Nick contributed on the forum

My doctor told me I "HAD" to get circd and that there was no other way around it. I didnt believe him and asked him about "betamethasone .05%" creme. He said it didnt work but that he'd humor me and write a prescription.

In about 7 weeks my foreskin could go back even while erect.

My foreskin was so tight it could go back past the meatus (pee slit) while soft. When I first saw there was a problem, I tried stretching it in the shower, I tried soaking it in warm water then stretching it, I tried hand lotion and stretching it etc. None of it worked *for me*.

I applied betamethasone once or twice a day to the outside for my foreskin from the opening to about mid-glans. I saw results in the first week. I applied it after I got out of the shower each morining. I put enough on so that the foreskin was entirely covered (but not so much that it all wipes off onto your pants). It would soak in, and most days I would mastrabate. That would stretch it along with sex. But I never made any real serious attempts to purposely stretch my foreskin for the sake of stretching it.
Nick

I applied enough to make the skin white and left my underwear off for about 10 minutes to let it soak into the skin and not wipe off on my pants. I also did a little strecthing: you'll start to see results in the first week. Once you start seeing them pull your foreskin back as far as it will go (without pain) while soft. Then get an erection while holding the skin back. It sounds painful but really isnt.
At the end of 8 weeks your skin should be easily retractable (even while hard!!). Though while erect it may hurt a bit. DONT WORRY ABOUT THAT!!! As you mastrabate, have sex etc it will loosen up. Trust me ;)
Its easy guys. Just takes some time.
Nick

>I've been applying this 0.1% cream for about 3 weeks now, twice a day - after taking a shower in the morning and before going to bed. I put it mostly on the outside, starting from the tip over about 2 cm long area. So far, I see no apparent result. From some other messages in this group, I figured that people use 0.5% cream. Does that mean that it will take me 5 times longer to see any result? Or is there something wrong with my application technique?
>Thanks,
>Victor

Forum1 letter 789
BobbyR at 17 Nov 2000 18:21:18:
As an answer to: Need help with steroid application! written by Victor at 11 Nov 2000 20:12:37:

You can't just put it on and sit there and stare at it. The cream contains a skin thinning agent that assists YOU in stretching the skin. You have to either work the foreskin back and forth, or get two fingers into the opening and stretch it wider. It may take days, or it may take weeks to see results. Some say results are only temporary, unless you keep on using the cream and stretching as needed. Others say that when you can get it stretched enough to get it retracted and keep it that way at least some of the time, such as during sleep, there will be a constant pressure from the wider part of the penis behind the tip that will prevent it closing up tight again like before. Yes, the .5% is five times more concentrated than the .1%, but watch out for allergic reaction to the stronger mix.

(note: I am totally against the experimental use of creams to treat children - its a lot of mess and upset) - RS

A third forum letter from Roxanne

About the Kenalog (you're right it does sound like a breakfast cereal), I'm no chemist either, but I imagine it's a synthetic hormone like cortisone (probably a cortisone derivative) and I believe it works on mouth ulcers and phimosis because it thins out the skin just enough to have the desired effect. There was no stretching required when I used it on my son. You could literally see the opening widen by the day. Only after we had used it for about a week and the hole had opened up quite a bit did we attempt retraction. I believe that if we had used the cream for another week as prescribed, before attempting this, the paraphimosis would never have occurred.

Kenalog (Triacinolone Acetonide .1% - corticosteroid, anti-inflammmatory, anti-pruritic cream), is what we were prescribed and found to be very effective. This is what we will probably use again when my son is older. After all, if it's safe enough to put in your mouth for ulcers, putting it elsewhere shouldn't be a concern.
Roxane

(RS note: I have never heard of any bad effects from Betamethasone or Kenalog, only from hydrocortisone see underneath )

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G.T.Falk's library offers additional medical studies exploring creams and steroids in the treatment of phimosis.

Please review the Forum for more information

1999 ARCHIVE INFO:
: THE EXPERIMENTAL USE OF CREAMS: a loose collection of ideas, info., and letters

The use of cream is a very experimental area.. I AM TOTALLY AGAINST THE USE OF CREAMS IN EXPERIMENTAL ATTEMPTS TO TREAT CHILDREN; until methods have been developed and tested on adults who are aware of and willing to let such experiments take place, then parents or doctors should not encourage experiments with creams on children.

Generally it seems from the reports which I have read, that IF a phimosis will stretch then it will do this without creams, creams may speed up the process.

I believe that if the ring wont stretch easily then a dorsal or a partial circ. are indicated; however some men are pretty determined to keep their foreskins entire and intact. So I will use the opportunity to find out a bit more about the nature of this simple bit of gristle. So we're investigating which creams soaps and cock-baths are efficient in regenerating non-elastic skin tissue ... and naturally also what causes it to degenerate in the first place.

__________________________________________

Dave had LSA and was also attempting to combat this with stretching and creams.

Dave wrote: It varies in severity, but I seem to be winning by taking selenium and vitamin E in 100mg capsule form and using E enriched lotion.

The vitamin E has helped more than anything else, previously, If I was retracted before an erection, the noose would be tight enough to be definitely uncomfortable, lately I believe it would be able to withstand the stress of an erection, but not any additional strain from friction or certain external forces.... There was a period before I started taking Vitamin E where a good erection would break the skin to a degree.

