So for his yearly physical his doctor was concerned my son could not retract his foreskin. Now when he was a little baby I was told do NOT do that... no one ever said to START, or have HIM start. They said well most boys play with it when they are 2 and 3 and that usually does it. So now he is kinda freaked out, and doesn't know what it is supposed to look like (I will show him some of the pictures I found on this forum, which would be a great help.) His (female) doctor wants him to be pulling the foreskin back as far as he can without it hurting several times in the shower and every time he pees. Does this sound like the right method? Originally the skin opening was MAYBE 1.5mm, and now it is about 3mm, so it is streching and he says it doesn't even hurt...good! I have also been reading that alot of the guys on here didn't fully retract the foreskin until they were in their mid teens, yet some were as early as 3-4. So what am I to think? Also, and his doctor didn't know this, with his foreskin the way it is, and if he hadn't started stretching it, when he got an erection would that cause tearing? I would think it would, but I am a female, so what do I know? Right now, the foreskin extends past the head of his penis about 1/4 inch like a little elehpant trunk, and that is quite a bit compared to his penis size as it is.Comments, suggestions? Thank you all so much.
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My intact 7 yr old - tight foreskin
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In infancy the foreskin is attached to the glans and doesn't retract. Sometime between then and puberty it should separate and become retractable, but exactly when varies a lot. In some cases it's not until well into puberty. If he can retract a bit without its hurting that's fine, and the doctor's advice is quite OK, but it shouldn't be forced, especially at this young age. He's got plenty of time.The elephant trunk effect is normal for intact prepubertal boys. An erection shouldn't cause any damage.
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Just a quick post to drop off some links that might be useful to you! Why don't you come and join other moms of intact boys at http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=44http://www.circinfo.org/alternatives.htmlThe foreskin is usually retractable by age eighteen. Even if the glans and foreskin separate before then, the foreskin may still not be retractable because the opening of the foreskin may still be very tight and only flexible enough to allow the passage of urine. The foreskin is meant to work like this, just like a valve: letting urine out, but not letting dirt in. That is why it is so tight.The first person to retract a child's foreskin should always be the boy himself. Forcing the foreskin back is usually painful and can cause problems, such as infection, adhesions, and/or acquired (genuine) phimosis.Answers To Your Questions About Your Young Son's Intact Penishttp://www.nocirc.org/publish/pamphlet4.htmlAnswers To Your Questions About Premature (Forcible) Retraction of Your Young Son's Foreskinhttp://www.nocirc.org/publish/pamphlet6.htmlProtect Your Uncircumcised Son: Expert Medical Advice for Parents http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/circumcision/protect-uncircson.html http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/[/url]Almost all boys are born with narrow non-retractile foreskin which are fused with the glans beneath. This is a normal developmental physiological condition and is not a cause for concern. Some parents needlessly worry that the opening is not large enough.Retraction of the foreskin should never be forced. It will retract when it is ready. There is no "right" age for retraction to occur.A narrow non-retractable prepuce in boys is within the normal range of development and usually causes no problems. The prepuce usually will spontaneously widen until complete retractability is obtained. About 50-60 percent of boys at age ten do not have fully retractable foreskins. This is normal. After puberty, the percentage of boys with full retractability rapidly increases spontaneously.http://www.cirp.org/library/treatment/phimosis/The ``Phony Phimosis Diagnosis''The prepuce of boys may be tight until after puberty. This is an entirely normal condition and it is not phimosis. According to the experience in cultures where circumcision is uncommon, this tightness rarely requires treatment. Spontaneous loosening usually occurs with increasing maturity. One may expect 50 percent of ten-year-old boys; 90 percent of 16-year-old boys; and 98-99 percent of 18 year-old males to have full retractable foreskin. Treatment is seldom necessary. If treatment should be necessary, it should not be done until after puberty and the male can weigh the therapeutic options and give informed consent.Canadian Paediatric Societyhttp://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/babies/Circumcision.htm#uncircumcisedUsually, it is not fully retractable until a boy is 3 to 5 years old, or even until after puberty. [u]Never force it[/u].American Academy od Pediatricshttp://www.cirp.org/library/normal/aap/Eventually, sometimes as long as 5, 10, or more years after birth, full separation occurs and the foreskin may then be pushed back away from the glans toward the abdomen. This is called foreskin retraction.If the foreskin does not seem to retract easily early in life, it is important to realize that this is not abnormal and that it should eventually do so.Some boys do not attain full retractability of the foreskin until [u]adolescence[/u].National Health Service Direct/British Medical Journalhttp://www.besttreatments.co.uk/btuk/electsurgery/30882.htmlBecause scarring makes the end of the foreskin narrow and less stretchy, your son won't be able to pull his foreskin back. Doctors call this phimosis. It's unusual in boys under 5. It's most common in boys around puberty.4The foreskin usually separates from the penis naturally and can be pulled back by the time the child is 3. In some boys this takes longer, and may not happen until after puberty. It's rare to be born with a foreskin that never goes back.8 Most boys will eventually be able to pull their foreskin back, unless there are signs of scarring.http://www.embarrassingproblems.co.uk/penistight.htmAfter the age of 7, it is usually possible to pull the foreskin back over the head (or glans) of the penis, but in some boys this is not possible before the age of 14 or 15.So if you are 13 or 14, don't worry - this is perfectly normal.
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lucky kid... my parents told me squatso now im 16, and i just found out its supposed to and doesnt... so i gotta go through all that stupid stretching crap, when this could have all been solved if my parents had told me
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In reply to:lucky kid... my parents told me squatso now im 16, and i just found out its supposed to and doesnt... so i gotta go through all that stupid stretching crap, when this could have all been solved if my parents had told me Exactly.. I'm 16 years old and didn't know that my foreskin was suppost to retract untill last year when I joined this forum. Now that my penis has grown - the foreskin isn't long enough to cover the entire head. So when I touch it, it is very sore and gives me all sorts of pain. I can still not retract.