Phimosis medical therapy

Steven C. Campbell, M.D., Ph.D.

High rates of success have been reported with several nonsurgical measures:

• Application of topical steroid cream for 4-6 weeks to the narrow part of the foreskin is relatively simple and less expensive than surgical treatments. It has replaced circumcision as the preferred treatment method for some physicians in the U.K. National Health Service.^[1][2]

There is a school of opinion among the medical profession that advocates and promotes a number of alternative methods where surgery, with all the attendant risks, can be avoided. Stretching of the foreskin can be accomplished manually, sometimes with masturbation, also known as the Beaugé method.^[3] The stretching can also be accomplished with balloons placed under the foreskin skin under anaesthesia,^[4]or with a tool.^[5] The tissue expansionpromotes the growth of new skin cells to permanently expand the narrow preputial ring that prevents retraction.

Skin that is under tension expands by growing additional cells. A permanent increase in size occurs by gentle stretching over a period of time. The treatment is non-traumatic and non-destructive. Manual stretching may be carried out without the aid of a medical doctor. The treatment is inexpensive. Relief of phimosis by a stretching technique has the advantage of preserving all foreskin tissue and the sexual pleasure nerves. The Beaugé Method has proved successful for many.

Template:WikiDoc Sources