Phimosis

An erect penis with a case of phimosis

Phimosis (fɪˈmoʊsɨs or faɪˈmoʊsɨs, from the Greek phimos (φῑμός "muzzle"), is a condition of the penis where the foreskin cannot be fully retracted over the glans penis. Phimosis is a condition, not a disease. Phimosis may or may not require treatment. Some men live their entire lives with a non-retractile foreskin. They are able to have sexual intercourse and father children.

There are three causes of phimosis:

• The tip of the foreskin is too narrow to pass over the glans penis.
• The frenulum is too short to permit retraction. The medical name for this condition is frenulum breve.
• The inner surface of the foreskin is fused or adherent to the glans penis.

See also

• Physiological Phimosis, described in the Circumpendium
• Pathological Phimosis, described in the Circumpendium