Pulling skin on penis

[LadyInDisguise]

ds1, who is 9yo, has just being complaining about a 'sore willy'. The end of his penis was red.

I though he might need to clean it properly but he doesn't seem to be able to pull the skin back completely. He goes so far that you can just see the end of his penis and that's it. Anything after that is painful.

Is that normal?

Have heard of quite a few cases where the foreskin is a bit tight and doesn't pull back properly, a quick visit to the GPs and if this is the case, there's a Steroid cream the doc can prescribe that usually sorts it out.

yep normal, the foreskin is attached and will become loose enough to go back on its own, he can encourage it in the bath etc, but do not try to force it!

it may be that he has a bit of an infection, does it hurt to wee? i would tkae him to the drs to see if he needs an antibiotic cream etc.

if his foreskin is very tight they can prescribe some steriod cream to help it thin and loosen (my ds1 had to do this aged 11 and it now goes back fine)

occasionally it is so tight it needs to be circumsised, but there are alternatives to try ie the cream and at this age its not unusual for the foreskin to not retract :)

Thanks :)

The redness on his penis has calmed down which is good. No pain specifically when urinating. Just a very sore willy.

I will monitor it to be sure it has completely gone away.

It's strange because I took him to the dr (for something unrelated) when he was 3yo, and the dr could pull the skin back at that time. I am wondering why it has become tighter.

Foreskins which were retractable in the early years often tighten and become impossible to retract later, frequently leading to the need for circumcision.

There are two reasons for this:

1. The head and body of the penis develops and grows and the foreskin fails to keep up with this expansion. When it reaches a stage where any attempt at retraction is painful it is difficult to pursue stretching which might remedy the problem (or conversely lead to tearing and infection). Thus foreskin function and penile hygiene becomes a serious concern.

1. When the foreskin becomes infected and inflamed it scars as it heals. Scar tissue is not as elastic as the original skin which, in the foreskin, is particularly elastic to facilitate retraction. This impairment is permanent and for obvious reasons; cleaning, sexual activity etc, requires circumcision to restore these functions.