Phimosis is a condition that can occur in adolescence and early adulthood. It involves the tightening of the foreskin over the head of the penis and the problem can be painful, embarrassing, and difficult to deal with. The good news is that phimosis can be cured through stretching techniques. However, it should be done carefully, so use some of the tips below to prevent injury to the penis.
Use a Prescription Cream
The foreskin can be incredibly tight when phimosis first develops, making stretching virtually impossible. Your doctor can prescribe a special cream to help with the tightness. This cream is a steroid that contains hydrocortisone, betamethasone, or another type of topical steroidal medication. The cream softens the foreskin a small amount to make stretching possible.
Prescription creams are meant for short term use and should be applied for only about six to eight weeks. They can be applied to the foreskin and the head of the penis and you will need to massage the cream into the skin two times a day. Your doctor will show you how much cream to use and how to apply it.
Once the cream is applied, you should complete your stretching and retraction exercises. Once full retraction is possible, you can stop using the steroid cream. However, you may need to start using it again if you do not stick to a foreskin stretching schedule.
If a bit of softening is needed, a water-based body cream can be used on the skin before stretching once the steroid cream is no longer needed.
Stretch the Foreskin Laterally
Many people use a downward stretch to pull the foreskin back from the head of the penis. While this technique, called the proximal stretch, is helpful once the foreskin has been loosened, it can lead to a retraction issue where the foreskin cannot be stretched back over the head of the penis. So, you want to start with lateral stretches that loosen the foreskin first.
Use your thumbs to gently pull apart the foreskin and gently stretch it outward. Do this on the right and left sides and then move your thumbs to the top and bottom of the skin to do your stretching. Stretch only for about 30 seconds to minimize discomfort.
You also want to stretch by grasping the sides and the top of the foreskin using your index finger and thumb. This is possible as skin loosens and more of the foreskin can be pulled away from the head of the penis.
To learn more about phimosis foreskin stretching or other treatments, contact a doctor near you.