Tight foreskin and Red glands.

Men's health
1

I was wandering if someone could help me. I have noticed a problem on my penis. I’m not circumcised but I have a tight foreskin and my glands have gone red. Also the out side of my foreskin is a little red to, like an irritation. Also, there is a whitish discharge coming from under my foreskin. I’ve red a few things online like Balanitis(It could be) but I can’t go to the GP due to the circumstances.

2

John, looks like maybe early stages of Balanitis, we are both big men, uncut, tight foreskin. I’ve considered circumcision, but it’s not an area that sees much light, and I fear a healing issue. I’m the last one to lay open for a doctor, and let him poke and prod, so nowadays I take selfies when semi erect, (so there’s something to see!) and crop out as much extra ‘weight’ as possible. My GP was able to say yes, it Balanitis, and send me to a Urologist, where selfies aren’t going to cut it. I’ve experiences Intense burning when peeing, an occasional blood smear or pink tones when blotting after (gave up standing long ago!) but this comes and goes, and can be brought on by overdoing or overzealous masturbation. I’ve been lucky to have a husband of 24 years, who will check it all out for me when I’m in doubt.
keep a watch on it and feel free to keep in touch.
Nick

3

What age are you John? Were you previously able to expose the entire head / glans of your penis, or has this recently gone like this?
Balanitis is simply a generic term for irritation being present on the head, and / or foreskin of the penis - it states nothing of what caused it or how to address it.
Think of everything that comes into contact with the skin of the exposed head and the upper-part of the shaft and foreskin of your penis - so this is usually soap, shower gel, skin creams, things you may apply for sex or masturbation. make a list of these …

4

I’m 29 and for aslong as I can remember I’ve only been able to partially retract but not all the way back(It’s always been tight) but it’s only been the last few months I’ve been getting the redness around the skin and the redness on my glands, There is also a discharge from under my foreskin.

5

The redness on the glans could be because you are unable to fully expose and clean the glans correctly
I also asked about: " Think of everything that comes into contact with … " - the irritation on the shaft and outer-foreskin has a source, or a combination of things that are in regular contact that are acting to distress the skin …

6

As know one can go to the GP what creams would you recommend for tight foreskin and the redness on my glands.

7

i,) This is not something that has developed overnight, waiting a few weeks or even months to get the right medication should not be a major issue.
ii.) I cannot, what some people would suggest, is ‘prescribing’ medication
.
For a natural approach, you could experiment with using Liquid Coconut Oil, start with the merest of applications, too little is better than too much - NEVER try to push any cream or the oil under the foreskin that you cannot expose, as this too can be a source of problems.
Longer-term have a look at websites that specialise on dealing with Phimosis - I cannot post external web addresses, but here are some prompters on what to look for:
.

  • a phimosis journey
  • wiki - how - 3 ways to do - phimosis stretching
    .
    The approach you need to take is a real easy one, you have skin irritation on the glans and the foreskin and you must not cause further irritation - this means not applying any regular skin creams or moisturisers, apply the tiniest amount of Coconut Oil on the skin glans that is exposed and try to ease the foreskin in very small movements.
    Should you experience further irritation doing this, cease application of everything, clean with water only and fully dry with a towel that ONLY you use.
    I would suggest that until you get the correct medication, and this is most likely a steroid based ointment that will help your foreskin to be much more heathy, and in turn to be more resilient and pliable for stretching and normal functioning - do not masturbate at all …
8

Hi John,

There’s no doubt you have a phimosis and are experiencing balanoposthitis because you cannot clean the space beneath the tight foreskin. Lots of ideas from the posts and I think they can be summarised as follows:

A. What to do now

  • You want the symptoms to clear, so the recommendations folks have posted are all worth trying.
  • An easier approach that is completely FREE of chemicals is to dunk the penis in clean warm salt water (1 tsp cooking salt in warm water in a disposable plastic beaker); when it’s immersed, gently move the foreskin back and forth to allow the saline to irrigate the space and to clean away the gunk (smegma). Do this 3-4x a day or until the redness settles.

B. What to do in the future

  • This will depend on your thoughts about circumcision, but I think you should still consult an understanding urologist to give you an unbiased view of the potential benefits and pitfalls that may arise with the procedure. Any good surgeon will always go through these in detail.
9

The irritation is also on my glands but I have been doing the salt water treatment and also stretching exercises. It’s rather annoying because to have this and be a clean person is making me anxious.

10

In that case, it’s probably time to consult a surgeon (urologist). It’s not your fault and you’ve already tried a couple of non-surgical remedies.

11

Is circumcision the only way to cure the foreskin problem? I know there is stretching but doesn’t seem to be doing anything or than stop at a certain point.

I have been cleaning two or three times per day nothing but this is quite embarrassing I did masturbate quite a lot perhaps that’s caused the irritation(which I’ve stopped) but because I can’t pull my foreskin back I can on swill it under warm water and there is smegma I’ve cleaned every day to the best I can but it still generates the following day.

12

So here is what you need to do:
.

  • Decide which is your preference: circumcision or not
  • If you are are going to continue stretches this needs to become something you engage in wholeheartedly - this means taking the approach as you would with any exercise, start real easy, then over a period on months increase what you are doing so that exercising your foreskin becomes second-nature, and, is something you begin to do everyday
  • Read the information on the web sites I gave you and do your own internet searches, when you engage with what other men went through to overcome Phimosis you will be more focussed yourself on what you want to achieve and have sufficient determination to make this a reality
    .
    When you say you masturbated quite a lot you may also need a strategy for this so you limit yourself in terms of the amount of time you do this, and the number of times per week. The production of smegma can also be linked to masturbation as the friction of masturbation is most likely to create more dead skin cells and the production of natural oils that combine to create the smegma.
13

Thank you. I’ve been keeping the area clean as much as possible and avoiding masterbation. It’s the redness on the glands probably caused by the irritation that’s worrying ms but I’m going to continue to keep it clean and stretch daily.

14

The biggest source of irritation is masturbation, so you really need to abstain for as long as you can.
The salt solution detail and method is probably the best thing you need to do along with the stretches.
If you update in 8 to 12 weeks time to advise how you are getting on that would be good …

15

I’ve not masturbated for over three months but the redness is still there but it seems to be fading slightly and not has vibrant but because I can’t pull my foreskin back, I’m getting smegma still even though I’m cleaning Thoroughly. I’ll continue with stretches.

thank you

16

Yes I know from my own experience _ I had to abstain from masturbation for about 7 or 8 months.
If you update in 6 to 10 weeks to say how you are getting on

17

I’ve noticed a small white patch on my glands now and I’m not what it is. it’s been there today.

I’m getting worried now.

18

19

If you are using the salt solution the white may simply be dried salt that is impacting on the skin - you need to rinse the area regularly with water
Adhari’s initial response to you posted to you 2 months ago is still the best balanced view of what you need to do.
The skin on your glans will NOT improve until you are able to fully expose it and give you the opportunity to clean it correctly.
From my perspective, I would at least try to arrange a GP / Family Doctor appointment to get: i. a suitable steroid ointment to help you with your stretches AND to treat potential skin problems at the same time; and / or ii. get a referral to a Urologist fro a professional opinion