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Frenulum breve questions

Written by John S. at 07 Jul 2001 21:28:28:

I have found this site to be a very valuable source of information that is not otherwise available to people in Britain. I have been living with the consequences of frenulum breve all my adult life. The problems this has caused me are of course predictable to those educated about the condition, but until I found this site I did not realise that it was a recognised condition and that there are straightforward treatments available. Armed with this knowledge I feel that more than half the battle is already won.

Most of discussion and advice in this forum is on the topic of circumcision. Although my problem is not as distressing or acute as those people suffering complications of circumcision, for example, I would still like to raise a couple of questions and I would be grateful for any advice. I should say that I am planning to consult a urologist but I still think that I am likely to get valuable information and advice from this forum.

Three months ago I suffered a torn frenulum and was told by the doctor that it would take two weeks to heal. Indeed, the worst was over within two weeks. However, the meatus has never returned to normal. Previously the meatus sat flush with the glans and was more or less the same colour. Now, however, the swelling that accompanied the torn frenulum persists and it continues to appear angry and inflamed. In particular there are two spots, one on either side of the meatus, that turn extremely angry after any sexual activity and look almost like tiny ulcers. As the inflammation subsides over the next day or two they take on a horrible grey/white appearance as they disappear. One thing I find odd is that this happens even if I masturbate quickly without even touching the end region of my penis.

Question: why is this happening almost 3 months after the incident and is it likely to go away.

My degree of frenulum breve allowed my to retract the foreskin fully when flaccid for bathing etc and only grew tight on erection. Now, however, although I can still retract easily when flaccid, this aggravates the pain and swelling in the meatus that I described above. After retraction in the shower I suffer stabbing pins and needles sensations in the meatus and frenulum which are very distracting and make me feel miserable. Sex without a condom is of course out of the question.

Question: is this common following a torn frenulum and will it go away.

As I said above, most of the discussion here is about circumcision and there is more limited information about frenuloplasty. I have noticed in many of the discussions and photographs that the frenulum is usually preserved when a circumcision is performed.

My question is WHY is the frenulum preserved during circumcision? Are there problems associated with removing it? Is frenuloplasty a more tricky operation than circumcision? Is it more prone to complications? Does a frenulopasty heal as successfully as a routine circumcision. Are there important blood vessels or nerves in the frenulum.

Any advice gratefully received.


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