Why Should We Avoid Lowering The Foreskin Of Babies?

If you have a baby and it’s a boy, you might be bothered by this doubt. Should we lower the foreskin, circumcise or let the adhesions evolve naturally? Discover today in this article different visions in order to understand this fundamental problem to guarantee the health of your baby.

When you have a baby boy, you have to face different questions around a crucial problem: whether or not to lower the skin of his penis: the foreskin. There are several approaches to this question according to different opinions of pediatricians. Some feel that it is necessary to lower this delicate skin all at once. Others, on the contrary, think that it should be done slowly and very slowly.

Likewise, among mothers who already have boys, there are two ways of approaching this question. First of all, there are those who consider that the foreskin needs to lower and those who decide to wait for this to happen naturally. Some people also choose to solve the problem as soon as the baby is born by performing circumcision.

For any mother, woman who is having her first child, or one who is having a male child for the first time, this is a topic that can  cause concern given the differences of opinion between mothers. and doctors.

The glans penis is protected by the skin of the foreskin. In newborns, the foreskin is attached to the glans and it is not possible to remove it easily. This is completely normal and is called adhesions of the foreskin. As the baby grows, the foreskin separates and leaves the glans exposed in a completely normal way. If this topic interests you, be sure to find out more today in this article. 

Preputial adhesions in babies

Adhesions of the foreskin in babies form between the skin of the foreskin and the lining of the glans. These adhesions prevent the skin from deteriorating. Sometimes they can make you think the baby has phimosis, a common disease of the penis that narrows the opening of the foreskin and prevents the glans from fully uncovering.

In the case of narrowness of the foreskin, this is a normal condition in young boys since the lining of the foreskin is often attached to the glans. In this case, this is called preputial adhesions.

But in a baby, it is too early to talk about illness. Adhesions of the foreskin are a body defense mechanism to protect the penis from infection. If these adhesions have been allowed to evolve normally, most of them end up disappearing between 3 and 4 years.

The frequency of appointments and regular or additional tests will depend on your baby’s clinical information since pregnancy. But, without a doubt, your baby’s medical checks are essential to prevent disease and assess his development at all levels. If there are no signs that warrant additional medical follow-up, the recommended medical examinations will be monthly for up to 4 months. During these examinations, the pediatrician will note the normal growth and development of the baby.

Should we lower the skin of a baby’s penis or not?

Until recently, pediatricians  recommended lowering the skin of the penis using rapid dilation, at some point when the baby is between 3 and 4 months old. Some people turn to a urologist to perform this procedure in a controlled manner.

Thanks to a small local anesthesia, the doctor proceeds to a forced dilation of the foreskin. However, this technique is painful and causes bleeding. The difficult maneuver that breaks the resistance of the foreskin can produce greater tightness as the resulting wound heals.

Current pediatricians recommend gradually lowering the skin of babies’ penises, very gently when bathing. In fact, there are very few cases of children who have reached the age of 3 without the adhesions having spontaneously disappeared.

In these cases, the pediatrician or urologist teaches the parents to perform a gentle maneuver to lower the skin of the penis with corticosteroid ointment or cream. However, in cases where the disease of phimosis is detected, then circumcision is necessary. But this decision should definitely not be taken at the beginning.

Respect our baby’s times

At birth, it is normal for the foreskin to be attached to the glans. In very rare cases, the skin of the penis is retracted from birth. It is usual for adhesions of the foreskin to disappear between 3 and 4 years, although some may continue for up to 5 years.

Since the baby’s diaper stops being used around age 2, the baby begins to explore his or her body. He himself begins to pull or lower the skin of his penis, which between the ages of 3 and 4 is thinner and more flexible. This is the best way to respect the growth and development of your baby.

The adhesions of the foreskin give way with the contact and exploration that the child makes of his body and can descend very easily. If your pediatrician is among those who believe that you should peel off this skin from the glans at an early age, you should know, however, that this is a painful procedure for your baby. Moreover, the results of these forced manipulations are not always satisfactory.

Final considerations

Very often, especially for parents who are having their first child, the advice of specialists is often followed. Parents are often comforted by the advice of the experienced doctor. However, it is also important that you know what the best procedures are and how they are performed. In addition, it is also necessary to be aware of the natural and evolutionary processes of your baby.

Making a diagnosis of phimosis cannot be done for a baby under 3 years old. So take your time before deciding on the best option regarding foreskin adhesions with your doctor. If you need to see another specialist, do not hesitate to do so.

At around 5 or 6 years of age, if the skin of the baby’s foreskin does not sag normally, you may have to have surgery. Depending on the condition of the foreskin and whether there is a condition of phimosis, you can wait until you are 14 to perform circumcision. So don’t force yourself to make such an important decision so quickly.

Phimosis

Phimosis is an irregularity in the foreskin, which is the skin that covers the tip of the penis or the glans. This irregularity means that the foreskin does not retract, neither spontaneously nor manually. This prevents the glans from being discovered. Usually phimosis is congenital. Despite this, both children and adults can suffer from it at any time.

Diagnosis of phimosis should be made by medical personnel. Parents or the person with phimosis should not force the cracking. The ideal age to operate on phimosis is around 12 to 13 years old. Apart from this single gesture for this infrequent pathology, on a child’s penis, nothing should be done.

In babies, phimosis can occur due to improper cleaning of the child’s penis. Sometimes parents pull hard on the foreskin for proper hygiene of the baby. As a result, rings and tissues called adhesions of the foreskin are formed. This is what causes phimosis. Find out about the origin and main causes of phimosis in this article.

In the majority of cases the phimosis resolves spontaneously. Even pathological phimosis can be treated relatively simply and usually does not cause greater problems. However, in some cases complications may appear.

The main symptom of phimosis is difficulty in retracting the foreskin. In adults, if the foreskin does not retract during erection, but does it manually without causing pain or resistance, then we cannot speak of phimosis. In these cases, it is usually excess skin on that area of ​​the penis. Find out more in this article.