At what age should a boy open his head? Do little boys need to “open their heads”, and at what age is it best to do this? Tips

14.10.202327.05.2017

Often, after the birth of a son, young mothers are interested in: at what age does the head of the penis normally open? Should I help her open up? If the answer to the second question is obvious, then the first is not so simple.

The fact is that the age at which the head appears in children and the foreskin begins to move freely is individual for each child. This depends both on the congenital size of the foreskin and on the age at which the boy begins puberty and intensive growth of the penis.

Boys' intimate hygiene differs from girls' hygiene, and many mothers have many questions about opening the head of the penis

Physiological phimosis

The head of the penis is covered by the foreskin - the prepuce. Contrary to popular belief, it has many useful features. The main thing is to protect the urethra from contamination and infection. The foreskin is mobile, it reduces friction during sexual intercourse. This piece of tissue is well innervated, which enhances the man’s response to stimulation during sex.

In newborns, the prepuce is fused to the head with special skin adhesions - synechiae, which prevent its movement. This is called physiological phimosis. It performs a protective function.

Many mothers, having discovered that the child’s head does not open, begin to panic, considering this a dangerous pathology. In most cases, physiological phimosis does not require treatment and goes away on its own. You should only consult a doctor if your baby has problems with urination.

At what age do boys develop a head?

The age at which a boy's head opens depends on many factors. According to statistics, a few months after birth, dilatation occurs in only 5% of boys, and after a year - in 20%.

If at the age of 5 the foreskin has not yet opened, then you can start to worry. At this age, you can already take your child to a urologist.

Why are there delays in opening the head?

Contrary to popular belief, the size of a boy’s penis does not in any way affect the risk of developing pathology. A large head always corresponds to a large foreskin, which normally does not interfere with opening. Let's consider several factors:

Perhaps the disease is associated with insufficient connective tissue in the body. In this case, we can talk about genetic predisposition.
The appearance of phimosis can be facilitated by non-compliance with personal hygiene rules, leading to inflammation of the tissues of the glans penis - balanitis. This causes scarring of the foreskin, causing its ring to narrow and become too small. This leads to an atrophic type of phimosis. It is especially pronounced in adolescence, when the size of the penis grows.
The risk of balanitis and other inflammations increases with diabetes. This happens because the sugar contained in the urine of diabetics serves as a good breeding ground for bacteria. Such patients should especially carefully observe the rules of personal hygiene.
The hypertrophic form of the disease appears due to congenital enlargement of the foreskin. The prepuce hangs down, resembling a trunk in appearance. It is so large that the penis cannot open completely. In addition, this type of disease causes urination problems.

Careless personal hygiene can lead to balanitis, which in turn leads to phimosis

Do I need to open the head of the penis myself?

It is definitely not worth making independent attempts to open the head of a child’s penis, as this can lead to injury to the penis and the boy’s psyche. It is worth sounding the alarm in cases where the child has difficulty urinating, and if there is inflammation and swelling of the foreskin.

Many mothers, having heard enough stories, begin to try to “develop” the foreskin. Such sadistic treatments can lead to more severe consequences than pain and psychological trauma for the patient. The skin ring can come off the head and tighten it. The penis is well supplied with blood, so there is a danger of swelling, which can develop into necrosis.

When pulling the head, you can apply something cool to the affected organ. The cold will constrict the blood vessels, which will reduce swelling. It is also necessary to urgently contact a urologist or andrologist.

The head does not open for a long time - what to do?

Surgical intervention is performed for inflammation of the penis. In this case, there is no point in preserving the prepuce, since dirt containing pathogenic microorganisms is retained in it. The operation is simple, safe and performed fairly quickly.

There is conservative treatment for the disease. It involves the use of corticosteroid ointments and creams. These drugs relieve inflammation and help stop the pathological process. The feasibility of their use depends on what stage of development phimosis is at at the moment.

A healthy boy does not need to be circumcised (more details in the article:). The foreskin performs a protective function, protecting the urethra from dirt and infection. Removing it will not improve the child's health at all. Moreover, after circumcision, sensitivity decreases, which is why in the future the boy will receive less pleasure during sexual intercourse.

Surgery is performed only if all conservative treatment methods have not yielded positive results.

