Physicians reaction to "dirty foreskins"

How do doctors (GP's, dermathologists, urologists, etc) usually react when retracting the foreskin of a patient and finding any smegma there ?

Reaction both in words and actions

Comments on personal experiences appreciated

First, for all who might not know it: Hitting puberty, most uncut boys experience that smegma can build up and accumulate quite fast and easy especially in this stage of life. This effect is said to be caused amongst others by hormonal adjustments of the body itself as well as penile growth processes. Furthermore, especially in early puberty, most boys tend to being not too interested in personal hygiene, showering etc. (which of cause changes again when they discover that girls feel more attracted to well-manicured and well-smelling boys ;-) ). Also some teenagers still have a rather untrained / more or less long and tight foreskin and a very sensitive glans, and skinning back sometimes can cause discomfort, pain or (in best case) erections (which can be embarrasing and disturbing when happening in the wrong moment, e.g. in public showers). So it's a natural thing that some teenage boys try to avoid pulling back their foreskins whenever possible.

In the age of 13 I had to stay in hospital due to an unidentified illness. When a rather young doctor examined me from head to toe, she also did it “down there”. My foreskin still used to be quite long and “medium tight” those days (however not too tight to be pulled back completely with some effort at least when my penis was flaccid). The doctor pushed my foreskin back as far as ever possible. After my glans had been popped all out, there was a visible portion of smegma showing up. Still holding my foreskin painfully back, she told me that it was still too tight, and obviously this was resulting in hygiene issues, and that circumcision would cure this problem. I was deeply frightened, and from that day on, always expected to become cut.

Needless to say that the overall scenario was severely embarassing for me (not only but amongst others also because of the obvious hygienic issue).

In retrospect I am not sure if the young doctor's suggestion to have me circumcised (this is how I interpreted her words back than) maybe also had been influenced by the fact that she had discovered smegma under my foreskin.

When are the school doctor, there was always the moment to lay down on the exam table. I was told to raise my but so she could lower my undies. She examined my groin and then examined my penis, pulling back my foreskin as far as possible. She was kind of surprised about the smegma and asked me if I didn’t wash down there. In my memory she wasn’t nice at all, being a bitch.

I did make a good thing out of it. I cleaned it with a qtip while pulling my foreskin down.

Doctor Rob,

She was kind of surprised about the smegma and asked me if I didn’t wash down there.

May I ask: Was this a surprise checkup, or did you forget to clean down there, or didn't you just care that there might be some smegma to be found?

In my memory she wasn’t nice at all, being a bitch.

Do you mean she was generally not so nice, or do you think she was annoyed by what she found? However, I am sure that school doctors have to deal with smegma quite frequently (just like dentists have to deal with cavities).

Embarrassing situation for you though, I guess.

What the hell difference would it make if you washed or not? At that age it took mine about three minutes to reload after washing it. Almost as soon as I got the foreskin back over it. Even now it only takes a few hours so I cleaned it as I left home for my appointment with the dermatologist.

@roscoe It seems that in the generation of adults in the 70s (exact era depends on locale) there was a kind of paranoia about “uncleanliness“ and germs, probably fueled by books and physicians

I had a problem down there once, but no smegma. I don't think it would be nice to present that to your doc! My doctor simply took a look and provided a diagnosis and treatment - doing her job.

I got a whole lecture on it from a nurse practitioner doing my check up when I was around twelve. She could barely get it to pull back but even then could still see a whole lot of white. My mom and older sister were both in the room so I was just standing there with underwear around my ankles, completely mortified.

“This is why it's so tight, you need to be pulling it back every single time you go pee and everything single day in the shower so you don't get this build-up.”

My mom was pissed that I hadn't been keeping it clean and apologized profusely to the NP, promising that she would nag me about it non-stop from now on (which she did). The NP responded to her that this is why she thinks that it's best for boys to be circumcised, and my mom didn't push back at all. My sister just thought the whole situation was hilarious and gross.

@intub11 Why weren't you circumcised at birth, by the way?

@Pecan_nutjob My mom said just couldn't bring herself to put me through any pain.

Scissors

@intub11 it's never too late!

@Bithesea circumcision should be a last resort. Technically, it is male genital mutilation. I was mutilated at birth. So many of us were. It was started here by women to keep boys and men from masturbating. Unless you have a medical issue with your penis it is completely unnecessary.

Now if you like the way it looks or the way it feels, go for it.

@Bithesea circumcision should be a last resort. Technically, it is male genital mutilation. I was mutilated at birth. So many of us were. It was started here by women to keep boys and men from masturbating.

And no circumcision enthusiasts ever seem to have tried studying how well cutting has worked out in curbing masturbation. Seriously, do or did they ever seriously and truly believe it would work at stopping male masturbation? If so, they must have been very adept at ignoring male activity. I even wonder if it makes one itsy-bitsy tiny teeny bit of difference in the self-simulation department.

