Male 18
No idea whether this is considered a problem or not but is it okay that my foreskin doesn't retract the whole way. It goes past my glans fine but not the whole way down the shaft.
I can masturbate perfectly fine but i'm worried it may turn into a problem during sex.
It looks slightly unusual, but I wouldn't consider it a problem. If you're 18, then your penis may still be growing for another year or two btw, so it may look different after that, especially if you've only recently been able to retract.
Looks fine to me. No reason to think intercourse would be at all problematic.
Looks fine. Everyone is different. As long as it doesn’t cause pain you have nothing to worry about.
Well it would if I tried to pull it further, like the string (I've no idea what it's called) is going to snap.
It's called the frenulum*, and if it's very short, then it's possible you might have "frenulum breve", but if you can retract that far, you're probably fine.
(* Technically, a frenulum is a type of structure, and you have one under your tongue, and another two inside your lips and gums. If people just say "frenulum" though, they usually mean the penile frenulum. )
The ('banjo' string is called the Frenulum. There is a condition called Frenulum Breve (short frenulum) which can cause damage during intercourse. It can make sex painful and even bloody! This requires a minor surgical procedure to rectify. However, it's normal in uncircumcised men for the frenulum to pull taut during erection and to cause the tip of the penis to bend slightly when the foreskin is pulled towards the body. Its purpose is probably to assist the foreskin to re-cover the glans to keep it protected, soft and sensitive. It's similar to the inside upper lip or underside of the tongue.
Your photo doesn't give us much idea of whether the frenulum you have is normal or unusually short. Maybe you could upload another picture?
Hope surgery doesn't need come into the equation
But here's a picture that hopefully does the job.
That does look a little tight, but not something I'd seek treatment for. There is a chance that you might tear it (it happened to me over 30 years ago), so if sex is painful for either of you, then be more gentle, and if you do injure it, you'll have to get checked out. A torn frenulum doesn't usually need treatment, but you'd need to take a break from sex for maybe 2-3 weeks, then use condoms and lube for 2-3 weeks after that.
Mine's very similar and I never had any problem.
Would rather avoid that then. Think manually trying to stretch/loosen it would work?
Maybe, but probably not. The foreskin can be stretched, but I'm not sure it's possible to stretch the frenulum. If you're 18, it will probably fix itself, and I'm not sure there's really a problem anyway.
Seems to just be a wait and see situation at this point. Doesn't seem to be that rare though when searching it.
I'm wondering what made you think it was abnormal?
Well I thought I should be able to pull it pretty much as far as I wanted and I had heard of people ripping their frenulum during sex, so I thought this might be why.
I think as long as when you have intercourse you ensure your partner is aroused and well lubricated, either naturally or with a product, that everything will be fine.
I'll just play the waiting game then. Cheers for the help mate!
I'll just play the waiting game then. Cheers for the help mate!
Hi dude, my penis is really similar to yours in the way the frenulum is tight and restricts the foreskin movement, but i also have mild phimosis where it is sometimes hard to return the foreskin to its original position, i do also get a bit of paraphimosis but ive only had to really try to get it back once and am thinking of getting a circumcision and getting rid of the frenulum, do you have phimosis or any other discomfort?
Please don't go for circumcision too readily. You can keep your foreskin looser by regular gentle stretching, possibly with the aid of specialised or prescription creams, thus retaining the sensitive pleasurable nerve endings. There are differing views about circumcision and sexual feeling - some men circumcised as adults say there is no difference in feeling, others regret deeply consenting to it. Others again who were circumcised as babies go to great efforts to restore the foreskin, because they feel deprived of choice and sensitivity. Personally, I'm very glad to still have mine intact, even though I have had occasional difficulties with keeping it loose.