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Conditions

Balanitis

Circinate Balanitis (Photo courtesy of CDC)

Soreness, swelling and redness of the head of the penis is known as balanitis, which is a Greek word meaning ‘inflammation of the acorn’. Symptoms and treatment can vary depending on how severe the case is, but sufferers may experience irritation and soreness of the glans (the head of the penis), thick lumpy discharge under the foreskin and pain when passing urine. There are several ways in which this bacterial infection can develop, but the most common perpetrator is candida or yeast infection, which can be picked up during sex. Similarly, some sexually transmitted infections can also cause balanitis, such as genital herpes, chlamydia, and syphilis. As balanitis affects the penis (or the acorn, if you’d prefer), you can keep the offending item in your trousers and away from prying eyes. But the best way to prevent this condition is through good hygiene, which, for future reference, is also the best way to attract women.

What the Men in White Coats Say

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Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out the Channel 4 Health site or NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

Is it okay to masturbate during balantis? AND how much time does it take for it to be cured by itself? 1 week??

please can you help i have small spots at the bottom of my forskin they are very itchy what is the best curei can get from the chemist thank you paul

hi.i got red patchs along the shaft of my penis not really sore,but swoll like a blisster after sex but went away again.not sore when urinating

awnsering question below
you mean your Frenulum?
you should also have one in the middle, of your lower lip, on the inside. not as large however.

I'm 31 and need advice, that i cannot pull my foreskin back any more than few cm as it very tight, it so painful while i doing masturbation but i don't want to cut out the foreskin?. what shall i do?

Hi, my six year old son has such a tight penis that when he urinates his penis goes into a ball! Not sore or itchy and can urinate no problem but no movement whatsoever in his foreskin…Dr says it may pass in adoloescence but it looks wrong to me! Thanks, worried mum

Hi, for all you guys who cannot retract ur foreskin there are a number of options. You can either leave it be if it isnt causing you any pain, discomfort when having sex or is affecting hygiene, many men have tight foreskins and live quite happily with it. You can also get circumcised, but that isnt for everyone. Or u can stretch the foreskin so that it can be retracted although this needs to be done extremely careful and slowly otherwise the foreskin can become trapped behind the glans and need medical attention. Small tears can also occur on the foreskin while stretching.

My advice would be to go see your GP. That is exactly what i did and i can now fully retract my foreskin. My GP gave me some cream to stimulate skin growth and told me to gently stretch the foreskin opening. It took about 2-3 weeks for my foresking to retract and then further 'use' meant that it now goes back easily and without any discomfort. However, you will need to keep stretching it otherwise it is likely to tighten up again.

I preferred this option as i didnt want circumcised and it was painful for me to have sex as my foreskin was too tight so i couldnt just leave it. Hope this helps

i have a strip of skin connecting the head of the penis to my foreskin and can not retract the foreskin anylower than the head.

please help for the past couple of weeks i have developed sores under the under my forskin which open up and bleed after sex making it to painfull to even consider sex which is . . I have tried canesten cream but häsn't helped atall and i know i'm a typical male as going to the doctors is too embarrasing . . . Any suggestions please?

alright im 17, i dont have this problem but this the closest i could find 2 it as i dont know the name of my problem, its like my foreskins 2 tight and ripps everytime i have intercourse usually causin the tip of my foreskin 2 swell up and you can see the visible rips, it is quiet discomforting and doesnt go so well when it comes 2 having intercourse again a few days later, it also causes me to get thrush a lot too, and recently ive also been suffering from a really bad head ake during intercourse, sum answers and advice would be deeply appreciated, thanx




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