From: ann@cco.caltech.edu (Ann Terese Heil)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Caring for an uncircumcised penis - summary
Date: 16 Nov 1992 19:32:55 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: alumni.caltech.edu

        I received 11 responses to my request for information about caring
for my son's uncircumcised penis, and I'd like to thank all those who did
respond.  I prepared a brief summary of the responses I received.
 
The basic results are as follows:
 
  3 people stated that no special cleaning needed to be done.
 
  7 people stated that cleaning was necessary - gently pull back the 
     foreskin and clean underneath by swishing in the bathtub or wiping 
     away any smegma.  The ages at which people started cleaning were:
                     1 at birth
                     1 at 2.5 years
                     1 at 3 or 4 years
                     3 didn't remember/didn't state
                     1 hadn't started cleaning yet (son 2.5 years)
              
Response summary:
 
- Husband and former lover were both uncircumcised, and said no special
  cleaning was necessary.
- Started cleaning son's penis at 2.5 years, and son didn't like it.
  Son is now six, and when the penis is cleaned, there is rarely anything
  present that needs removal.
- Son is 6 years and no special cleaning is being done yet.  Son won't let
  her touch penis anyway.
- Has 2.5 year son and doctor said that no special cleaning is necessary
  yet - sitting in the tub provides sufficient cleaning.  Doctor's concern
  was that hole at tip of penis was large enough to urinate a "healthy" 
  stream.
- Adult uncircumcised male doesn't remember when he started cleaning under
  the foreskin.  Discovered that if he didn't clean "white gunk" out, it 
  would turn to "yellow" gunk and irrirate the penis.
- Started cleaning under foreskin at birth, only pulling back foreskin as
  far as it would go with a gentle pull.  Son now LOVES to pull foreskin
  back and look at tip.
- Husband uncircumcised.  Says to gently pull back foreskin and rinse 
  thoroughly underneath.  Suggested procedure for washing underneath
  foreskin before it is capable of retracting.
- Adult uncircumcised male, does no special cleaning.
- Forwarded excellent article from Compuserv, printed below.
- Suggested teaching my son to clean himself, so that when he does 
  retract the foreskin, he won't pull it back any farther than necessary.
  Also warned:  "The only other thing I can think of is that you need to 
  instruct him that if he can't get the foreskin back down he must tell you 
  immediately. In that situation the tight foreskin constricts the blood 
  supply, leading to swelling that makes it even harder to get back down,
  further cutting off the blood supply, so you have a medical emergency
  on your hands.
- Has 4 uncircumcised boys.  Recommended no special cleaning for the first
  3 to 4 years, as boys will "pull themselves" in the tub, and this is
  sufficient for cleaning.  Once the boys are older, have them pull the 
  foreskin back gently in the tub and swish it around in the water, at
  start of bath when water is clean.  Gently remind them about importance
  of cleaning themselves as puberty approaches.  
 
My own story:
 
    My son is 2.5 years, so I decided to go ahead and attempt to teach
him to clean underneath his foreskin.  One night at the start of his bath
I asked him if he wanted to learn to clean his penis.  He enthusiastically
said "Yes!".  So I reached down and pulled back his foreskin the tiniest
bit, so that only the very tip of the head of the penis was showing, and
splashed some water on it.  He thought this was great and asked me to do
it again, so I did.  Then he reaches down to try, pulls back the foreskin,
and out comes the entire of the head of the penis.  Boy was he surprised 
and me too, since we'd never seen the "inside" of his penis before.  He
was absolutely fascinated by it - he had to show dad and a visiting 
friend.  He still loves to pull the foreskin back and look at the
inside, so it's no problem at all getting him to clean himself.
 
Forwarded article:
          
   Here's advice adapted from the American Academy of Pediatrics
publication "Newborns:  Care of the Uncircumcised Penis."
 
   For a baby boy, simply wash and rinse off his penis daily. No other special
care is necessary.
   Don't try to pull back the foreskin.  During the first few months or years of
life, the foreskin is almost always attached to the head (glans) of the penis.
Trying to force it back may cause pain, bleeding, and possibly scarring.
   Also avoid probing under the foreskin with Q-tips, or irrigating under the
foreskin. Soap and water externally is sufficient to keep the penis clean.
 
   The natural separation of the foreskin from the glans may take from several
months to several years.
   When full separation occurs, the foreskin may then be pushed back away from
the head of the penis toward the abdomen.  This is called foreskin retraction.
   The foreskin may also retract spontaneously with erections which occur
normally from birth on and may even occur in fetal life.
   In addition, all boys discover their genitals as they become more aware of
their bodies, and may retract the foreskin themselves.  If the foreskin does not
seem to retract easily early in life, it is important to realize that this is
not abnormal, and that it should eventually do so.
   Many boys have fully retractable foreskins by age 5, but sometimes full
separation takes as long as 10 years.
 
   Skin cells from the glans of the penis and the inner foreskin are shed
throughout life.  In infants, this natural skin shedding serves to separate the
foreskin from the glans.
   Since the foreskin is attached to the glans in young children, the shed skin
cells cannot escape.  They work their way up to the tip of the foreskin.  These
escaping discarded skin cells constitute infant smegma, which you may notice as
white cheesy "pearls."
 
   For the first few years after full retraction is possible, an occasional
(perhaps weekly) cleansing under the foreskin is sufficient.
   After puberty, the male should be taught the importance of retracting the
foreskin and cleaning beneath it during his daily shower or bath.
   From puberty on, specialized sebaceous glands called Tyson's Glands, which
are located on the glans under the foreskin, produce an oily substance.  When
mixed with shed skin cells, this constitutes adult smegma.  It needs to be
cleansed on a daily basis.

Thanks again to all who responded!

ann