Phimosis Treatment

Offered at our convenient location in San Diego

phimosis procedure

Many of our patients at California Adult Circumcision come through our doors for cosmetic reasons.

They know we’re the best at making the procedure look fantastic. But many men are also afflicted by conditions like phimosis and its attendant complications, such as painful erections, swelling and infection. While the condition is more common in children, it may be responsible for difficulties as they mature. Phimosis describes a disorder in which the foreskin cannot be drawn back past the glans, or head of the penis. It is the source of certain health risks and some embarrassment. You want your penis unbound to present your power and virility.

Dr. Bidair recognizes the plight of phimosis. He’s available to assist. 

You can say that Dr. Mohamed Bidair “went to college in Boston.” He obtained an undergraduate degree in computer engineering from Harvard University. He went on to med school at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada, before capping off his surgical urological training in Southern California, at UC San Diego. Along the way to founding his own practice, he achieved fluency in English, French, Arabic and Spanish. So, it’s fairly safe to say that Dr. Bidair understands.     

Dr. Bidair understands how any problems in a man’s most sensitive area can negatively affect how he sees the world. If you suffer from the cosmetic or health-related difficulties of phimosis, contact California Adult Circumcision in La Mesa, CA, at (619) 486-5005. We also offer consultations via Skype for out of town patients.         

What is Phimosis?

Men and boys with phimosis are unable to pull their foreskin back past the penis head, or glans. It may appear as if there is a tight “rubber band” of tissue at the tip of the foreskin preventing full retraction. The condition is quite common in intact baby boys who have not been circumcised. This kind of physiologic phimosis, which you are born with, will usually fade on its own. Although parents must remain vigilant for infection and be wary of complications. Another kind of phimosis, called pathologic phimosis, occurs as a result of injury or penile trauma. Pathologic phimosis can occur in men of any age.[1] 

Physiologic Phimosis

Physiologic phimosis is the kind that you’re born with.

Male infants are born with naturally tight foreskins that become more pliable as they get older. Since every penis is as unique as the individual who bears it, there is some range in the ages when full retraction may occur. Studies place the majority of these cases (about 90%) as resolved between the ages of 3 and 7. A rare few may endure physiologic phimosis into early adolescence; these individuals may be good candidates for a preventative circumcision procedure. 

Pathologic Phimosis   

Pathologic Phimosis is the sort that occurs as a result of trauma, infection or a rare mechanical abnormality. The glans may be too big for the narrow foreskin. The foreskin might be fused with the glans. Or the frenulum tissue, which connects the foreskin to the glans, may be too short to allow full retraction. Pathological phimosis can be caused by an infection called balanitis, when the glans penis becomes swollen and inflamed. Lichen sclerosus is another infection that may be responsible for pathologic phimosis (and a host of other troubles, including penile cancer). These infections are less common in circumcised men.

The profundity of all types of phimosis is graded on a five-point scale from least to most severe. Retractability of Foreskin[2]:

  1. Foreskin is tight behind the glans, but full retractability 
  2. Partial exposure of glans 
  3. Partial retraction, penis opening just visible 
  4. Slight retraction, but neither penis opening nor glans are exposed 
  5. No retractability 

What are the Benefits of Adult Circumcision?

Phimosis is the cause of a number of painful and embarrassing complications. People with phimosis may experience pain during an erection. The foreskin can become inflated like a balloon while urinating. And infections like balanitis or lichen sclerosus either become more likely or more severe. The worst of these complications, paraphimosis, may even constitute a medical emergency. In paraphimosis, the tight “rubber band” of a phimosis-stricken foreskin becomes trapped behind the penis head, cutting off circulation. Paraphimosis can cause penile gangrene. 

Your penis should be as healthy and attractive as you aspire to be.

Parents may decide to get their infant boys circumcised to prevent the perils of phimosis. Grown men suffering the risks of pathologic phimosis may be motivated to take decisive action on their own behalf. For these men, their future is in their hands. For their own sake, they must become the shapers of their own destiny. 

