[ ARC forum 2 ]
Written by Paul B. at 16 Jun 2002 07:02:56: More FAQs
As an answer to: Re: Circumcision - the REAL FAQs written by Jose at 16 Jun 2002 05:29:16:
> Good post.
Gracias.
> I have also read somewhere else about paraphimosis and I really got scared.
> Any advice on why anyone would get into that situation and on how to really avoid it?Yes, the medical studies on it indicate two groups most at risk; the first, children who whilst playing, retract their tight foreskin and then become - scared - and fail to do the perfectly obvious, pull it forward again. That's it: If the foreskin is caught behind the glans, you simply pull it forward again. One approach would be to pinch the skin behind the tight part with one hand on each side, and pull them simultaneously forward to slip the foreskin forward again. It may help to have lubricant on the head, but not where you have to pick up the skin.
The main danger is that if the paraphimosis is allowed to stay retracted, too tight for too long, the glans and foreskin in front of the tight part will become swollen and oedematous (fluid build-up in the tissue spaces outside the blood vessels) and as such, make it progressively more difficult to restore the foreskin forward. Then other measures may be required, which include simple ice application, compression with a (rubber) ribbon or pneumatic cuff, multiple needle puncture to allow the fluid to escape, injection of hyaluronidase, or at worst, a dorsal slit of the tight band (which may then be re-sewn crossways, to allow it to heal looser than in the first place).
Anyway, the second group at risk, are those men who are unable due to disease/ illness or senility, to correct the problem if it occurs. Such an example may be when the foreskin is retracted to insert a catheter in hospital during surgery or intensive care, and the person performing the catheterisation fails to put the foreskin back over it.
In general, it is most rare for this to become a problem for an adult male in health (such as yourself as we understand), as you would realise that if it went back, it will go forward again with the same amount of force, and you would perform this action before it became stuck.