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Caring for son's foreskin
I have been given very different and confusing information about the care of my son's foreskin. At his birth the midwife told me to do nothing except minimal cleaning and said that it would take a few years for the foreskin to retract. When our GP examined my son at four months, I was told that his foreskin needed to be able to retract or it would get infected and need to be surgically peeled back. I was sent to a urologist and was told everything looked fine. Please tell me what I should and should not be doing to care for my son properly and when I can expect the foreskin to start retracting. Sincerely, Sherry
The care of your son's penis is as important as any other part of his body, yet parents are often hesitant in asking questions about this 'private' area. Fortunately, when it comes to taking care of your infant's, your toddler's, or your older child's penis, leaving it alone is probably the most appropriate suggestion. Understanding the anatomy of the baby's penis will help you realise why this is.
The penis is essentially made up of a shaft with a bulb at the end of it called the glans. The glans is covered by a layer of tissue called the foreskin or prepuce. The part of the foreskin that faces the outside is made of the skin similar to that of the rest of the body. The inner part of the foreskin (the part you usually can't see on an infant) is made of soft mucous tissue with the similar consistency to that of the cheeks inside the mouth. When the penis is first developing, the glans and this inner layer of foreskin are fused. As the cells of the inner layer of the foreskin are shed, the foreskin becomes more mobile. While the foreskin may retract somewhat during erections that normally occur during infancy, it often takes years for this cell shedding to progress to the point that the foreskin will easily retract. Forcing the foreskin to retract can cause bleeding, which may lead to more problematic attachments called adhesions.
Where do these shedding cells go? They collect into little white beads that work themselves out from under the foreskin. Note that I say this occurs on its own. In other words, it does not require special cleaning to get rid of these beads called smegma. In fact, any probing or vigorous cleaning could actually cause damage to the relatively fragile inner layer of the foreskin leading to adhesion formation.
Eventually, the foreskin will completely retract. Most boys will have a foreskin that fully retracts by about five. However, everyone is different, and it may not be until he is a teenager before the foreskin completely retracts.
From your description, it sounds as if your son is completely normal. But for a brief reference, let me give a few dos and don'ts:
DO:
- Wash the penis with soap and water like any other part of the body. No special attention is needed
- Realise that your son will reach an age at which he is discovering his body and will try to retract the foreskin himself. This is normal, and I would encourage you to use that opportunity to teach him about his body parts and how he will eventually need to clean himself under his foreskin
- Teach your child how to clean under the foreskin. Once fully retractable, cleaning under the foreskin with soap and water during the shower or bath is sufficient
- Force the foreskin over the penis
- Use cotton swabs, special cleansers, or other manoeuvres to probe under the foreskin during cleaning
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