Foreskin Care and Maintenance
Dr. George gives us the ins and outs of foreskin care.
Ok fellas, we’ve spent a lot of time covering anal health with Dr. George: proper douching techniques, best practices for loosening up your hole, and treatment for fissures. And while I am sure we will come across more topics to cover with respect to the ‘backdoor’, I thought you might want Dr George to share some of his insight on how to keep your ‘meat and potatoes’ in tip top shape. Yes gentlemen, we’re talking penile and testicular health and hygiene today. Buckle up.
Good health is often related to good hygiene and the same holds true with respect to our genitals. Of course, with respect to the penis, whether one is cut or uncut is going to play a role into how you clean yourself. This article will deal primarily with care for uncut penises and foreskin care.
Foreskin 101
According to Dr. George, the foreskin has two layers. The first is the outer layer of skin that goes over the head of the penis. At the end of the foreskin, at the very tip, there is a ring that is a collection of collagen fibers which functions to keep the foreskin closed. It’s like an elastic band. For most people it is stretchable, and it opens up and slides back over the head of the penis exposing the second layer of the foreskin. This is a mucosal skin that creates its own lubrication. So, whatever you do, do not irritate it! In fact, George recommends AGAINST using soap inside of the foreskin for this very reason. He recommends non-soap cleaners like sorbolene or better yet, just plain water.
Cleaning Your Foreskin
When you get into the shower, he says to pull the foreskin back and just let water flow over the area to give it a good clean. And then after you come out of the shower, pull the foreskin back again, gently pat it dry and then pull the skin back over the head of your penis. If you are not able to pull the foreskin back, that’s OK, you can still give it a little bit of a rinse inside. If you have a douching hose, you could put a very gentle stream of the water just inside the opening of the foreskin to flush some water through there, or better yet, you could get a separate douche bulb for the job – one specifically for your foreskin and NOT your butt. The reason being is you don’t want to be flushing butt bacteria up into the foreskin because it will most likely cause an infection. Just pop the tip of the bulb inside the skin and gently squeeze in some water to clean it.
Dry Foreskin
Now if you are someone who deals with dry foreskin, then Dr. George advises that after you’ve showered and patted everything dry, to put a pea sized amount of a non-allergenic moisturizer, like sorbelene, onto the head of the penis and then pull the foreskin over. That will moisturize the inner layer of the foreskin.
Post-Sex Cleanup
If you’ve had anal sex without a condom, it is also important that you clean the inside and outside of the foreskin afterwards. Cleaning it will clear out whatever poo bacteria might be lingering inside the skin or urethra.
Tears in the Foreskin
Now, an additional concern for uncut guys is the possibility of tears in the skin. Depending on your kink or if you’re into foreskin stretching or any kind of more intense play, be aware of potential tears and micro-tears in the foreskin. The inner layer of the foreskin is very easily torn and damaged and those with repeated tears in the skin will notice an increased tightness of the skin due to the scar tissue formed when healing.
To avoid tears in the foreskin, George recommends regular cleaning and gentle moisturizing with sorbelene as described above. If you’re not able to pull the foreskin over the head of the penis, then you just have to be super cautious. If a tear is causing pain or if the foreskin is getting caught behind the head of the penis and is not able to be pulled back forward, go see your doctor who can recommend skin stretching regimens along with prescribing steroid cream for the area to promote healing. If all that fails to you may need to do a circumcision. That’s a rare possibility though, so don’t freak out. George has only had to recommend circumcision to five patients in his career.
The Benefits of Foreskin
In fact, George is a big fan of foreskin. He was quick to inform me how it helps with immuno- function and how it’s a big benefit to bottoms if their top is uncut. With a foreskin present, the head of the dick will piston in and out of its own skin as opposed to irritating the lining of your sugar walls, which I’ll admit is something I never really took into account. All the good anal stretch without the irritation – what more can you ask for?!
For now boys, we will leave it there. I have plenty more advice to dispense from the good doctor in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Dr. George Forgan- Smith is an expert in gay men’s health dedicated to the bear, leather and kink communities which he serves faithfully in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to working at the Collins Street Medical Centre and creating tons of educational content for his social media accounts (links below), he is the creator of The Healthy Bear website which he uses to share vital health information pertaining to and about our community.
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***Disclaimer: You must not rely on the information on this website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.
