Post Date December, 03 2023
The foreskin is the retractable skin tissue outside the male penis. "The foreskin of newborns and infants often surrounds the entire penis and often adheres to the glans. At this time, the foreskin cannot turn up normally.". After the age of 1, the adhesion between the foreskin and the glans gradually disappears, and the glans can be exposed by pushing and pulling upward with your hand. "If the foreskin still covers the entire penis and even covers the urethral orifice after puberty, it is medically known as excessive foreskin.". "If the opening of the foreskin is narrow, or if the foreskin adheres to the penis head and cannot be turned upside down, it is called phimosis.". In China, more than 1/4 of adult males have an excessively long foreskin, and nearly 10% of them have phimosis.
There are abundant sebaceous glands on the inner surface of the foreskin and in the coronal sulcus. If not frequently cleaned, odorous foreskin scale can form, which is also an environment where bacteria are prone to stay and reproduce. When the body's resistance decreases, local allergies, or certain factors stimulate it, bacteria can stimulate the foreskin and glans, causing inflammation. Further deterioration can lead to stricture of the prepuce orifice, scarring of the tether, and even inflammation and stricture of the urethral orifice. "If the foreskin cannot be restored in a timely manner after inversion, it can become stuck in the coronary groove, causing glans edema, and possibly inducing penis cancer.". "If the foreskin is too long and prone to turnover, it is generally possible to maintain local cleanliness and hygiene, so there is no need to worry about it.". If the phimosis is difficult to turn up and the foreskin mouth has narrow scars, it is necessary to consider cutting the foreskin.
In the past, some people argued that early circumcision could reduce the probability of male infection with sexually transmitted diseases. However, Reuters reported on December 4 that this method has little effect on preventing sexually transmitted diseases, but it can affect the pleasure of sexual life because too short foreskin can cause significant pain in the penis.
With the continuous improvement of sanitary conditions, the incidence of foreskin infection and penis cancer has been much lower. Therefore, for most patients with excessive foreskin, as long as the local area is kept clean and dry, surgical resection is not a necessary option. Patients with phimosis, tight prepuce openings after erection, difficult exposure of the glans, recurrent prepuce balanitis, or other prepuce deformities require surgery. Surgery is suitable for completion before puberty at the age of 10-14 years to avoid limiting penis development. Currently, in China, most situations are "if the foreskin doesn't annoy you, don't annoy it either.". In other words, if the foreskin is not abnormal, there is no need to cut it. If there are no abnormalities but you still want to undergo surgery, it is best to wait until after puberty, usually around the age of 18, and the doctor decides whether to perform the surgery.
