While most matters revolving around the circumcised/intact debate don’t have a huge impact on penis health, a couple of penis pain issues land squarely in the intact male camp – mainly because they involve the foreskin itself. Many intact men have heard of phimosis and paraphimosis – but they may not know what each them means and how they are different. And they are different, even if they both result in some penis pain.
Phimosis
Phimosis refers to a situation in which the foreskin cannot be pulled back to reveal the glans. It is a very common condition in boys, much less so in adult men. The situation usually resolves itself by age 7 in 90% of cases and by age 16 in 99%.
Unretracted foreskin in the flaccid penis does not itself produce penis pain; in the case of an erection, however, there can be considerable discomfort. In addition, boys and men with phimosis are at a greater risk of balanitis, an inflammation of the glans. As a matter of fact, often balanitis is the cause of phimosis in adult men or in boys who had previously successfully retracted their foreskin.
Paraphimosis
So what about paraphimosis? This condition is actually the opposite of phimosis. In paraphimosis, a man (or boy) has retracted his foreskin back past the glans – but it becomes stuck there and can’t get released to expand back over the glans.
Paraphimosis is much less common than phimosis – and is considered by most doctors to be a medical emergency if it lasts for an extended period of time (such as several hours). Why? Because paraphimosis usually means the foreskin is tighter than it should be; otherwise, it would fall back over the glans. (Although sometimes the issue is not that the foreskin is too tight but that the glans is too swollen, usually due to balanitis.) If the foreskin is too tight and trapped behind the glans, it may severely constrict blood flow in the penis.
Unlike with phimosis, penis pain is almost always associated with paraphimosis. The pain may increase if the tightness near the glans results in swelling. In some cases, the lack of blood flow can create an extremely serious condition in which gangrene can develop, which may necessitate amputation of affected parts. This is why a man must consult a doctor if paraphimosis occurs for more than a couple of hours.
Management
In adults, phimosis is generally related to balanitis or another cause of an inflamed glans. If this is not the case and the skin is simply too tight, there may be “loosening” exercises a man can employ to try to stretch out the foreskin. However, he should consult with a doctor before attempting these.
Paraphimosis often resolves itself within a couple of hours, with no prolonged swelling. However, when it persists, or if swelling appears, it is best to call the doctor. If the skin changes color, it is imperative to seek help at once, even if there is an absence of swelling. The penis pain associated with paraphimosis may require local anesthesia in some cases.
Penis pain can result from many causes other than phimosis or paraphimosis. Often, minor pain and soreness can be eased by regular application of a top notch penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) . Keeping the skin supple often eases pain, so select a crème with a combination of powerful moisturizing ingredients, such as vitamin E and natural Shea butter. It’s even better if the crème also contains vitamin C, as that vitamin helps boost the elasticity of penis skin.
