[ ARC forum 2 ]

Re: phimosis: BXO?

Written by Rood at 18 Apr 2003 03:38:36:

As an answer to: phimosis written by Henry Thompson at 17 Apr 2003 22:00:24:

Whenever a doctor recommends circumcision without, apparently, telling you the cause of your foreskin tightness, you should not walk, but run for the exit. Evidently that's why you are here, and you should be commended for seeking more information. Circumcision as a solution to a problem is evidence only of failure and ignorance.

What you have "might" be BXO, or Balanitis xerotica obliterans (also called lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, or LSA). BXO can appear anywhere on the body, but when it affects the foreskin, it may turn the opening white, hardened, fibrous and make retraction difficult. BXO is usually painless and progresses very slowly. Occasionally it will go away by itself.

To an experienced dermatologist there is no mistaking BXO to a trained doctor, but a diagnosis must be confirmed by a biopsy. Surgical removal is almost never necessary. Even when surgery is necessary, it is possible to remove the BXO wihout resorting to circumcision. This would allow the person to keep a normal-looking and fully functional foreskin.

BXO can usually be successfully cured with steroid cream, carbon dioxide laser treatment, or even antibiotics. Surgery should be considered ONLY after every other treatment option has failed. Females with BXO never have their labia amputated, nor is the glans of a circumcised person with BXO amputated.

So, follow PaulB's instructions, determine exactly from what you are suffering, and find the appropriate treatment.

By the way...the "dorsal slit" is a mutilating operation that slits the foreskin lengthwise. It might give relief from tightness, but it will not solve the underlying problem.


>I'm 44, last year I gradually developed small but tight little ring of whitish skin around the foreskin, it's not troublesome when the penis is flaccid, but is fairly painful and annoying when erect - I get the 'hourglass' effect. I've been using a steroid cream for three months and things have improved a little but my Doctor is suggesting a circumcision. Using the cream is fairly annoying, I sometimes forget, plus I have to wash all traces of it off before sex.
>So:
>a) does circumcision work? (I have had a fairly hit/miss experience with surgical fixes)
>b) are there alternatives like the three z-cut (?) that work?
>Many thanks,
>H


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