Danger of untimely opening of the head

Failure to open the head in itself is not dangerous. You should consult a doctor if your boy experiences the following symptoms:

Difficulty urinating. When you try to urinate, urine swells the foreskin, accumulating in the skin pouch, and then comes out.
Inflammation of the head. Redness, swelling, fever, and pus may occur.
The head gets pinched when you try to open it.

Children's genital hygiene

In order to prevent the occurrence of infection, hygiene of the baby’s genital organs should be observed. The head of the penis should be washed with soap. It's important not to overdo it. Until the head opens, you should not move the skin away. The washing process should consist only of washing. It is important not to overdo it, because a careless mother can damage the baby's genitals.

If a white cheesy substance accumulates between the glans and foreskin, then do not worry. The production of smegma in a child is normal and does not require additional procedures.

If there are no problems associated with the foreskin, washing the intimate area once a day is sufficient. By teaching a boy to observe the rules of genital hygiene, you will protect him from many problems in the future.

All parents wish their sons well, protecting them from any misfortunes and adversities. Sometimes it happens that excessive care causes irreparable harm to the child’s health, especially in cases where the decision of mom and dad is supported by a not entirely competent doctor. We will talk about such an important issue as exposure of the head in boys.

When does a boy's head open? Almost every mother comes to the surgeon for examination with this question. Unfortunately, in some situations, parents are provided with false information about when the boy’s head should open, which entails unnecessary manipulations that cause pain to the child. Based on the facts, we will try to find out the timing of the opening of the head of the penis in childhood.

When does a boy's head open? Physiological features.

A boy’s penis does not undergo any special changes during his life, but has some features compared to the genital organ of an adult man.

At an early age, the foreskin (preputial sac) is elongated and partially fused to the head by connective tissue adhesions - synechiae. With all this, the head must be slightly open a few millimeters, which is necessary for the unhindered outflow of urine through the urethra.

In the space between the foreskin and the penis, smegma (sebum) accumulates, which is a mixture of dead epithelial cells, accumulated fluid and secretion of the sebaceous glands. Lack of adequate intimate hygiene leads to the accumulation of large amounts of smegma, which is an excellent habitat for pathogenic microorganisms. At the same time, excess sebum under the foreskin is not an indication for taking active action unless there are compelling reasons.

For those who trust urologists, we note that it is strongly not recommended to carry out any manipulations aimed at exposing the head in boys under 3 years of age. This can lead to such unpleasant consequences as pinching of the glans penis with subsequent disruption of blood supply and the development of necrosis. In such a situation, it is unlikely to be possible without surgical intervention.

Do not forget that we are not just talking about a piece of tissue, but about the child’s genital organ, on the functioning of which not only the ability to bear children, but also self-confidence as a man will depend in the future.

When does a boy's head open? Don't rush things.

From birth, all boys experience the so-called physiological phimosis - a condition of the penis in which the head does not extend beyond the foreskin. In the absence of alarming symptoms (more on this a little later), after some time the head begins to gradually become exposed on its own. The process when a boy's head opens can begin either at one or six years old. The main thing is patience and medical awareness of parents, as well as undergoing routine examinations by a qualified pediatric surgeon.

IMPORTANT! In only 4% of newborn boys, the mobility of the foreskin allows the head of the penis to be removed without any problems. For all the rest, the time when the head opens comes closer to 3-4 years.

When does a boy's head open? Alarming symptoms.

Unfortunately, physiologically caused phimosis does not always have a successful outcome in the form of opening of the head in boys. It is not difficult to recognize the onset of cicatricial phimosis if you have an idea of the symptoms of this pathological condition.

So, pathological phimosis is a process in which some areas of the foreskin are replaced by non-elastic scar tissue. In many cases, cicatricial phimosis is a consequence of improper or early removal of the head of the penis, as a result of which micro-tears form on the foreskin.

Symptoms of phimosis:

Difficulty urinating (urine does not come out in a stream, the child is forced to strain);
Inability to easily expose the head of the penis;
Swelling of the foreskin during urination;
Inflammation and swelling of the penis (edema);
The appearance of purulent discharge from the penis.

IMPORTANT! If one or more symptoms of phimosis appear, you should immediately seek help from a doctor. Lack of timely assistance can aggravate the course of phimosis, which entails serious consequences.

When does a boy's head open? Let's summarize.

There is no need to retract or massage the foreskin yourself if your child does not have any complaints.

The lack of full opening of the head of the penis in a boy at 6-7 years old is not a cause for concern. In this case, a wait-and-see approach is recommended until the onset of puberty.