Take action. Contact Dr. Bidair at California Adult Circumcision and begin to explore the process with a private consultation. We do consultations over Skype, as well. 

Paraphimosis

Paraphimosis is a potentially hazardous development of phimosis. When a tight, phimosis-afflicted foreskin is improperly drawn back past the glans penis (head), it can become lodged there, causing paraphimosis. This is a serious situation. If the foreskin is unable to be dislodged, it can halt blood flow to the rest of the penis. Gangrene may result. If you observe paraphimosis in yourself or your child, contact a medical professional immediately.    

Candidates for Circumcision in San Diego

Circumcision is a personal choice and a private procedure that should be considered with great care. It can be preventative, corrective or cosmetic; usually, the decision comes down to some mix of all three of these. Parents may decide to entirely evade the dangers of phimosis by taking their son to an experienced professional.

Often overlooked, there are also many adult men seeking circumcision services. Dr. Bidair can help them, too. 

Ideal candidates for adult circumcision are in good health, physically and mentally. If you are suffering from phimosis or any other penile difficulties, you should inform Dr. Bidair during your personal consultation.   

Your Personal Consultation at California Adult Circumcision

Dr. Bidair is a former Chief of the Urology Section at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in La Jolla, CA. He’s performed thousands of circumcisions and circumcision revisions. His experience is broad and his knowledge is deep, but it is his towering compassion that sets him apart from the rest. At your personal consultation, he will make sure that he understands every aspect of your case. Because, both personally and professionally, he understands the difficulties a lot of men have when talking about these issues.

Come prepared to discuss your phimosis and any relevant medical history that may have an impact on your circumcision procedure. If you don’t live in the San Diego area, or if you’re traveling on business, Dr. Bidair conducts meetings on Skype, as well. 

Procedure

Dr. Bidair approaches each procedure with great care. Circumcision is about appearance as much as it is about health and hygiene, so he is precise in his surgical execution of your aesthetic goals.

Each procedure takes between 1 and 2 hours.

Dr. Bidair will numb the treatment area with a mixture of lidocaine and marocain to ensure an operation that is free of discomfort. If you show signs of anxiety, the doctor may offer you medication to help you relax. If you qualify, you may opt for general anesthesia, instead, and sleep through the entirety of your procedure—please specify this preference when you make your appointment. 

For a quick recovery, Dr. Bidair will seal all incisions with dissolvable, high-quality sutures. 

Take Action on Your Own Behalf 

The dangers of phimosis may include penile gangrene. Short of this extreme, it can include pain, infection and perhaps some embarrassment. If you’re the parent of a child with symptoms of phimosis, you may wish to consider the benefits of a preventative procedure like circumcision.

If you’re an adult male who has been considering the procedure for a while, you owe it to yourself to investigate. If you live, work in or will be visiting the San Diego and La Mesa area, follow up by calling us at (619) 486-5005.

FAQ

What is phimosis?

Phimosis is a condition in which the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back over the glans, or penis head.

Can adults have phimosis?

Phimosis is considered a common occurrence in intact baby boys who have not been circumcised. This is called physiologic phimosis and usually goes away between the ages of 3 and 7. However, there are some cases when phimosis may last into adolescence or even early adulthood. There is also pathologic phimosis, which is caused by trauma, infection or mechanical abnormalities. Pathologic phimosis can occur at any age.

What are the risks of phimosis?

The risks of phimosis range from mild discomfort to penile gangrene. It can be the cause or a complicating factor in infections like balanitis or lichen sclerosus. Most ominously, it may lead to paraphimosis, a condition in which the tight foreskin has become trapped behind the penis head. Paraphimosis can cut off circulation and lead to serious difficulties.  

References 

  1. Phimosis. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2019, from https://urology.ucsf.edu/patient-care/children/phimosis.
  2. Kikiros, C., Beasley, S., & Woodward, A. (1993). The response of phimosis to local steroid application. Pediatric Surgery International, 8(4). doi: 10.1007/bf00173357