(lovely name! anyway)some questions I can answer - some I cant.
>Thank you so much for your help. Is balanitis always LSA? I thought it might be candida.
I have never studied different infections, simply because the medical profession has done this. Throughout the literature of the last 50 yrs. some doctors call it BXO others LSA - some doctors refer to lichenoid others balanitis, how candida fits in the picture - no idea ...
>I live in the U.S.
ah, so docs in the US are also ERs.
>I can certainly keep my foreskin back -- it stays behind the glans without any difficulty (though it would be impossible to keep it fully retracted without tape). But, won't this increase the risk of paraphimosis? I don't want to wake up with a necrotic glans!
if you have nothing near like problems with retracting the phimotic ring (see next answer) when erect, then there is no danger of paraphimosis.
>If I try to retract the foreskin while masturbating I don't feel any pain, but the scar tissue on the frenular band (particularly on the dorsal side of the penis) widen and turn red. Later in the day, those reddened areas will sting a bit. What does this indicate?
Now, you are confusing me, throughout the literature doctors refer to the frenulum as the band under the foreskin, sometimes directly called the frenular band.
In recent years the anti circumcision groups in the USA started using the word fre-nar (remove the dash, it is the one banned word on this forum) and recently frenular band, to refer to the phimotic ring, again the usage of phimotic ring is throughout the medical literature of which I am aware.
It is most problematic and I often think that if this renaming was meant to confuse people even more than they are, then it would be very successful.
So when you say frenular band on the dorsal side - now I realise what you are talking about is probably the phimotic ring ... either that or dorsal side must be wrong ... so, yes there could be a danger of paraphimosis
>Is the frenulum strained more when the foreskin is retracted or when the foreskin is pulled over the glans?
The frenulum is strained more when retracted, it is not strained at all when in the forwards position.
Im sorry about this, but could you go back to my site and simply check my welcome page summary on definition of the conditions - this is short - but we must clarify the terminology.
I am sorry - it is probable that my previous advice was incorrect, I hadnt realised that you were using a terminology which is almost built to create confusion. I am using the language of doctors and medical studies throughout the world, that is, throughout the world except for those people who are trying to change the terminology.
