Video
Voiceover: Sometimes it’s not until retirement that people face up to their embarrassing bodies. David’s been suffering in silence about a very personal problem that has always dogged his sex life.
David: When I’ve had sexual relations, I’ve had to fiddle about and bring it back into place afterwards which is embarrassing and inconvenient.
Dr Pixie: Nice to meet you David. Why have you come to the clinic today?
David: Well, I’ve had a bit of concern about the way my foreskin works. When it gets pushed down it doesn’t come back again.
Dr Pixie: Do you recall any problem with your foreskin when you were younger or in your teens?
David: In my teens there was one occasion when the foreskin was pushed down and it stayed down. The skin in that area swelled up and I went to accident and emergency and they basically just pulled the foreskin back and it all settled down.
Voiceover: David suffers from a common condition called Phimosis where the foreskin cannot be fully retracted.
Dr Pixie: Now, do you just want to gently try to retract that for me? And that’s when it starts to get…
David: And then it stays there and it doesn’t go back.
Dr Pixie: And that’s the difficult bit, right. God it’s quite a task isn’t it?
David: Yeah, it is, yeah.
Dr Pixie: It’s quite common to have a foreskin that’s difficult to get back and the only real way we’re going to resolve this issue is by actually using a urologist with a view of having something like a circumcision. Is that all right with you?
David: That’s fine.
Dr Pixie: Brilliant, well let’s get that sorted.
Voiceover: Dr Pixie has arranged for David to be examined by consultant Mr Manu Nair. So what are David’s options?
Mr Nair: It is difficult to bring back, it is difficult to pull through. There is, like I said, a constriction zone. The simplest surgery would be preputioplasty which is making an incision lengthwise instead of the other way to loosen the skin. The other procedure you could have is a circumcision where you just take the whole foreskin away.
Voiceover: Earlier David came to see Dr Pixie with a rather embarrassing foreskin problem. He’s opted for an operation called preputioplasty which involves slitting the foreskin to widen it rather than removing it altogether with a circumcision. His consultant Mr Nair detaches the frenulum, a small fold of tissue that restricts the foreskin and then he loosens the restrictive belt by making an incision.
Mr Nair: I’ve cut it lengthwise, but you can see the way the nature of the tightness has extended the skin, which is what my objective was.
Voiceover: All that’s needed is a few stitches to secure David’s larger foreskin.
Mr Nair: All done. Thanks.
Voiceover: After a few weeks of healing time there is no reason why he can’t enjoy a full sex life.
Dr Pixie meets a patient who has suffered for many years with a common condition called phimosis, where the foreskin of the penis cannot easily be retracted. Treatment is administered by simple surgery and there are a number of options available such as circumcision, where the foreskin is entirely removed, or preputioplasty, which involves a small incision to the foreskin so that it can be loosened.
Comments and Questions
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This has only been a recent thing for me. I'm 24 and have been vable to pull/push the foreskin back without any problems. In the last few weeks however it has become really tight and painful to pull back when erect or semi-erect. I haven't changed anything so I'm a bit confused, embarrassed as we all are and just hoping it will loosen up soon.
Im 15 and im not sure but I think I have phimosis. I can pull my foreskin back over the head when floppy and when I'm semi erected but not when errected.. I really don't want to get circumcised but I don't want to have painful sex.. Please help
i have this problem to, but i cant pull it back when it floppy, not a chance when it is hard, i really want to get it sorted but im to embarrsed to go doctor, anyone recomend anything?
I'm 22 and I had this condition phimosis just like most of you guys have described, but I couldn't even pull my foreskin completely back when flaccid, never mind when I was hard. I got it sorted when I was 17 because it caused a lot of pain during sex. I went and saw my doctor, who had a quick look and got me in for a circumcision. It was a bit sensitive for a little while but it healed up nice and it's neater and cleaner for it now. If you have this problem, you should go to your doctor, it might be embarrassing but it'll only take a minute and you'll be better off for it.
I'm 17 and only recently tried to have sex. Because my girlfriend is a virgin too it's all very tight there. This caused my foreskin to pull back causing me discomfort, and this discomfort lead to me losing the erection slightly... Is this normal? I'm trying to avoid seeing my GP
i had same problem try ky jelly from chemist takes all the pain away
my penis is sore everyday i do sex with my girlfriend and then it gets biger
once when i tried to retract my foreskin when erect and it only got to about half way the sensation of that tingled so much it caused my head to expand and this caused the piece of skin that attaches your head to the foreskin to tear slightly but not break, it bled for ages and was in a lot of pain as you can imagine! I believe that this has caused my foreskin to become a lot tighter and im now extremely scared to even attempt to pull it back when erect, and that i cant really do it anyway. Also feel like i never want to have sex due to having to go through the sheer pain again!! has anyone else done this?? and what do u suggest i do???
ive got the same problem and would really want to know what to do about it.
jy jelly im 23 and have the same problem with my 1st gf so we tryed that and no more pain
I am 21 and I also can pull my forskin back when flaccid but when erect only a small bit maybe 5cm, during sex it retracts fully but I have to force it back over the head after, also during sex it can be sore if not sore feel uncomflable at times I dont really want to have a circumcision but I don't know how to go about it any other way
I'm 35 and have had a tight-ish foreskin all my life. It wasn't a problem until recently (hasn't got worse, but I can't have full penetrative sex due to a medical condition of my partner). I went to my GP, who refered me to a consultant. As my forskin is not extremely tight, we have opted for a minor operation where they cut a vertical slit in the tight part and sew it back up horizonally, making it wider / looser. So there is an option other than circumsision. GO AND SEE YOUR GP - don't wait until your 30's like me!
I had this over 10 years ago, i build up the courage, went to my gp ( i asked to see a male gp instead of my usual doctor) and after a quick look was referred for surgery. I had my foreskin completely removed which i think may have been the only option back then ? I dont mind as its cleaner without one. I was sore for a couple of days after and had to be a bit careful, as you would for any surgery, and now girls wouldnt know i'd hd anything done. hope this re-assures some of you.. dont be afraid. if anyone finds out, i tell them i had to have it done as i was "too big for my foreskin" !
I am 14. Is it normal that I cannot pull my foreskin back one tiny bit without it hurting. And if I touch it it's really sensitive. Please help!
mine the same, please help
Mine was really sensitive when i was your age.. im coming on 18 now.. and it has gone, it stopped about 14-15. i think it is nothing, hope this helped