The flesh of the foreskin

Synechia is a fusion of the head of the penis with an inner leaf of the foreskin. Many boys have a fusion of the foreskin with the head observed from the very birth. They are connected by gentle spikes, preventing the removal of the head of the penis. Only a small percentage of children in the first year of life have a fully or at least partially open head of the penis. The nature and degree of fusion are different. The fusion may extend from the coronal sulcus on the glans penis and to the external opening of the urethra.

Nature has provided a synechia as a protective mechanism, which significantly reduces the risk of infection with preputial space infection and the onset of an inflammatory process. Sometimes under the skin of the foreskin, which is limited by adhesions, the secret of sebaceous glands of curdled consistency is discovered, the so-called smegma. This is a dense subcutaneous white formation. Normally, the smegma does not have any pathological effect and is itself rejected.

In most cases, the synechia does not require any special treatment, and eventually gradually separate. This happens with age, when the penis head is getting ready for the exit, and can continue until the puberty of the boy begins. During this period, he actively develops sex hormones, under the influence of which the skin becomes more stretchable and supple. Spontaneous separation of synechias of the foreskin is also facilitated by enzymes of the sebaceous glands, prepuce and sudden erections that arise in boys. The degree of attachment of adhesions to the head is very different from case to case. In some boys, adhesions reach the urethra or the coronal sulcus on the head of the penis. Unfortunately, in practice, there are cases when congestion is smugmatic with the head not yet opened, the inflammatory process develops. This condition is accompanied by swelling, reddening of the head and prepuce of the penis, secretion of the puffy fluid from the opening of the preputial ring. The boy experiences pain when urinating. In medicine, this is denoted by the term balanoposthitis. For successful treatment, it is necessary to create conditions for the emergence of accumulated smegma and pus. In addition, local solutions of antiseptics and antimicrobial ointments are used.

This pathological condition on one hand has a positive physiological aspect, since the removal of the accumulated smegma results in the dissolution of synechial accretions. But in contrast to this, with often recurring balanoposthitis, cicatricial degeneration of the foreskin can occur, which eventually leads to cicatricial phimosis. Age, when there is complete liberation of the head from synechia, is individual. According to various sources, it affects the period of 6-7 years.

The surgical separation of adhesions is used in the case of frequently recurring episodes of inflammation, with cicatricial phimosis, and also if the opening of the head does not occur after reaching 12 years. Such an operation is performed under local anesthesia. Its goal is to free from the adhesions of the head of the penis and the inner sheet of the foreskin. In some cases, a special probe is used for this. After such a procedure, it is necessary to observe the toilet and hygiene of the external genital organs for several days. If you neglect the rules of due care, then the recurrence of synechiasis may develop if scar tissue is altered. Particular importance is given to care for the separated leaves of the foreskin. It involves the use of certain ointment preparations, the application of which creates an interlayer between the separated surfaces. Otherwise, the tissues can quickly fuse together.

It is worth noting that the simultaneous separation of adhesions at home with inexperienced hands will cause much pain to the child, and can be a very traumatic procedure that will inevitably cause the development of complications.