Limba romana
Childbirth Educator Today
Care of the Intact Penis
by James E. Peron, Ed. D.
In a society where routine circumcision
has been common for many years, even parents who choose to
protect their sons from routine circumcision may have
questions regarding hygiene of the intact penis.
Should the young child's foreskin be retracted for
proper cleaning? At what age should the child's foreskin be
retractable?
- Leave the foreskin alone; wash only what is external
and readily visible.
- Never forcibly retract your son's foreskin and don't
permit anyone else to do so.
- Make certain your son's medical attendants understand
his foreskin is not to be retracted or tampered with.
- Always stay with your son during his doctor visits and
exams.
- When teaching the child to bathe and care for himself,
let the child retract his own foreskin if he wants to. He
will not retract it beyond the point of discomfort.
- A child's foreskin does not need to be retracted
regularly for cleaning until the end of puberty. It should
not be retracted during early childhood.*
What about "smegma" and hygiene?
Parents are frequently told that the foreskin must be
carefully cleaned to remove "smegma" from under the foreskin.
Smegma is a natural oily, waxy lubricant formed between the
foreskin and the glans. Rarely does it exist in the
uncircumcised child whose foreskin has not been forcibly
retracted; the substance we are warned to carefully wash away
is rarely produced during childhood. During puberty, these
natural secretions tend to increase, providing a natural
lubricant between the foreskin and glans for protection and
to permit the foreskin to slide easily over the glans as
nature intended for this age. By mid-teenage, the foreskin is
retractable and hygiene is a simple matter. Any accumulation
of these natural lubricating substances can easily be
cleansed during the boy's shower or bath.
What about irritation or itching of the
foreskin?
- If the infant boy has redness or irritation of the
foreskin area and tip of his penis, simply apply a
protective healing ointment such as A&D ointment, Oil
of Vitamin E, anti-biotic ointemnt, etc. Don't try to
retract his foreskin. The irritation will usually clear up
in a few days.
- Some baby boys develop little "pearls" under the
foreskin between the glans and the foreskin. These are shed
cells from the glans and foreskin gradually separating that
will eventually work their way to the opening and be
discarded. Rarely do they present a problem.
- An older uncircumcised child may complain of foreskin
irritation or itching. Interestingly, this seems most
common with those boys whose foreskin has been regularly
retracted from early childhood.
- Active young boys playing outside may occasionally get
dirt or sand in the foreskin opening. It may lodge between
the inner foreskin and glans tip causing minor irritation.
If the foreskin is partially or fully retractable, you may
very gently retract his foreskin and rinse the area with
warm water.
- If the foreskin will not retract or is swollen, do not
force it. Wash the area and apply a soothing lubricant to
the tip and exposed surfaces. Remember always return the
foreskin to its normal resting position.
(*Improper retraction by force can cause small tears
in the foreskin and the mucosal fold under the foreskin where
it is normally adherent to the glans. This may cause bleeding
and considerable pain, and open the route for potential
infection and irritation. If this is a regular practice,
restrictive scar tissue may form around the opening of the
foreskin or between the foreskin and the
glans.)
James E. Peron, Ed. D. is a medical research
writer and founder of Childbirth Education Foundation, P.O.
Box 251 Oxford, PA 19363 Phone: (717) 529-2561 Email: jperon@epix.net