Foreskin facts
At birth, the penis has a natural protective skin covering called foreskin. The process of removing the foreskin is called circumcision. Removing the foreskin is not essential, so some penises are circumcised and some are not. Foreskin on you (or your partner) is totally natural and shouldn’t be embarrassing or scary. Here’s a little more information on foreskin care and some issues that commonly arise.
Basic care
The foreskin is usually of no consequence in daily activities — meaning you really don’t have to mess with it. It stays in place when you pee and protects the penis when you’re walking around. In fact, if you’re just starting to go through puberty you may not have really noticed your foreskin at all…yet.
As the penis grows and experiences more erections (during puberty), the foreskin starts to stretch and loosen from the shaft of the penis. This allows you to pull back the foreskin for cleaning, and this IS recommended. Once you’re able to fully pull down your foreskin to the base of your penis, just give it a wash in the shower or bath with a gentle soap and rinse well, returning it to its full-covering position when done. This will help clear out dead skin cells and oil that can build up under the foreskin.
Having difficulty pulling down your foreskin? Read on.
Phimosis
Phimosis describes the condition of a foreskin opening that is too tight, making it difficult to pull the foreskin back. The main cause of phimosis is scarring which results from being too forceful in stretching the foreskin over the head of the penis — so don’t do it! Instead, try to let the natural changes that occur during puberty gently stretch the foreskin. However, sometimes phimosis still happens and it’s no one’s fault.
Phimosis can happen to varying degrees. You may be able to retract your foreskin when flaccid (not erect), but you’re unable to pull it down when you have an erection. You may not be able to pull it down at all because it’s still connected to the head of the penis (via skin bridges) or because the hole is too small. No matter the degree of your phimosis, it should always be addressed.
Phimosis can make cleaning the penis, urinating and/or getting an erection very painful. What you can do on your own is try to gently stretch the foreskin opening every day, but if this doesn’t work you should visit a doctor to discuss other ways to stretch the foreskin. They may give you a special medicine to put on your foreskin to loosen things up (or discuss circumcision as a final option if the foreskin will not stretch).
Condoms
Worried about using a condom with foreskin?
Don’t be. For many, the foreskin retracts on its own and remains relatively tight with erections. If it doesn’t, here are a couple of tips:
Add a little extra lube to your penis and rub the condom up and down a couple of times (once it’s on) to get your foreskin up INTO the condom. The lube will allow for easier movement of the foreskin under the condom and should help prevent crumpling/bunching.
It may also help to find a condom that is a little wider at the tip. This will facilitate more comfortable movement of your foreskin.