Stretching

Stretching of the tight foreskin is a well-known and the recommended treatment of phimosis and paraphimosis. Dunn (1989) reported successful treating of phimosis by manual stretching.

Foreskin stretchers should take care to avoid paraphimosis.

A word to intact teens

Boys are born with a foreskin that is non-retractable for reasons of protection. The inner surface is fused with the glans penis by a synechia (similar to a fingernail that is glued to the nail bed of the finger). Also the tip of the foreskin is too narrow to retract. As a boy gets older, the synechia disintegrates and releases the foreskin and the foreskin gets wider, so the foreskin gradually becomes retractable. A survey carried out in Denmark found that the mean age of first foreskin retraction is 10.4 years. This means that 1/2 of boys become retractable earlier and 1/2 of boys become retractable later. a few intact boys go through puberty but find that their foreskin is still too narrow to permit retraction.

Beaugé (1997) reported that boys, who masturbate by pulling their foreskin away from the body, will not stretch the tight part of the foreskin so non-retractile foreskin will persist. He advised changing the method of masturbation to the more conventional method of pulling the foreskin toward the body so that the narrow orifice gets stretched.

The traditional way of addressing this issue was to consult a urologist and get a circumcision, however we now understand that in the vast majority of cases, manual stretching over a few months will widen the narrow foreskin by tissue expansion, make the foreskin retractable and eliminate the need for a destructive and harmful circumcision.

One should continue to stretch until one gets satisfactory gliding action.

Methods

Human skin can be stretched and normally returns to its normal size and position. But when stretching is done over a longer period of time, chances are that this stretching causes new skin cells to grow (mitosis) and tissue expansion to occur. We all know this from the skin which covers e.g. the human stomach or the breast area.

Topical steroid cream for stretching

Basically, all curative or constructive stretching of human skin should be accompanied by applying a steroid cream to the skin. The steroid thins the skin and makes stretching easier. Topical steroid treatment is also useful to hasten foreskin retraction in boys with nonretractile foreskins. A number of steroid preparations have been used, including Betamethasone Valerate 0.05% to 0.1%, triamcinolone 0.1% and mometasone furoate 0.1%. It does not work without stretching. Betamethasone valerate is the most commonly recommended active ingredient. A cream with 0.05% betamethasone appears effective in treating phimosis in boys, and often averts the need for circumcision. It has replaced circumcision as the preferred treatment method for some physicians in the British National Health Service.

Other recommended ingredients include Mometasone furoate 0.1%, and Clobetasone 0,05%.

Manual stretching should continue until the foreskin will glide smoothly back and forth while the penis is erect.

Fingers

It is possible to stretch the foreskin by pulling it back tightly against the glans of the erect penis. One should pull the foreskin back until one feels non-painful tension in the tight part of the foreskin and hold that for perhaps five minutes. Do that two or more times a day. Do not force retraction and do not cause yourself pain. One should gradually see the narrow tip widen and become more retractable.

Or the fingers can be inserted into the opening and used to stretch the foreskin. If the foreskin is only slightly tight, a minor case of phimosis, then the stretching can be accomplished using fingers inserted into the opening in the foreskin and applying outward pressure.

Devices

There are various medical devices available on the market which promise to help stretching the tight foreskin.

• Glansie
• Phimosis Rings
• [... more to be added ...]

See also

• Acroposthion
• Development of retractable foreskin
• Frenulum breve
• Gliding action
• American urologists and the practice of male circumcision
• Mitosis
• Paraphimosis
• Preputial sac
• Preputioplasty
• Tissue expansion

External links

• Guide to Treating Phimosis, A Phimosis Journey. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

• Three Ways to do Phimosis Stretching, Wiki How. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
• Everything about phimosis, www.tightforeskin.org. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

• The tight foreskin stretching guide. Retrieved 18 April 2021.

• (2022). Phimosis Stretching: Helpful illustrated guide (with examples), Phimostretch. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  Quote: The goal of phimosis stretching is to get to a stage where you can move your foreskin, back and forth, freely over the glans while the penis is erect.