Oh yes. I was given an ointment when first diagnosed, I think it was hydrocortisone (I'll look at home if I still have the name somewhere). All this did was burst capillaries under the skin and made things worse. I think this is important so people avoid it.

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The cock bath: Nescafe jar, add warm water insert cock and hang loose for ten minutes... but we need a secret ingredient to regenerate skin tissue, please write to a herbalist site and ask for suggestions, (please give feedback) ....

>In so far as a "camomile cock bath" is
>concerned, should one use an essential oil?

I'd suggest a simple infusion like when you make camomile tea, ... I cant guarantee Camomile will be any use, BUT phimosis is basically a very simple ailment and I feel there must be a few very simple cures which as soon as a few people start experimenting it could profit future generations ...

From what I understand it would be logical if different creams worked with specific types of ring.

Recent letters indicate phimotic ring started after taking antibiotics, or after cortisone, so, be careful, chemicals can make things worse.

LSA is in my opinion an absolute indication for surgery, but as mentioned above, if adults wish to experiment, then its your own responsibility ... lets just get the experiments out in public on ARC Forum so that too many men dont have the same pointless experiences.

Acids and Alkalis?
This guy was diagnosed with Balanitis, his attempts with creams were unsuccessful, however his thoughts and experiments should not be ignored.

>I have realised that my foreskin has recently seemed dehydrated, was dry, and cracked with an erection. The tap water in my area is very alkaline, plus if I washed with soap, or shower gel, that could also increase the alkalinity of my skin. I have always felt that my skin was very tight after a shower, even on my face and hands,

>I am using two products at the moment;

>Garnier Nutralia "Dermo - Protection "
Soap Free & Moisturising gel, 2 in 1 for sensitive skin
Made by " Laboratoires Garnier "
I have the " Sport " version.

>AND

>Vaseline " Intensive Care "
Lipid Enriched Derma Care Fragrance Free Lotion
"Effective Relief For Problem Dry Skin "

>I found a dermatologically approved moisturiser, which is free from perfume, and regularly apply it to my freshly cleansed foreskin and glans, while they are still very damp.

>It's good to wash the penis quickly after sex because it is stretched and the skin gets re hydrated and moisturised at full stretch, I get the thought that this is beneficial, it's just a sense that I have.

>Also a point is that I am drinking more water, this is an attempt to keep myself hydrated from the inside.

>also I've been considering if the pH levels of the woman are influential ?.....what is the pH level of her lubrication ?

>The doctor also said he believed I had balanitis, I think he said BXO ? not sure, but he said it was a skin disease that nobody understood yet, he also said that in time, the problem of an uncooperative foreskin might come back...and then circumcision might have to be considered.

later I received:
>I AM NOT USING THE CREAMS MUCH, AFTER SPLITTING AGAIN RECENTLY (AFTER A LONG STINT OF NEAR NORMALITY) MY FORESKIN WENT BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

____________________________

I feel as though the only way I will get further with a general theory is first to understand acids and alkalis.

The sort of question I'm considering is maybe showers only help stretching if the water is soft ... : Alkalis and Acids are a mystery to me, Ph (what does Ph mean?) - I remember blue litmus paper which turned red or red litmus which turned blue and I know that the average neutral alkali acid value is 7 on a scale of 14 ... and I believe soft and hard water are acid or alkali but which is soft and which is hard? and does this relate to chalk or clay in the basic soil in an area??? ... can anyone answer -- ? If alkali makes it tighter, why use Ph neutral soap, why not use a soap which is acid??? Is salt water acid or alkali?

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I am a 32 year-old uncircumcised male. My question concerns the so-called phimotic ring. At about age 11/12 I experienced what I remember to be a rather severe case of phimosis. Over some time I recall not being able to retract the foreskin. The opening was very small and I believe there was some discharge as well. Frustrated with the situation, I attempted to stretch the skin manually until it could be retracted. Eventually I remedied the condition by bathing in cold water and stretching.

> Typically lichenoid rings start at puberty, yours must be a
> specific subcategory, because usually they dont stretch

Into my twenties I never experienced this situation again. While living in Germany I read that it was infact "unhealthy" to wash the foreskin using soap. It was recommended that water only be used. After I adopted this technique of hygiene I noticed a return of the tightness which was manifest in a white ring which is visible around the circumference of the shaft however it is more visible on the left side (there is a minute amount of scaring where the whiteness is most pronounced or thickest.). Although no trouble in retraction occured, the ring nonetheless was noticeable especially during erection (a white indentation rather than an hourglass was visible). Eventually it disappeared. More recently it has returned. Again it is not severe but a white ring is clearly visible during erection, especially on one side. I would like to eliminate this. I occasionally try stretching, in both directions with a vitamin e enriched cream, but with little success.

Is my complaint unique? Perhaps these annoyances have been one reason that routine circumcision has been perpetuated in various countries.

I have been using various essential oils (tea tree, lavender & camomile) over the last few weeks with, I believe, some success. I shall continue. I chose the tea tree and lavender because of their healing properties.

_____________________________________

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