If a surgeon insists on opening a boy’s head for no apparent reason, run away! Everything should be natural and painless. An unsuccessful attempt to remove the head of the penis in childhood can leave a mark on the child’s psyche for life.

Almost every mother worries about the health of her son’s genital organs. However, sometimes excessive care and suspicion can only harm a growing man. That is why it is worth considering in detail the question, at what age do the head of the genital organ open in boys?

Anatomical structure of the genital organ in boys

The foreskin is the prepuce, a skin area that, when the genital organ swells, moves away, exposing the head.

In children, the foreskin completely covers the head of the reproductive organ, merging with it by soldering and causing a phenomenon such as physiological phimosis. Phimosis is the inability of the head to exit the prepuce without outside intervention. In this case, the head is slightly open for the unhindered outflow of urine.

As the boy grows up and reaches puberty, the skin gradually moves away, completely freeing the head of the genital organ, that is, it completely opens.

At what age does the head of the reproductive organ open in boys?

No doctor will give you an exact answer to the question at what age a boy’s head opens completely. The whole point is that the individual characteristics of the development of the child’s body are of particular importance. The period of physiological phimosis lasts differently for each future man. According to statistics, in only 4-5% of newborns the head opens in the first months of life. The norm is considered to be the period from 6 years to 12-14 years.

The head of the reproductive organ does not open: normal or pathological?

Physiological phimosis is a normal condition of development of the genital organs in boys. It goes through several stages of development:

with some effort, the head is removed freely and painlessly;
the head does not come out, but it is visible;
the head is poorly visible, only 2-4 mm;
The head is completely closed and cannot be removed.

In the first two stages, the development of phimosis occurs naturally and without pathologies. Parents should sound the alarm in the final stages. At the third stage of development, only medical supervision is necessary. But the last phase requires medical intervention in the process of opening the head of the genital organ.

There are cases when phimosis occurs with complications, which can lead to infection of the genital organ. Symptoms of complications are as follows:

redness of the glans or foreskin;
pain and burning when urinating;
problems with urination (the child has to strain, urine does not come out completely, accumulating in the free space under the foreskin);
suppuration under the foreskin;
pronounced scars on the foreskin.

If you find at least one of the above symptoms in your child, immediately contact a urologist. But know that circumcision should be done only if phimosis has developed into a pathological advanced stage.

What to do if the head of the genital organ in boys does not open?

As already mentioned, complete removal of phimosis (circumcision) and the help of a surgeon should be resorted to only when other treatment methods do not help.

Conservative methods:

Exercises for gradually retracting the foreskin. To do this, you do not need to have any special skills, consultation with a pediatrician and patience - these are all the necessary components. During such exercises, it is advisable to take baths with herbal decoctions.
Dilation of the head by a urologist. The doctor will use a special spoke-shaped instrument to carefully open the head. After this procedure, it is necessary to constantly lubricate the organ with antiseptics until complete healing.

Is it worth dilating the head of the reproductive organ on your own?

Forced opening of the head is inappropriate if your child does not complain of anything during bowel movements, the skin around the genitals is a natural color, and there are no signs of inflammation.

Parents should know that forced discovery is a very painful process that can lead to serious consequences: from the development of complications of phimosis to psychological trauma.

Children's hygiene of the genital organs of boys

The main task of mom and dad should be to maintain hygiene of the boy’s genital organs:

During daily water procedures, you should not try to thoroughly wash the head of the reproductive organ with soap. This can lead to disturbances in the structure of the microflora of the prepuce and, as a consequence, to inflammatory processes.
Once a week, you need to wash the reproductive organ and scrotum using baby soap, without opening the head.
Baths using decoctions of chamomile and sage herbs 2-3 times a week will also be useful.
After each trip to the toilet, boys need to wash only in the direction from the scrotum to the anus.

As a rule, by the age of 15, the head of the genital organ in boys opens completely. Proper care of your child's genitals will help you avoid possible problems. If you notice some deviations from the norm, you should not delay going to the doctor. Everyone knows that it is better to stop the disease in time than to treat its consequences.

The skin of the foreskin is usually fused to the head of the genital organ by synechiae - special delicate adhesions. The latter do not allow the head to open completely or prevent its free removal.

This anatomical structure is called “physiological phimosis.” Unlike pathological, it is temporary and is considered the norm at an early age. Then, during puberty, as the penis grows, the foreskin gradually separates from the glans, resulting in an opening.

