My son recently told his dad that his foreskin doesn't retract. I think he was to embarrassed to talk to me. Took him to the doctors and was told to apply steroid cream and was told try gentle stretching. Went back a month later, and although the foreskin is less tight and now retracting it's not fully retracting. We have now been told, that it could just take more time, but the doctor has referred us to see a urologist. Will he need a circumstition
14 year old son with tight foreskin, ... - Men's Health Foru...
14 year old son with tight foreskin, will he need surgery
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Cwk123
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Following. I'm dealing with a similar situation with my 11 year old.
Hi CWK,
You might see my post to Erin in relation to her wee lad.
As I've suggested to her, the urologist is the best person to speak to around this and if phimosis is present he or she will be able to tell you within about 20 seconds.
If a circumcision is clinically indicated, then my advice is to get the procedure done sooner rather than later as i think the impact will be less at his age than it would be in adulthood.
Based on what you are saying, if he is not able to retract when erect (sorry to be indelicate) and the steroid creams have not worked, then circumcision probably is the best way to sort the matter once and for all, but that is an unqualified opinion, based on my own personal experience (acknowledging that other views exist).
There are other less extreme procedures but these were not available to me, but might be for your boy; The urologist will keep you right.
Good luck! 
Hi, I’m not really qualified to comment on this as my circumcision was later in life but if the creams and stretching aren’t working then I would assume that surgery is the answer.
If it’s tight now in my experience it will only get worse in later life but always try everything else before surgery.
Hopefully the urologist will give you some answers. Good luck and I hope it all works out for your son.
Hi. If creams are not making a difference, go to a urologist. They will diagnose the problem properly and get him the treatment he needs. I agree with comment here - much easier to get it done at his age!
Thank you all for your comments. Been very helpful.
My suggestion would be for your son to stretch the foreskin out when his penis is flaccid. Try pulling it forward and gently pull out with his fingers with the steroid cream or coconut oil to widen the opening and then pull it back as far as possible, but the urologist will be the best resource for him. I was taught very young to pull my foreskin back and wash it every night before bed. After watching a doctor perform a circumcision on an infant without anesthesia and hearing that blood curdling screaming after the doctor assured me he wouldn’t feel a thing was enough for me to silently thank my parents for keeping me intact. If your son needs this procedure I’m sure they will use something for the pain. Best wishes.
Performing a circumcision without an anaesthetic is a thing of the past (except in some African tribal initiations of teenagers). It was once thought that infants couldn't feel pain but that notion is well gone as medical knowledge has improved. These days NO qualified doctor would circumcise without anaesthetic.
It may just take more time, but you'd have to see what the urologist says. If surgery is required though, circumcision isn't the only option. Preputioplasty (or even a dorsal slit) are less invasive alternatives. Some people also choose to just live with phimosis. If he decides to go ahead with circumcision, I'd recommend that as little tissue as possible is removed. Good luck!
He won't need a circumcisionn. . The foreskin continues developing through the teenage years an has yet to complete its development. The steroids are helping. If when he is an adult he still has a problem plastic correction should be possible rather than circumcision.
in reply to SnipperSniffer
Is there an average age for retraction to happen? My younger son has been able to fully retract without issue since he was around 4 but this has not been the case for my older son.
roddythescot in reply to
There are two separate reasons why a foreskin may be unretractable. Before birth the foreskin is linked to the glans by fibres called synecia (commonly called adhesions). These usually break down during the first 5 years and almost always by age 8, from which age the foreskin should always be fully, freely and painlessly retractable.
The other reason is if the opening at the tip of the foreskin is too small – a condition called phimosis. At its extreme phimosis can also seriously impede urination making it very painful for the boy. There should be NO phimosis at any age, the only thing restricting retraction being the infantile synechia.
Phimosis will not cure itself and experience shows that steroid creams not only make the inner mucosal layer of the foreskin more liable to trauma but they very often don't work as desired, especially as puberty sets in and the foreskin toughens.
The ONLY sure, immediate and guaranteed permanent cure for phimosis at any age is circumcision.
At 14, his foreskin is within the expected normal state. The progress with the steroid is demonstrating how to continue treatment. Continued stretching 3-4 times per day will cure him. I would cancel the appointment, having witnessed scores of cases having success.
in reply to jimfromcalif
We currently have our son stretching once a day. You think we should increase this to 3-4?
roddythescot in reply to
Playing about with his foreskin once a day will be embarrassing and time consuming enough for the poor boy, to say nothing of the effect of trying to do it 3-4 times (presumably many of these then being while at school!)
While masturbation is no longer generally regarded as the major sin it used to be, parents don't want to encourage their sons to start masturbating early. Playing with the foreskin to put the creams on it daily will most certainly lead him to realise the pleasure that can come from sliding the foreskin back and forth!
jimfromcalif in reply to
Frequency is desired to prevent the stretch to be lost. The natural tendency og skin is to revert to tightness. Cells take about six weeks to divide and mature
This is yet another reason why relying on creams and stretching exercises is so often doomed to failure. When after many months the patient ceases applying the cream and doing the exercises (thinking that the foreskin is now loose enough) nature will take its course and gradually revert the foreskin to its tighter state, thus negating all the hard work. The only sure and guaranteed permanent cure for phimosis is to remove the errant foreskin (which is not required anyway now we don't live naked in scrubland).
jimfromcalif in reply to
Definitely. The reason is to keep the gaps between cells from closing. The body grows by the process used, so it cannot fail. Read about mitosis.
Yes, your son should be circumcised. Steroid creams and stretching exercises rarely work (at least not fully), especially once puberty sets in – as with your son.
The only sure, immediate and guaranteed permanent cure for phimosis (tight non-retractable foreskin) is circumcision.
See my reply to Erin82 for more details.
That is simply not true. If stretching did not work, pregnant women’s stomachs would not grow.
At age 12 my mother was concerned that my foreskin would not retract and explained to me that a doctor would have to snip the tip off my foreskin.
my son is scared of telling me as I am a doctor and I don’t want to tell him that I will probably the one giving him the circumsicion
Can i ask how old is your son ? Reading all the comments on here are very helpful but confusing as everybody has mixed feelings on this subject and all different experiences. All we can do now is wait to see the urologist in april and see what they recommend. Hope all goes well with your son, at least he will be in safe hands
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