Can phimosis be treated non operatively ??

Phimosis is the inability to completely pull back the foreskin of penis. There are different grades of phimosis ranging from non retractile foreskin in erect stage (with otherwise normal retraction in flaccid state) to the pin point foreskin opening, in which even urination may be troublesome. Phimosis can be present in infant, toddler, adolescents, adults or elderly men. Read how this condition is different from tight frenulum Short Frenulum (Tight Frenulum, Frenulum Breve)

There may be many reasons for tight foreskin such as physiological which is present at birth, infection due to STI or diabetes, drug reaction etc.

Majority newborn have physiological phimosis which resolves with age. Now the question arises who requires the surgery for phimosis and which patients can be managed without surgery.Tight foreskin/Phimosis – causes, symptoms and treatment

Majority of child has physiological phimosis which goes away with age. Daily gentle retraction by the parents using petroleum jelly/Vaseline  at the time of bathing can help in resolving this phimosis. Doctor can prescribe mild steroid cream to be applied on foreskin in few children.

Many adults with phimosis due to infection called balanoposthitis , can be treated with topical or oral antibiotics or antifungal and control of predisposing condition such as control of diabetes etc. Similarly STI leading to phimosis can be treated with STI treatment. Many men with diabetes tend to have this problem again and again and sometimes are better treated with phimosis surgery called circumcision.

If you have any query regarding phimosis treatment or want to know more about non Surgical treatment of phimosis, you can visit me at my clinic in Jalandhar or reach me out at my Google page.About Dr Varinder Attri