When does the penis open in boys?

If we talk about at what age the head of the genital organ opens in boys, it should be noted that this depends on various factors. One of them is the individual pace of child development. Based on this, we can conclude that there are no unambiguous norms regarding age.

As medical observations show, only 4% of the foreskin of the genital organ is mobile enough to allow the head to be removed. In approximately 20% of boys, this process occurs at 6 months of age. And by the age of 3-4 years, in 90% of children of the stronger sex, the foreskin is already freely moving, which allows the head of the penis to be easily and completely opened.

How to open the head of the penis in boys?

If your child does not complain about anything, urinates calmly, and his genitals are not inflamed or red, you should not take any action. And even more so, you should not open the head of the penis by force. There are many nerve endings in this part of the body, and all manipulations in this area are quite painful. Unsuccessful attempts by parents to open the head on their own can lead to paraphimosis, which will require surgical intervention.

All you need to do is simply monitor the hygiene of the child’s genital organ. The cavity of the foreskin is naturally washed during bathing. In addition, the scrotum and penis should be washed with soap at least once a week, under no circumstances exposing the head of the penis. You also need to remember that every time you change a diaper or defecate, you need to wash your baby in a strictly front-to-back direction.

What to do with pathological phimosis

Some boys may develop pathological phimosis. Such a disease is necessary. Otherwise, in the future, this can lead to pain and ruptures during the erection process. If you do not take the necessary actions before the start of sexual activity, subsequently having sexual intercourse will be significantly difficult or even impossible.

In special cases, surgery is required. Indications for the operation are:
- frequent inflammation of the head of the penis and foreskin;
- significant changes in the foreskin due to the presence of scars;
- various disturbances in the process of urination, including pain.

In modern medicine, various methods of surgical intervention are used. The most common is circular excision of the foreskin. This operation is performed under general anesthesia. This method makes it possible to permanently eliminate the morphological substrate of phimosis.

ABOUT LITTLE BOYS AND THEIR MASCULINE DIGNITY

So you brought your little treasure from the maternity hospital. Such a little boy - I can’t even believe that over time he will become taller than you, speak in a deep voice, and have children of his own. It’s tempting to press small hands, plump legs to your lips, and stroke your tender belly. And only male characteristics sometimes cause some kind of incomprehensible embarrassment. Even pediatricians often somehow cleverly avoid this area during examinations.

But in vain! There are problems here too. So don’t rely on the doctor, but check for yourself whether everything is in place, whether everything is correct. Of course, it’s not your place to make a diagnosis, but you can draw the doctor’s attention to something that seems not entirely clear to you.

IS EVERYTHING IN PLACE, IS EVERYTHING CORRECT?
There should be two testicles in the scrotum, and at the same time. If sometimes there are two or one, this is a reason to show the baby to the surgeon: one testicle can be hidden in the groin area, which sometimes leads to the formation of an inguinal hernia in the future or the complete disappearance of the testicle - monorchidism.

It is even more worth worrying if there is only one testicle in the scrotum. This condition is fraught with infertility in a man, and sometimes with malignant degeneration of a testicle that is out of place. The issue of surgical fixation of the second testicle can only be decided by a surgeon or urologist, but if he thinks that it is impossible otherwise, do not mind, the negative consequences can be much more unpleasant than the pain during surgery.

It is very rare, but it also happens that in the scrotum, in addition to the testicles, some other soft tissues are felt. This could be varicose veins of the spermatic cord, which sooner or later can also lead a boy, teenager, or man to the operating table, because this condition can lead to infertility or simply unpleasant and painful sensations in the scrotum.

Look closely at how the boy pees, where the opening of the urethra opens. Sometimes it is not located at the top of the head, but in another place - on the upper or lower surface of the penis. This is called epispadias or hypospadias. This congenital condition most often does not cause suffering to either the child or the adult, but can cause difficulties during sexual activity. Doctors do not always recommend surgery, but they must clearly assess the situation in order to give real advice.

But phimosis can sometimes be detected only in an older child. In boys, before puberty, the genitals are covered with skin of the same color and thickness as the rest of the body. Only from the age of 11-12, under the influence of sex hormones, the skin of the genitals becomes darker and thinner, the scrotum becomes wrinkled, and the foreskin, when pulled back with the fingers, exposes the head. In small boys, such exposure is not normally possible, however, the opening of the foreskin must be of sufficient size to allow urination to be unimpeded.

