When a boy is born in a family, parents ask themselves how to care for the baby's genitals. Many doctors are misleading, recommending to independently delay the baby's foreskin. However, this should never be done. In order to avoid mistakes, it is important to know when the boy's head should open. It is also necessary to understand in which cases medical intervention is required, what to do if the head does not open, and why this happens, why an operation may be required.
The development of the genitals in a child occurs gradually
When the head of the penis opens
The male genital organs are composed of an inner and outer parts. The first group includes the bladder, testes, seminal vesicles, seminal ducts, urinary tubules, and large blood vessels. The outer part is made up of the penis and scrotum. The penis is composed of spongy strips of tissue, namely one spongy body and two cavernous. The root is where the penis is attached to the body. At the other end is the head covered with skin. This place is called the foreskin (aka prepuce). Immediately after birth, this area resembles a bud. In the first months of life, he is practically motionless, with age it gradually opens, the head is exposed.
In medicine, it has been established that the foreskin, which consists of two layers of skin, which, in turn, are supplied with nerve fibers and blood vessels, is designed to respond to stimulation of the penis. At the moment the flesh slides over the head, friction decreases and the sensation of contact increases. In addition, initially this area serves as a protection for the head and urethra from the ingress and effects of pathogenic microorganisms.
Interesting. The foreskin can block access to the entry of various infections into the genitourinary system. Thus, it protects not only male dignity, but also the urethra. If an inflammatory process begins in the urethra, the skin prevents narrowing of the urethral opening. In addition, the foreskin produces lysozymes, which are capable of destroying pathogens.
Few parents know when a boy's head opens. This process is not limited by strict time limits and proceeds in each case individually. In particular, it depends on the characteristics of the structure and functioning of the child's body. Personality factors can also influence. That is why even a very experienced physician will not be able to say at what age the boys' heads should open.
However, general rules still exist: usually in 50 percent of one-year-old boys, the head of the penis is already open, for most this process is completed by 3 years. At 7-10 years old, the head is completely naked in almost all male children. In only 5 percent of boys, the opening of the head occurs 3-4 months after birth.
Every newborn male child is diagnosed with such a condition of the head of the penis and foreskin as physiological phimosis. It is not a pathology and represents the impossibility of removing the skin from the head, which is the absolute norm. Most importantly, urination should be normal. As for the rest, the necessary changes will occur over time. Only a specialist can assess how correctly this process proceeds. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly show the baby to the children's district doctor.
Important! If the head has not opened by the age of 5, it is recommended to register with a urologist. In very rare cases, the opening of the head is observed at the age of 16-18 (that is, during puberty).
Disclosure of the glans penis
The baby's head does not open
In most newborn babies, the foreskin does not move back until they reach one year old, this condition is completely normal.
Nevertheless, in some cases delays in opening the head occur. There may be several reasons for this:
- Lack of connective tissue in the child's body. This feature is most often due to a hereditary predisposition.
- Failure to comply with the rules of personal hygiene. Ingress of dirt provokes inflammation of the head of the penis - balanitis. This condition is characterized by scarring of the foreskin. As a result, the skin is strongly tightened, which leads to atrophic phimosis.
- Diabetes. This condition increases the risk of developing balanitis and other similar conditions. The fact is that the sugar contained in the urine of a sick child is a favorable breeding ground for bacteria. Babies with such problems need to carefully follow the rules of personal hygiene.
- Congenital enlargement of the foreskin leads to the fact that the skin overlaps the glans penis so much that it cannot be completely exposed. The prepuce hangs down and becomes like a proboscis. This pathology is also the cause of urinary problems.
On a note. There is a common misconception that the size of the penis affects the risk of developing pathology. In fact, this is not the case. The foreskin of the corresponding size surrounds the head of the large penis and does not interfere with the opening.
It should be told in more detail about the main diseases that can cause deviations in the development of the genital organ:
- Phimosis. The following symptoms indicate the presence of this pathology:
- The first stage - it is impossible to pull the prepuce so that the head of the penis opens (it turns out to only slightly push it back, without causing pain or discomfort to the child).
- The second stage - the head is visible under the skin, but it is not possible to push it.
- The third stage - it becomes more difficult to see the head under the foreskin (only a small part of it is visible).
- The fourth stage - the head is completely covered by the skin, it is impossible to move it or even slightly displace it. This form of phimosis can provoke suppuration, pain, itching, unpleasant odor, discoloration of the penis, burning sensation during urination.
Important! The last stage of the disease, in the absence of proper and timely treatment, becomes twice as dangerous - it threatens not only the health, but also the boy's life. The fact is that pathological phimosis contributes to the development of infections and inflammation.
Only in a clinical setting, under the guidance of an experienced doctor, can the head of the penis be safely opened and the symptoms of phimosis can be eliminated.
