What is a foreskin?

The sliding penile skin overlying the glans is called the foreskin (see anatomy and physiology: penis). The medical term for narrowing of the foreskin phimosis. Phimosis is when the opening of the foreskin of the penis is so tight, so that it can not be pushed back or only with difficulty behind the glans. If a slight phimosis in boys up to three years as normal, it can lead to older children and adults with serious problems.

Complete or incomplete phimosis
Depending on the degree of phimosis distinguish two forms:

     a complete phimosis: flaccid penis does not succeed even in pushing back the foreskin
     a partial (relative) Phimosis: only in stiffening of the penis, the foreskin can not be pushed back.

In infants is a normal phimosis
In children under the age of 3 years is still a slight phimosis completely natural (physiological phimosis). This is mostly just a bonding of the inner leaf of the foreskin with the glans. This bonding dissolves almost always up to about the fifth 3.bis Age by itself only at 1 to 3 percent of the boys she remains there until puberty and can cause problems as true phimosis.

Bonding with violence never solved
When a bond and otherwise, the foreskin should never be pushed back by force or in pain. This can cause fine cracks in the healing scar. Because scar tissue does not stretch, which is one of the possible causes of a tight foreskin.

frequency
According to the German Society for Urology one per cent of 16 to 18-year-old young men suffering from phimosis.