Patient's question:
Patient with balanitis, male, 24 years old, has had the condition for one month, now peeling, with discharge, and experiencing pain. Self-medicated with erythromycin ointment, but it has been ineffective.Doctor's answer:
Phimosis refers to a condition where the foreskin is long and the opening of the foreskin is narrow, making it impossible to retract the foreskin and expose the glans penis. Whether phimosis requires surgery depends on the degree of narrowing. If the narrowing is mild, the foreskin can be gently retracted by pinching the penis with the thumb and index finger, slowly pushing it back towards the base of the penis to expose the glans, and then cleaning it to remove accumulated smegma. After cleaning, the foreskin should be returned to its original position to prevent the narrowed foreskin ring from clamping the urethra. In cases of severe narrowing that is very difficult to retract, surgical treatment is often necessary. This is a minor procedure and there is no need to worry excessively.