Phimosis in a boy
On a note. The risk of developing pathological phimosis increases at the age of 6 years and older, if the boy does not have an open glans penis. If this moment is ignored and no measures are taken, the child may develop serious diseases of the genitourinary system.
- Paraphimosis. This type of abnormalities in the development of male reproductive organs occurs in only 1 percent of boys, characterized by a shift in the foreskin until the head is exposed. This leads to squeezing the latter. As a result, blood accumulates in the area of the problem area, and severe edema forms. If you do not take adequate measures, the baby will need surgery. Therefore, if the above symptoms occur, an urgent need to consult a doctor. Timely medical assistance will prevent tissue death and ulceration.
The following factors can lead to the development of paraphimosis:
- pathological phimosis;
- forced exposure of the head;
- medical intervention;
- catheterization;
- allergy;
- cystoscopy.
The signs of paraphimosis are:
- paroxysmal acute pain in the head region;
- severe edema, enlargement of the head;
- cyanosis of the problem area;
- the head resembles a squeezing ring in its appearance;
- weak sensitivity of the head or its absence;
- ulcers begin to appear.
Important! If a few minutes after the appearance of the above signs, the boy's pain disappears, this may be a symptom of tissue necrosis.
What to do if the foreskin does not open in boys:
- Surgical intervention is necessary only for organ inflammation.
- Conservative treatment. Assumes the use of ointments and creams containing corticosteroids. The remedies help to eliminate inflammation.
Failure to open the head itself poses no danger. Medical attention should be sought in such cases:
- inflammation of the head;
- difficulty urinating;
- pinching the head;
- painful urination.
Elimination of paraphimosis
Hygiene for little boys
To prevent diseases of the genital organs, you must follow the rules of personal hygiene:
- Wash the glans penis regularly with soap. In this case, it is important not to overdo it - excessive cleanliness can provoke an allergy to the detergent. If the head opens a little, you can gently move the skin (as far as possible), wash this place and rinse thoroughly. Then dry the genitals with a towel and put diapers on the baby.
- Until the moment the head has opened, the skin cannot be moved away.
- Washing involves only washing. Attempting to push back the foreskin can lead to infection of the genitals and tissue damage.
- Once a day - so many times it is enough to wash the boy.
On a note. If a curd substance (smegma) has formed between the foreskin and the head, there is no reason for concern. This phenomenon is normal and does not require intervention.
Bath procedures
Do I need to open the head myself
It is unacceptable to perform independent actions in order to open the head of the baby's penis. If you experience severe symptoms (difficulty urinating, swelling, inflammation), you should seek medical attention.
When trying to move the foreskin, it is easy enough to injure the organ. In addition, the skin can jump off the head, pulling it and thereby causing edema, and later - necrosis. In addition, the risk of catching an infection increases, since the organ is not properly protected.
Doctor Komarovsky's advice
According to the famous pediatrician, there is no need to use soap every time you wash your child. It is enough to wash the boy with soap solution once a day before going to bed. During the day, the baby is washed as needed with plain water. The procedure is needed after a bowel movement (if the baby is wearing diapers). A visit to the bathroom will be appropriate once every few hours when changing a wet diaper.
On a note. If the boy goes to the potty or toilet, it is not necessary to wash his genitals during the day. An evening procedure is enough.
The doctor notes a contradictory fact: if the mother does not wash the baby, then he has fewer problems. The fact is that soap residues stuck between the head and the foreskin can cause chemical burns to the child.
If the boy turns red and itches in the designated place, the doctor advises to slightly pull up the foreskin, insert a syringe there without a needle and rinse the free space with clean warm water.
What not to do
The main rule that the boy's parents must adhere to is that you cannot bare the child's penis at home on your own. The problem is that even experienced doctors (pediatricians, surgeons) often give such a guide to action.
Important to remember! If nothing hurts the baby, urination is easy and painless, there is no redness and inflammation, nothing needs to be touched.
In order to prevent and maintain children's hygiene, one should refrain from the following actions:
- wash the genitals with soap during each bath procedure (this can disrupt the microflora, cause irritation, allergies);
- try to forcefully open the head of the penis;
- ignore bath procedures after each bowel movement (you need to wash the child every time, and not only the anus, but also the genitals should be affected).
The foreskin is a protective barrier between the genitourinary system and the environment in which pathogenic microorganisms live. All newborn babies have physiological phimosis, which is the norm. With age, the head gradually opens. At the same time, even the most experienced doctor cannot say exactly how many years the head of the penis opens in boys. If the head has not opened by the age of 5, the baby should be shown to the doctor, since such a condition can lead to the development of pathological phimosis and, as a result, paraphimosis.
