Advantages of the therapy | Phimosis

Advantages of the therapy

After a circumcision, better genital hygiene is possible, so that inflammations are avoided. In addition, it has now been proven that circumcised boys have a significantly lower risk of developing penis cancer during their lifetime. Also venereal diseases occur less frequently in men after circumcision. This is probably due to the better practicable hygiene.

Phimosis in child/baby

Phimosis means first of all only that the foreskin of the penis cannot be pushed back over the penis glans. Such a phimosis is physiological at a certain age, i.e. normal and has no disease value. This is the case until the age of 3.

During this time the foreskin is glued to the glans penis (penis glans). Gradually, the foreskin can then be pushed back further. As an approximate guideline, 50% of boys after the age of 1 year have the foreskin pushed back behind the sulcus coronarius of the glans penis.

After completion of the 2nd year of life this is then already possible with approx. 80%. Normally, the foreskin should be completely detached and movable after the end of puberty.Therefore it is also true that in the case of phimosis in baby or childhood, no surgical intervention is initially necessary, as further development can be awaited. A phimosis is, however, always pathological, i.e. with disease value, if it leads to recurring inflammation of the glans and/or foreskin, if it causes urinary retention or if there is already scarring on the foreskin due to infections. In these cases, further therapy would then be advisable.

Summary

Phimosis is a relatively common clinical picture in childhood and is nowadays treated as a routine procedure. The only curative therapy for phimosis is circumcision of the boy. The operation is often performed in early childhood (between the ages of 2 and 6) and is usually completely free of complications.

Forced widening or pulling back should be avoided in any case, especially to spare the child this traumatic experience. It is important to distinguish between this and infant phimosis. This is merely an adhesion of the epithelia, which in most cases disappears after the age of 3 years. Paraphimosis, on the other hand, is an emergency indication, which is associated with the danger of necrosis and very severe pain and therefore requires immediate treatment.