treatment is carried out), or surgically.
If you have urinary problems, purulent discharge or paraphimosis, see a doctor immediately. Remember that any doubts about the he alth of your child is also a reason for a medical consultation, do not be afraid to play it safe.
