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Re: retraction problems

Written by GeoffB at 06 Jul 2005 10:42:25:

As an answer to: retraction problems written by beth at 04 Jul 2005 07:55:25:

>My son is 6 1/2 and he had normal retraction at around 3. For a month or so now he has been competely tight and cannot retract his skin at all. The doc says these are adhesions and we could try steroid creams. If we just wait it out and don't use the steroid cream, will the skin eventually retract once again?
>thanks
Are you in Australia? Docs here seem to recommend steriod creams for young kids with tight foreskins but as far as I know they don't combine it with stretching. Steroid cream does nothing on its own without some stretching or pulling to break down the adhesions. Granted some kids do this naturally but some don't.
If he could retract before I'm not sure about adhesions. He would have had to have some damage and/or an infection for adhesions to develop. He could just have had a fungal or yeast infection that has tightened things up or I've heard of boys who don't keep retracting having it tighten up.
Have a look at these stretching instructions. http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=210347
They are designed for older males but you will get some usefull insight into how it all works. See if you can get him to hold the foreskin opening shut with his fingers and pee in the shower. If it balloons evenly all round except underneath (at the fraenulum) then he probably doesn't have adhesions unless they are right near the foreskin opening.
Ask about treatment for thrush or yeast infections (or you can try a suitable female cream from a chemist). If you think he's old enough to stretch try the steroid cream in conjunction with stretching. If not I would wait until he is old enough. Certainly resist all suggestions for circumcision at this age.
Geoff


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