Changes

Normally, developmental non-retractability does not cause any problems. Non-retractability may be deemed pathological if it causes problems, such as difficulty urinating or performing normal sexual functions, but even then, this is rare, and, if the non-retractability itself is not caused by pathological inflammation, it cannot be called "pathological" or "true phimosis." A foreskin that is so narrow it will retract very little or not at all, but is not the result of a pathological inflammation, is accurately termed ''preputial stenosis'' (narrow prepuce), and will respond to treatment including steroid creams, manual [[stretching]], and changing [[masturbation]] habits.

[[Jakob Øster]], a Danish physician who conducted school examinations, reported his findings on the examination of school-boys in Denmark, where circumcision is rare.<ref name="Øster1968">{{OesterJ 1968}}</ref> Øster (1968) found that the incidence of fusion of the foreskin with the glans penis steadily declines with increasing age and foreskin retractability increases with age.<ref name="Øster1968"/> Kayaba ''et al''. (1996) also investigated the development of foreskin retraction in boys from age 0 to age 15.5 Kayaba ''et al''. also reported increasing retractability with increasing age. Kayaba ''et al''. reported that about only 42 percent of boys aged 8-10 have fully retractile foreskin, but the percentage increases to 62.9 percent in boys aged 11-15.<ref name="kayaba1996" /> Imamura (1997) reported that 77 percent of boys aged 11-15 had retractile foreskin.<ref name="imamura1997" /> Thorvaldsen & Meyhoff (2005) conducted a survey of 4000 young men in Denmark.9 They report reported that the mean age of first foreskin retraction is 10.4 years in Denmark.<ref name="Thorvaldsen">{{REFjournal

Teen boys who still have a non-retractable foreskin (about 10 percent of boys) should start [[stretching ]] exercises to make the foreskin retractable in preparation for adult life.