Foreskin Conundrum!

[SweetErika]

Last week our toddler got a little rough with his self-exploration, and he managed to get his foreskin to retract. After that, he occasionally complained of "peenie" pain with erections for a couple of days. We chalked that up to minor trauma and the extreme sensitivity of the newly-exposed glans, and we haven't heard any more complaints since.

We have no experience with intact penises, but certainly didn't feel that was any reason to have our son's foreskin removed. From what I've read, the foreskin typically doesn't retract until boys are older (like between 5 and puberty!). It doesn't really concern me that our son has managed to retract his so early since he didn't appear to cause any lasting damage, but I'm totally confused on what to do from a hygiene standpoint from this point on. All of the research I've done says:
a) little boys' penises need no special care; AND
b) when a boy starts retracting his foreskin (usually closer to age 10), parents should teach him to slip it back and rinse the inside fold during bathing, then pull it back over the head.

So, given the very early retraction in our son's case, what do we do? Wash the genital area with mild soap and water like we've been doing for the past 3 years, or start teaching our son to clean under his foreskin? Or maybe we settle for a happy medium of occasional washing until our son's older (but then how often is 'occasional')? I mean, this is a toddler, and I don't see his penis getting all that much more dirty now than it did before the retraction. However, I know smegma starts accumulating after retraction, and our specific toddler has trouble with self-care/hygiene, so he not only frequently neglects to wash his hands (which he then touches EVERYTHING--penis included--with), I can see how it'd be wise to start getting him into the swing of a new routine sooner rather than later. We obviously don't want to cause any harm or pain by washing something that doesn't need to be washed yet.

And, yes, of course I'll ask our pediatrician about this if necessary. I just figured my fellow HT'ers would have some good ideas and info for us!

 

[gregor2001us]

You do not need to do anything. All is fine and keep doing what you have been doing. Only the owner should retract. And no soap is needed, just a rinse, if you think he is old enough to do anything at this point in terms of penis hygiene. But there is no need, smegma is not a issue you have to worry about at this point.

Here are some links that may help:

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/pdf/2008-03retractileforeskinleaflet.pdf

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/info/info-forcedretraction.html

http://www.circumstitions.com/Care.html

http://www.noharmm.org/advantage.htm

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/06/how-to-care-for-intact-penis-protect.html

Regards

 

[SweetErika]

Thanks for the advice!

The kidlet is obsessed with his bits, so it'd be natural to teach him to wash, even at this stage.

Tonight I asked him to retract so i could check on the redness I saw last week, and he happily complied. Everything looks OK (maybe a tad irritated, but not enough so to concern me), although there were indeed a couple of specks of dirt stuck to the glans from his dirty hands. We've told him it'd be best to wash his hands before he "jiggles" (his word), but we're not pressing the issue.

So, I think there might be some wisdom in having him retract and rinse with warm water occasionally. Then we're establishing a routine and removing any dirt without messing with it too much. We've basically done the same thing with washing his hair/head - he hates it so much that we limit it to about weekly unless there's a clear need for a wash in between.

 

[jakediamond550]

foreskin hygiene

When I was about six my parents took me to our doctor. He retracted my foreskin and clean the considerable amount of smegma from my penis.

I remember it being painful and embarrassing. I can't recall if I was having problems or this was part of the care my doctor thought I needed.

I started retracting my foreskin since then and cleaning with mild soap and water

 

[Scotsman69]

Like most British men, I'm uncircumcised, for which I bless my wise parents. My mother taught me from an early age - I can't remember how early - to always retract my foreskin when bathing, and clean carefully with soap. It's a habit I've retained, and I've never had any issues with penis hygiene.