How to deal with excessive genital foreskin

Excessive genital foreskin can be treated through daily cleaning and care, manual upward training, foreskin expansion, circumcision, etc. Excessive foreskin may be related to factors such as genetic factors, repeated infections, local developmental abnormalities, etc. It usually manifests as symptoms such as inability to evert the foreskin, difficulty in urinating, and local redness and swelling.

1. Daily cleaning and care

Clean the inside and outside of the foreskin and coronal sulcus every day, rinse gently with warm water and dry. There is no need to deliberately turn the foreskin during cleaning to avoid forced separation that may cause lacerations. When smegma is combined, you can temporarily use a cotton swab dipped in physiological saline to clean it, but you need to seek medical advice in time to determine whether medication is needed. Choose breathable cotton underwear every day to reduce friction and irritation.

2. Manual turning training

After puberty, you can try progressive turning training under the guidance of a doctor. After cleaning your hands, slowly push the foreskin back to expose part of the glans and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 3 times a day. There may be a feeling of tightness at the beginning of training. If there is pain or incarceration, stop immediately. This method is suitable for patients with mild stenosis of the foreskin opening and no scar.

3. Foreskin expansion

Suitable for children and adult patients who do not want to undergo surgery. The doctor will use a special expansion device to gradually expand the foreskin opening, and use topical corticosteroid ointment such as mometasone furoate cream to relieve edema. The local area needs to be kept dry after each expansion. The expansion interval is 7 days, and a total of 4 treatments are required to complete the treatment. You may have a brief burning sensation while urinating after surgery.

4. Circumcision

For patients with recurrent infections or phimosis, traditional surgery uses scissor excision + suturing, and the sutures are removed 7 days after surgery. New devices such as circumcision staplers can achieve rapid hemostasis in 10 minutes, but are more expensive. Ice application is required within 24 hours after surgery to reduce swelling, and you can shower after 48 hours. No strenuous exercise is allowed within 1 month after surgery.

5. Laser circumcision

The excess foreskin is precisely removed through carbon dioxide laser, with less bleeding than traditional surgery. Synchronous sealing of nerve endings during surgery can reduce postoperative pain. It needs to be combined with topical recombinant human epidermal growth factor gel to promote wound healing. There is no need to remove sutures after laser surgery, but there is a risk of local pigmentation and the healing period is 2 weeks.

Patients with foreskin should avoid using alkaline detergents such as soap to irritate the skin, and dry the skin promptly after urinating to prevent the growth of bacteria in a moist environment. During the postoperative recovery period, disinfect the incision with iodophor every day and observe whether there is exudation or abnormal induration. Pay attention to supplementing the diet with high-quality protein such as fish and eggs to promote tissue repair, and avoid spicy food until the wound is completely healed. If foreskin incarceration cannot be reduced, urination pain persists, or fever occurs, emergency medical treatment is required.