Is it really phimosis? If so, how long to cure this type?

[chernobyl32]

This is a long post. I've put a TL;DR at the bottom if you don't want to read it all.

Hello.

I am 19 years old.

Last December, I woke up in the morning and had a weird burning sensation on my gland. Might have been because I masturbated "too hard" last night. So I looked at it and it was hella red and swollen, especially around my frenulum. I had never experienced such a thing. I was worried! Over time, irritation went away slowly but the swelling around the frenulum IS ALWAYS THERE. IT NEVER GOES AWAY. It seems to be because when I'm erect, the foreskin doesnt cover the gland completely - so it means it's tight, and when I masturbate it squishes my gland a lot. (it was like this for years but now it's giving me problems)

When I do masturbate, it gets instantly swollen and irritated. Slight burn by the irritation. Lubricant doesn't help. After resting for a bit, the redness dissapears bit by bit and the swollen part slowly goes away, but never completely; starting at my frenulum.

I went to the doctor. 6 times in total.

The first time he prescribed me an antifungal cream, which didn't work.

The second time, he said that it would resolve itself on his own in a month, with no prescription; He claimed to not really see a problem and thought it was just caused by masturbation.

The third time, he prescribed me a topical corticoid, which didn't work neither.

By the third time, I cut on the masturbation because 1: it was too painful, and 2: if it was caused by masturbation I'd give it time to heal. 1 months and 1 week later, it looked better but didnt go away.

All the other times he tried giving me a stronger one until eventually I got tired and asked if I could see a dermatologist. Then 4 months later, I finally got my appointment to the dermatologist. He saw what I was talking about. He said it wasn't anything related to bacteria nor infections. It may be related to the beginning of a skin problem such as eczema, but it was unlikely to be that in my situation.

Then he said the only option that looks plausible would be phimosis. But circumcision is not recommended at my age so unless I really want to be circumcised, then I would need to see an urologist that he can prescribe me.

I found a site on the internet where they list 4 types of phimosis. The type 1 which seems to correspond to mine, and I quote :

"Stage 1: Mild Phimosis

During this stage, a person is able to fully retract the foreskin during both the flaccid and erect state, however pulling the foreskin past the glans during the erect state is painful. In other words, the foreskin is wide enough to easily move past a flaccid glans but tight enough to cause discomfort when moving across an erect glans.

Sufferers often complain of soreness after sex or masturbation. This soreness tends to ease once the foreskin is given rest from any aggravating action."

This seems to be just like me! The symptoms only seems to appear when I masturbate. Then, I looked online and found a guide about stretching. I started doing that 2 months ago; but I stopped after 2 weeks. I saw quite a few improvements but still get irritated easily. I thought it was alright so I stopped. Then now I recently started again (It's been 2-3 weeks now). I see little to no improvement; it doesnt seem to get irritated as fast, but the swelling is still present. How long do I need to do this for? Since the swelling is around the frenulum, do I need to stretch the frenulum or normal stretching (ring)? Is it even really phimosis in the first place?

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TL;DR:

19 y/o, penis gets irritated and swollen in seconds during normal masturbation. Irritation fades away over time, swelling too but never goes away completely; it remains around my frenulum. It seems to be because when I'm erect, the foreskin doesnt cover the gland completely - so it means it's tight, and when I masturbate it squishes my gland a lot. (it was like this for years but now it's giving me problems)

I've been having this problem for 11 months now. Seen many doctors, all of them are clueless. Dermatologist thinks it's phimosis. Circumcision isn't recommended. Found a site explaining different types of phimosis. Type 1 (mild phimosis) seems to suit me well. I found websites about stretching exercices. I tried for 2 weeks then stopped as I saw little to no improvement and didn't have much time. Trying again, it has been 2 weeks now. Only the irritation part seems to go away faster, swelling seems to be willing to dissapear (gets better but comes back quickly). So here are my questions:

Is it even really phimosis in the first place?

Is stretching worth it in my case?

How long do I need to do this for?

Since the swelling is around the frenulum, do I need to stretch the frenulum or normal stretching (ring)?

[jaglad]

No need to stop but cutting back on masturbating will give your penis time to recover. Gentle stretching may help with steroid creams if needed. How long is a good question, until you give up or things improve. If you are in pain consult your Doc' but do not go for surgery as the first option.Good luck

[chernobyl32 in reply to jaglad]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply. Around 4 Months ago, I stopped masturbation for 1 month straight, as suggested by a doctor. Irritation was completely gone, but I wish I could say the same thing about the swelling. My dermatologist did tell me they would "only" agree to circumcise me if it was dangerous; which it wasn't in my case.

[chernobyl32]

Wow, that's more information than I was initially expecting haha.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply and giving me links. I will check them out for sure. I already see a small difference. How long do people usually need to stretch for? 1 month, few months or even a year? And will my penis return back to normal?

Also, to mention that it just started last december. I was fine before. So for me it did influence my sex life a lot. Hope it comes back as it was.