Nothing sparks an active thread like male circumcision. Whether one is pro or con lets get the facts straight. Circumcision goes back at least 5,000 years if not longer. For the religious buffs, It was probably a practice prior to the beginning of the Hebrew calendar 5,758 years ago. I've never been a big fan of Wikipedia where I think a lot of misinformation is stored.

@Bithesea I am fully aware of that fact. I’m half Jewish. It’s still male genital mutilation. Organized religion saying it’s ok doesn’t make it right.

It is true that in the late 1800’s a woman’s movement popularized circumcision in the US as a way to prevent masturbation. Doctors came along in the 1900’s claiming it was more hygienic. I think teaching a male child hygiene is a better approach than circumcision.

Like I said: if you like it, go for it. IMHO it should never be performed on a child until they are old enough to decide for themselves.

When I was 5/6 years old, I sometimes had smegma under my foreskin and then I never had it again. During a school medical visit, the doctor decalotte me in a standing position behind his desk and discovers that. I had my underwear almost at the knee, he took me to the table and sat me down and completely removed my underwear. He then took a tongue depressor and scraped the smegma off and wiped it on a towel. He made no comment, nor on the document for the parents.

Just for the record, the doctor's door was left open during all the exams, but since the doctor took me with my underwear down, other students had the opportunity to see me naked and have the doctor examine my penis.

During a school medical visit, the doctor decalotte me in a standing position behind his desk and discovers that.

In English, I’m not sure if the verb "decalotte" exists. A better translation is "retract the foreskin".

In English, I’m not sure if the verb "decalotte" exists. A better translation is "retract the foreskin".

It's so interesting to me that the French language has a word specifically meaning “to retract the foreskin” while English doesn't. Shows a difference in the normality of foreskin in English-speaking cultures vs. French-speaking cultures.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/décalotter

@intub11 That sounds tremendously awkward to have the nurse would do that with your mother and especially your sister in the room. What was the reason your sister was also present.

That sounds tremendously awkward to have the nurse would do that with your mother and especially your sister in the room. What was the reason your sister was also present.

My sister and I had a school event right after my physical, my mom wouldn't have had time to go back home and pick her up after my physical so she just tagged along.

Never had that yet for an exam would be embarrassing for sure if forgot to clean beforehand

I work at a sexual health clinic and we see this once in a while. I have a really bad poker face and hate bad smells so im sure the patients have seen my look of disgust, unfortunately. Usually it is due to an overly tight foreskin that can't be retracted and we are to gently refer the patient for circumcision. Last patient that i saw like this was a fit muscular latin guy that was so embarrassed.

It happened in several occasion at the pediatrician. He always retracted the penis during the examination and some white bits are often present. He explained it was not clean because I was unable to completely retract the prepuce under the corona so he always forced in a painful way the retraction several times in a sort of preputial gymnastic to dilate tissues.

Finally the nurse cleaned the glans with a cotton swab and mineral oil. I remember it very embarassing expecially the rubbing of the swab on the glans. After puberty and regular masturbation my glans was always clean and I avoided the procedure since that time.

After puberty and regular masturbation my glans was always clean and I avoided the procedure since that time.

Seems like doctors aren't giving the correct advice on this matter then: regular masturbation keeps the glans clean under the foreskin …

And using some form of liquid soap or such for lubrication will undoubtedly aid in keeping it all nice and clean.

@agracier said:

And no circumcision enthusiasts ever seem to have tried studying how well cutting has worked out in curbing masturbation. Seriously, do or did they ever seriously and truly believe it would work at stopping male masturbation? If so, they must have been very adept at ignoring male activity.

In my short studies when I was a young teen and several of us got together to play with ourselves and each other the one guy who was cut was just as good at it as the rest of us and he enjoyed it just as much with one exception.

I even wonder if it makes one itsy-bitsy tiny teeny bit of difference in the self-simulation department.

He needed more stimulation before he came and he wanted his glans rubbed much more enthusiastically. When it was my turn to pump him he wanted it rubbed quite hard and even then it took longer to make him come. Of course he liked having it dry rubbed with great enthusiasm but I'm not sure he got as much feeling as the rest of us.

Just my opinion here: I can understand why a female might like to have her guy cut as it would take him much longer to come so she would likely get to come while he was still inside her. Also his glans and in particular his coronal ridge rubbing on her vaginal walls might be exciting for her.

After I desensitized my glans by dry rubbing it while holding the foreskin tightly back when masturbating there is no other way I want to do it now. Dry rubbing the bare glans feels sooo good. But I have to clean it well to prevent road rash from rubbing.