The pseudo-diagnosis of "phimosis" (muzzling) is often used as an excuse to circumcise a child or adult. Phimosis is generally defined as the inability to retract the foreskin behind the glans. At birth the foreskin is usually (but not always) fully attached to the glans, and can not retract at all. For that reason:

Do not retract your son's foreskin or allow anyone else - doctor, nurse, grandparent or babysitter - to retract it. He will retract it himself in his own good time. When he does is the time to teach him to wash underneath it. You can download a sheet of stickers with this message in Word (*.doc) format or in .pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) (with a circumcision refusal form):

Incidence:

The age at which it "ought" to be able to retract is contentious. Certainly far too many "authorities" have defined such an age based on nothing other than their own prejudice, usually much earlier than the statistical average, one "authority" even saying it must be retractable by the end of the first week of life! Forcing it before it has detached creates a wound that unites the foreskin and glans in a so-called "adhesion" (that the forcing itself was intended to correct). The damage this causes is then often used as an excuse to circumcise.

The inside of a non-retractable foreskin can easily be cleaned by sluicing with water or squeezing the opening shut during urination and allowing it to "balloon". "Ballooning" in childhood is normal, and harmless unless it causes pain.

So at what age should it retract?
The anecdotal evidence is that the foreskin can almost always move freely behind the glans by puberty. (When the first retraction coincides with the first adolescent erection, it's a memorable experience!) But a significant number of men never experience full retraction, and have no complaints. One has sent his story with pictures. A Hungarian porn "actor"'s foreskin never retracts. They are shown here.

By entering, you acknowledge that this is what you want to see.

ALTERNATIVES

Topical steroid

In Mumbai, India, Reddy et al. found "Local steroid therapy is safe and successful in alleviating symptomatic tight foreskin in a large majority of children."

The Beauge Method

Dr Michael Beauge found that when adolescents presented with phimosis (unable to retract a separated foreskin), they had been in the habit of masturbating (if at all) by some other method than pulling the foreskin back. His treatment involves learning to masturbate in the conventional way, which by itself encourages lateral tissue growth of the foreskin. Dr Beauge has treated hundreds of young men successfully this way.

A young man has posted on Vimeo (after YouTube removed it) "A Field Guide for the Modern [Intact] Male", an artistic version of how he successfully eased his foreskin back.

Do-It-Yourself Devices

A mechanical retractor, "the Glansie", is designed for self-treatment of phimosis.

This has had at least one negative review.

An Australian-made device, the Novoglan GFS (Gentle Foreskin Stretcher), involves a tiny balloon that is inflated within the foreskin. It costs $Aust108 (inc GST).

This has has at least one negative review.

The Phimocure is a series of five silicone rings, 18 - 26mm in diameter, each successively larger size to be worn for a week to hold the foreskin open.

A navy surgeon successfully used small artery forceps for 2-3 minutes a day for two weeks.

Surgery

Kaye et al. describe how skin-grafting is successful where phimosis is combined with frenulum breve.

Foreskin resection ("circumcision") is very rarely needed:

Related pages:

• A forum where information on phimosis and "fixing tight foreskins" is shared.
• A British site, netdoctor, offering good advice
• Care of the intact penis
• Foreskin-friendly doctors
• John Geisheker discusses the greatest danger facing an intact boy - a well-baby visit - on Psychology Today, October 23, 2011
• Paraphimosis
• "It's a Boy!"
• Functions of the Foreskin
• Anatomy of the Intact Penis
• How the Foreskin Works
• Not Just a Flap