WHAT IS PHIMOSIS?
Phimosis, that is, narrowing of the opening of the foreskin, in its extreme form prevents the normal outflow of urine: when urinating, the head seems to swell, becomes spherical due to the accumulation of urine between the head and the skin, the stream of urine is sluggish.

In this case, the opening of the foreskin looks like a pinpoint, the size of a pinhead. This is complete phimosis, the diagnosis is beyond doubt, the condition requires surgical resolution.

Doctors distinguish between two forms of phimosis. In the first, the foreskin is narrow and long, hanging like a proboscis from the head of the penis. In the second, the foreskin is narrow and short, tightly fitting the head, leaving only its top with the opening of the urethra visible. But in both cases the head is not exposed, urination is impaired. In addition, boys at any age often experience pain during erection.

FIRST ERECTION IN LIFE

Since erection is a physiological mechanism inherent in all male creatures, regardless of age, the first erection in life occurs in a boy at the age of 1-2 days.

Of course, this is not a sign of sexual arousal, but a kind of check by the body of its own condition: is everything okay with me? Erections become more frequent if the boy is nervous, undergoes heavy physical activity, eats poorly, suffers from worms, diabetes and some other diseases.

Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the erection of a little boy or an older boy. But with phimosis, a boy may complain of unpleasant sensations in the penis during erection, or he may hide it due to embarrassment, although a negative attitude towards erection sometimes penetrates so deeply into the subconscious that in the future the man will have difficulties in his intimate life.

IF YOU LEAVE MATTER TO YOURSELF
If you do not pay attention to phimosis, then the urine that constantly stagnates under the foreskin can eventually fester, and inflammation can go up - into the bladder, ureters, even the kidneys.

In addition, inflammation near the glans can lead to scarring of the foreskin, which will necessitate surgery because the scarring will prevent the skin from stretching and the opening will not enlarge on its own.

Finally, sometimes the lubricant of the head, which is constantly produced, stagnates so much that small pebbles form under the skin of the foreskin. Therefore, such children are recommended to be circumcised at about 4 years of age.

The fact is that in many boys, the separation of the foreskin from the head and, accordingly, the enlargement of the hole occurs precisely at this age. If separation has not occurred after 4-5 years, there is no point in delaying it any further.

CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT METHODS

As a rule, even before surgery, doctors try to resolve the issue using conservative methods. It’s not for nothing that the ancient Greeks said that surgery is a therapy for despair. If exposing the head with your fingers fails, a short metal probe with rounded edges is inserted under the foreskin and with its movements they try to carefully separate the skin from the head.

Such actions are successful in almost half of young patients. Then the space under the foreskin is cleaned and washed. In the future, parents should expose the head 1-2 times a week and carry out hygiene measures. At the same time, this is also a prevention of phimosis.

CIRCUMCISION
During circumcision, the foreskin is removed under local anesthesia, and its edge is sutured to the circumference of the glans. In this case, the head remains completely naked forever. This operation has NO effect on the potency or fertility of a man. After all, Muslims and Jews circumcise all boys - and nothing happens.

The operation is performed in an outpatient setting, it takes 5-10 minutes, and almost never leads to complications. We can say that the complexity of such an intervention is at the level of opening an abscess, that is, it does not represent anything exotic.

At one time, in Japan and the USA, ALL newborn boys were circumcised on the first or second day of life, so that issues of penile hygiene would never again concern the future man. True, this practice was later abandoned, but not a single boy had any complications after the operation or in the future. However, nature does not create anything without meaning, and therefore removing any part of the body without sufficient evidence is wrong.

PARTIAL PHIMOSIS
Partial phimosis requires observation and regular examination by a surgeon. With this form of the disorder, the opening of the foreskin is larger than with complete phimosis, but the doctor believes that there will still not be complete exposure of the head. Depending on the severity of the condition, the final diagnosis can be made at 5, 10, or 12 years.

See for yourself: if, when trying to painlessly retract the foreskin, at least part of the head is exposed, then there is a very real hope that the hole will become larger during puberty.

In cases of partial or incomplete phimosis, doctors often recommend stretching the foreskin, regularly retracting it to the point where the boy begins to feel pain (but not too actively!).

This training is carried out daily for 5-10 minutes. When stretching the foreskin, you can use ointments to soften and relax the skin - solcoseryl, heparin, etc.

