Willy issue... Circumcision?

[KindPoet]

Hi all. I've got a 4.5 year old son and he's got a very red foreskin, he's been saying that it was sore to do a wee today, i've asked him to pull the foreskin back and he pulled it back a tiny amount but he said it was sore to pull it back further?

Should i take him to the GP? Will he require a circumcision? What's the technique for a 4.5 year old to be circumcised if he needs a circumcision? Has anyone else been through this.

Many thanks

@SomethingStupideI think he was about 8/9.

Tbh it was really frustrating because the size of his 'hole' for want of a better word was tiny. His foreskin would balloon when he was weeing and once he started really growing down there he said it would feel uncomfortable at times.

I wished I pushed for a circumcision at about 9 when it was clear things weren't improving.

Update, we've been prescribed cream for his foreskin, hopefully it works otherwise i think it might be circumcision.

Has anyone's son been circumcised at the same age with the same issue?

Give it a chance OP. All mine went through this to one degree or another and none of them needed to be circumcised. Be patient and follow the GPs advice.
If they have advised warm bath with salt and some retraction then follow that regularly but only do what the GP advises because they've seen your son. No one here has seen him.
It's easy to panic and jump the gun but honestly this is very common. XH had similar problems and wishes his circumcision had been avoided.

Yes i definitely am giving it a chance, just thinking i'd need to research circumcision options just in case.

OP same situation with my son, lots of ballooning when peeing. The creamed worked and made the redness go away. As we went private they did say they can do a circumcision or we can wait and see. We were given a steroid cream and some stretching exercises - but these aren’t to retract just to avoid the infection. We opted for wait and see and the idea of putting them under general freaked me out.

DS is now 7, still can’t fill retracted his foreskin. I have spoken to the GP and it doesn’t happen for some till they are teenagers. It’s been reviewed they are happy with his progress.

So again we are waiting.

Will your son have to get circumcised and how old is he now?

My DS had infection after infection but GP was reluctant to refer to a consultant. He was finally circumcised aged 11. Lots of cool bath in the meantime and probably stick to drinking water and milk. Avoid spicy food. If it really hurts to pee let him do it in water such as a bath or bowl. If he gets worse phone 111 for a quicker appointment.

I will let him pee in the bath whilst the cream is being used.

No they are still saying he might not need one, I would rather not him through it and wait. Ideally before 12 so it’s very much a wait and watch situation. Hoping it sorts itself but if not we will push for the surgery in a few years

Use of the cream is going well so far. Not sure if his foreskin is going to move yet. Hopefully it does work out but if he needs a circumcision then it's better for it to be done at this age.

How did things go? A red foreskin is usually either due to yeast - treated by the application of probiotics or OTC medications, or it is an infection - easily treated with antibiotics.
The AVERAGE age of a boy to be able to retract his foreskin is 10 1/2 (Danish study) so he is way too young to worry about that.

Scar tissue for life? Do you mean his circumcision scar?

My son was circumcised at 3 in 1985 due to a tight and overly long foreskin. The doctors used a Plastibell device and all went well.

I am curious as to what the doctor's diagnosis was that made circumcision necessary? Was he having issues peeing? From what I have read, a long foreskin is not an issue as the boy will "grow into it" at puberty.

There was ballooning under the foreskin when peeing and resulting spray. This was at a British Military Hospital in Catterick and there must have been a different mindset there, certainly no budget constraints.

Thank you! At that time, not a totally unusual diagnosis. Since then ballooning of the foreskin while peeing has been recognized as simply indicating that the foreskin has detached from the glans of the penis while the foreskin opening is still small. Hence not a issue to be concerned about.
There was a tragic incident in Canada at about that time when one of a set of twins was circumcised for exactly this reason. Something went wrong with the electrocautery equipment being used and his penis was fried. He was subsequently raised as a girl. There is a book about it: "The boy who was raised as a girl" by John Collapinto (maybe spelt wrong). The child's name was John Reimer, and he ended up committing suicide. Just so, so sad and totally unnecessary.

My apologies: The boy's name was David Reimer. The "John" care from an article written about him entitled "John/Joan" indicating the dual gender roles that he was forced to adopt.