Sexual Health - Men Forum - Foreskin Issue

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Q: Foreskin Issue

asked by: TheBob on July 9th, 2007

New User

Hello all. Somethings been bugging me for a while, and I'm not sure if its a real problem or not. Whenever I get an erection, I pull my foreskin back and everythings dandy. Its a touch tight but not painful. I then make my penis soft a little or a lot, to get the foreskin back over the glans. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. When it does work, its not quite so smooth. The foreskin sortof 'curls', rolling over the glans, so it ends up being half covered. I have to manually uncurl it and without any lube, its painful.

I figure it might be because of the glans, it looks larger than it should? I was browsing around, and there was a GIF animation of a foreskin I found, going over the head effortlessly. Another mentioned that this smooth movement is important to proper stimulation. Anyway what advice do you guys recommend? I also wash it everyday with mild soap, think thats contributing to the problem? Thanks.

Replies(9)

Anne123

replied on July 9th, 2007

Experienced User

Never wash the foreskin (especially under the foreskin) with soap. Just rinse with warm water in the shower.

The glans/head of the penis and the inside layer of the foreskin is a mucous membrane (like the inside of your mouth, or the inside of your eyelid). It is sensitive (you already know that), self-cleaning skin. You don't wash the inside of your eyes with soap, right? Same idea.

An intact male (as you are blessed to be) produces smegma under the foreskin which is a natural discharge that cleanses and lubricates. Smegma comes from the greek word for soap!

No more soap on or under the foreskin and you should notice an improvement. You're likely drying out/irritating the skin with the soap (even if it is "mild").

TheBob

replied on July 9th, 2007

New User

Thanks so much! If I stop washing it though, the wax will build up, and kindof 'collect' between the glans and the shaft. After a while it hardens and becomes difficult to remove.

Perhaps instead of washing it everyday, I do it once a week instead? Appreciate the response again!

Anne123

replied on July 11th, 2007

Experienced User

TheBob wrote:

The "wax" you are referring to is smegma. You can retract the foreskin (as long as it is comfortable to do so) in the shower and just rinse under the hot water. This will prevent uncomfortable buildup. If uncomfortable buildup still ends up happening occassionally, you can have a nice soak in the tub and that will take care of it.

Glad to be of help!

Poomerio

replied on July 12th, 2007

New User

I have a very similar problem, but I'm not sure what causes it.
My foreskin would roll up in itself, leaving part of the head exposed.
I don't know if this is normal or what.

- Poomie

TheBob

replied on July 15th, 2007

New User

Update:

Well about a week into this and everything seems to be going okay. It still rolls over slightly, but it doesn't take as much to unroll it as before. Another two weeks ought to do the job. Thanks Anne123 Smile

TheBob

replied on October 6th, 2007

New User

Update:

It's been a few months now, and my foreskin is nicely stretched. However the tightness problem has remained mostly unchanged. After doing a bit of research, I discovered it wasn't a foreskin or smegma issue at all.

Turns out, I have a tight frenulum problem. This is a bit of connective tissue joining the base of the foreskin to base of the penis, right under the glans. So whenever I have an erection, my head curves awkwardly downwards, thus tightening my foreskin at the top.

I'll try to stretch this as best I can, but I suspect that I probably will need to do a frenuloplasty at some point. Sounds intimidating, but its a relatively minor operation. If any of you guys are experiencing something similar, I suggest googling "tight frenulum" and clicking on the first link for more info. It has helped me immensely.

Georgia59

replied on October 6th, 2007

Especially eHealthy

Thanks Bob! Good to know.

agroi

replied on June 10th, 2008

New User

Foreskin stuck to glans

I just turned 13when i have an erectionmy foreskin can retract about half an inch, but cannot go any farther and is stuck to my glans. will it ever seperate from the glans, or do i have an isssue?

marvel

replied on June 11th, 2008

Supporter

^I would say it sounds like Phimosis (tight foreskin). I"d see a doctor about it. It's nothing major... but it can cause problems down the line if you don't get it looked at.

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