If you take this activity seriously, then such manipulations, especially in children under 7-8 years of age, will not lead to the development of masturbation and excessive interest in issues of intimate life.

INTRACTION OF THE HEAD
But under no circumstances retract the foreskin so much that the entire head is exposed: returning the skin to its place may be difficult or impossible, the head will be pinched, swelling, poor circulation, and even gangrene will begin. This condition is called paraphimosis and requires the mandatory participation of a doctor. Sometimes it is possible to return the foreskin to its place, and sometimes you have to undergo circumcision.

If the glans is pinched, you can try to return the foreskin to its place without surgery. To do this, fold your hands under the head so that it is higher than the index and middle fingers slightly squeezing the trunk. The thumbs rest on the head and try to push it into the opening of the foreskin. The whole movement is very reminiscent of a fig being shown to a penis. If it was not possible to return the head to its place within 30-60 minutes, you must urgently seek medical help! Every minute of delay is fraught with big troubles.

HYGIENE
To avoid deposits around the head of salts and microbes brought with urine, it is necessary to regularly wash the space between the head and the foreskin (preputial sac). In early childhood, one of the parents does this; older boys must do the same with their own hands.

To rinse, use the thumbs and forefingers of both hands to take the foreskin on both sides near the opening and pull it slightly forward and to the sides, as if peeling it off from the head. A stream of warm water is directed into the hole (preferably from a shower or from a syringe), gradually moving the penis so as to wash the entire circumference of the head (if you are afraid that you will hurt your son, practice on your husband first).

If, nevertheless, the boy complains of itching in the head area, if there is a small purulent discharge, rinsing can be done with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or furacillin.

MASTURBATION - AS PREPARATION FOR FUTURE SEXUAL LIFE
As he gets older, the boy will definitely become interested in his genitals, touch them, and almost certainly masturbate. All this is quite natural - people of any age resort to masturbation if there is sexual arousal, but there is no opportunity to satisfy it in the usual way. From the beginning of puberty until the age of 20, more than 97% of boys and 60% of girls masturbated at least once in their lives (although they did not always know what it was called).

There may be problems here. Firstly, a boy may be neurotic because his friends’ heads are exposed (which teenagers regard as a sign of puberty), but he doesn’t. Hence, doubts about one’s normality, future potency, the possibility of having children, a decrease in self-esteem and the development of a subordinate attitude towards life.

Attempts to independently solve the problem by forcibly retracting the foreskin can result in paraphimosis with all its unpleasant consequences.

Modern sexology regards masturbation in adolescents as a kind of preparation for future sexual life. By making normal back-and-forth movements with the palm of his hand clasping the penis, the boy imitates the movements of the penis in the vagina, gets used to certain sensations, which will then allow him to be well aroused and experience orgasm during intercourse.

Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of masturbation in a teenager, to regard it as perversion, depravity, etc. Masturbation is just a safety valve for sexual function, which allows a person to escape from excessive sexual arousal.

True, sexologists distinguish between ADAPTIVE and DISADAPTIVE masturbation. Adaptive (as described) imitates natural sensations. But the maladaptive, unusual one causes completely different reactions, which may complicate intercourse in the future.

This, for example, is squeezing the penis in the palm of your hand, rubbing the head between your fingers and much more. So, boys with phimosis often cannot get exciting sensations with normal movements of the palm. Therefore, they resort to other influences: they squeeze the head between their fingers, move their finger along the edge of the foreskin, climb the tip of their finger into its opening, etc.

All this accustoms the teenager to sensations that he will never receive during sexual intercourse, and therefore can be the cause of weak arousal during intercourse, prolonged ejaculation, or even its complete absence (although during masturbation everything goes fine).

Therefore, circumcision (or other surgery) must be done EARLIER before the boy begins to masturbate - before the age of 11-12 years. Circumcising an older boy or even a man is not very good. After all, he is already accustomed to what he experiences in his usual state.

AFTER CIRCUMSTANCE

The constantly exposed head can even be painful at first - due to friction against the underwear, and the sensations upon contact with the woman’s genitals do not provide the usual arousal.

Therefore, it is not uncommon for an adult man, after circumcision, performed, for example, at the age of 30, to temporarily decrease arousal, delay or, conversely, sharply accelerate ejaculation.

All this will pass within a few months, UNLESS neurosis develops, the expectation of another failure, or depression. In such cases, a man should consult a sexologist to determine whether everything is okay with him.

If, after circumcision, a boy or man complains of a feeling as if the head is an open wound that is roughly touched, it is necessary to reduce its sensitivity. To do this, a course of 10-15 daily baths for the penis with tanning substances is carried out: a decoction of oak bark, a medium solution of potassium permanganate, etc.

You can also lubricate the head in the first 3-4 weeks after surgery with novocaine ointment, and during the day, under underwear, wrap the head with a soft cloth, securing it with a condom or fingertip (depending on the patient’s age).

However, I want to emphasize once again that circumcision done BEFORE the onset of sexual activity (and, preferably, before the start of masturbation) does NOT in ANY way affect the potency and time of ejaculation in a man.

ZIGZAG ALONG SCHLOFFER
In some cases, instead of circumcision (that is, complete removal of the foreskin), another operation is performed - according to Schloffer. Under local anesthesia, a zigzag incision is made in the foreskin and the edges are sutured again in the place where the zig turns into a zag. As a result, the foreskin is completely preserved, but its opening expands.

Unfortunately, it turned out that many Russian urologists have not heard of the Schloffer operation, but perform circumcision on everyone. Therefore, here is a medical description of the operation, which will be quite understandable to the doctor, although it contains many words that are incomprehensible to the common person. “At the level of the coronary sulcus at the junction of the inner and outer layers of the foreskin, both leaves are cut perpendicular to each other and stitched again in the transverse direction. Anesthesia is local, placing 2% lidocaine ointment in the preputial sac.”

The entire operation takes 10 minutes and is carried out, like circumcision, in a clinic. The wound heals within 4-6 days. This operation is also good because the head remains covered, and therefore there are no unpleasant sensations, both in everyday life and during sexual intercourse.

SOMETIMES PHIMOSIS IS VERY INSANE
It happens that the narrowing of the opening of the foreskin is so unexpressed that no problems arise in a normal situation. The young man begins to have sex and at the very first sexual intercourse he gets paraphimosis.

Natural embarrassment at this age and the desire to hide intimate behavior can lead to the fact that time for non-surgical intervention (as described above) will be missed. Moreover, a young man can delay visiting a doctor so much that the operation will involve not only cutting the foreskin, but also removing the dead part of the penis!

One evening, on Monday, a 19-year-old boy came to see me, whose first intercourse in his life occurred on Friday evening. Phimosis, which turned into paraphimosis, swelling, pus from under the foreskin, wild pain - but, despite all this, the young man was embarrassed to go to the hospital, “and everything is closed on the weekend...”.

An ambulance sent him to a urological hospital, where an operation performed in the next half hour allowed him to preserve his manhood.

Timely communication between father and son, familiarizing the teenager with some printed information (at least this article) will help a lot in such a situation.

Don’t be shy about touching on intimate topics when communicating with children - a calm, businesslike approach will not allow the conversation to turn into “strawberry”, and knowing how to behave, what to do or not to do, has never harmed anyone.

From the very first days of your son’s life, remember that to be a man means to be self-confident, and such confidence largely depends on how intimate life corresponds to one’s own needs and the usual views of society.

Failures and difficulties that occurred at the very beginning of a sexual career, when a young man judges himself (and much more harshly than the strictest judge) can turn a young man into a frightened, broken creature, afraid of women, confident in his own worthlessness.

To prevent this from happening, from childhood his problems must be revealed, solved, debunked at the level of common sense, medicine, and social adaptation. Only parents who know their child, wish him well, and care about his physical and mental health can do this. Be not only mentors to your son, but friends, good advisers - and he will grow up not only healthy, but also full of strength and desire to live.

ACQUIRED PHIMOSIS
Sometimes phimosis is acquired - as a result of inflammation of the penis, injury, etc. In such cases, a sufficiently old man experiences a narrowing of the foreskin opening, which makes urination difficult and makes erection painful or even impossible.

If acquired phimosis is not very pronounced, there may be cracks in the foreskin that form after each sexual intercourse, and sometimes paraphimosis. In such cases, they first try to develop the foreskin, make it more elastic and mobile, and if these measures fail, they perform circumcision or Schloffer surgery (which is preferable).

Prevention of phimosis in adults consists of observing hygiene requirements, timely seeking medical help, and preventing inflammation and injury to the genital organs.

Yuriy PROKOPENKO, sexologist, candidate of medical sciences.
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