Hi everyone I'm just wondering if you could give me advice on retracting my foreskin, I'm pretty sure it's too tight and I'm starting to get a bit concerned.
When I'm erect I can get it back as far as image 16 on this sitehttp://www.foreskin.org/33-color.htm and when I'm flacid I think it goes back a bit further. I've heard all about stretching and I started a few days ago pulling my foreskin out from my penis
I'm just looking for advice, also, I'm 15, I live in Ireland and I really don't want to have to get surgery/circumcised unless there's no other option.
Also it's very hard to clean and my penis is really really sensitive, like I can't even hold it under the shower when I pull back my foreskin..
Thanks in advance for the advice

Hey Cian, you don't need to worry about any surgery. You're already more than half way, so doing the rest won't be a problem. What I'd like for you to do first is to read this entire page. You'll get a better idea of what stretching is all about and how to do it. You may have to go to the next page back to find a link which illustrates how to do the stretching.

You should be able to get two fingers inside so you can pull the opening apart. That is basically what the illustration will show. Your most important job is just to do it, not concerning yourself too much with minor details.

Hi thanks for the advice, it was very encouraging! I'm sorry though I'm not exactly sure what "page" you're talking about, is there a link? Also, as I mentioned, I started stretching and I've been doing it for a few days. To be honest I wasn't expecting any change but I noticed that my foreskin may sometimes be a little tighter than it was? I'm not sure if this is normal..
Also I was wondering how good/bad you think my condition is from that picture and how long it could take to fix?
Thanks again for the advice!

When you come to this site, you'll see ten threads from which to choose. Read all of the threads, and then go to the second page which is linked at the bottom.

Tightness and looseness may vary throughout the day. What is of great concern is when it tightens up after having been loose for a long time. That indicates a yeast infection.

You say "I really don't want to have to get surgery/circumcised unless there's no other option". The question for you is - why do you assume you have to do anything at all to your penis as it is? So far, you have not actually mentioned a problem.

Do you think you need to modify it in some way in order to have sex in the future? Well, I will bet that you already "have sex" already in the form of masturbation, and it works just fine! (Tell me if I'm wrong here!) So a little thought on the matter will suggest that having intercourse would work just as well.

Also you refer to "cleaning" your penis. What is there to clean? I gather that you haven't been able to pull your foreskin back for some fifteen-odd years, so what's the problem now all of a sudden? How (and why) is it getting "dirty" when it hasn't before - or at least, hasn't caused any problem of note?

I have to point this out as a starting point for any serious discussion, because you have to know why you actually want to change things. Referring to surgery is a bit glib - suggests you really have no idea of what surgery actually is and haven't seriously thought about the matter in the first place.

Now presuming you are actually considering these things, I will clarify Jim's advice. It involves a little bit of work.

First part of the work - read a lot of the discussions ("threads") here, not just this page or "thread", but all the threads you find on the first index page, then all the threads on the next and so on, until you have read through at least five index pages' worth - say, fifty discussions to start. Then you should have found descriptions of the stretching.

I apologise that I/ we have just not got around to generating a more didactic web site where you can just click on a link to get instructions, but on the other hand, I think you will learn a lot about the background to stretching and what things you can (and cannot) do with your penis in the meantime, and I put it to you that it is worth the reading.

And by reading what other people have found, you will start to get an idea of how much effort you will need and how long it will take, but also how rewarding it will be. As I say so often, whatever you may think right now, you are in no hurry.

It should be mentioned that we do expect that at the age of 15, it actually should be a little easier than if you were much older.

Well firstly with regards to cleaning, thats pretty much how I discovered that my foreskin was tight, because about 5-6 months ago I started to get smegma but there was a lot of it there, especially down around the bottom of the head of my penis, where I cant get the foreskin back to so its impossible to clean, and obviously for hygiene reasons I'd like to sort that out. Also, I do think that I need to sort this "problem" out because I havent had sex yet but I can tell that if I were to have it now the way my penis is there could be some problems, eg. the foreskin being forced back. And when I mentioned surgery/operations I was pretty much talking about circumcision, which I have a good bit of information on. Only one guy I know is circumcised and I really dont want to be unless I absolutely have to , which you guys seem to think wont happen, which is good.

It's a myth that not cleaning away the smegma leads to problems. The opposite is actually closer to truth. Zealous cleaning methods are what cause most of the problems.

Smegma is just a mixture of your sloughed off tissue cells and some natural oils secreted inside the foreskin. There's controversy even over the presence of the glands which are said to produce the secretion, but the fact is young guys get smegma, and it has to come fro somewhere. Normally, sexual activity will remove the smegma, and it actually serves as a lubricant of sorts, allowing free movement of the foreskin over the internal parts and facilitating easy entry into the vagina. If you are young and producting a good supply of smegma, you are also very highly likely in want of frequent sex. Giving in to the desires will take care of the excess smegma.

As for sex, retraction isn't absolutely necessary. While retraction does permit the foreskin to glide back and forth over the glans, producing pleasant sensations, good sexual sensations are produced in absence of such gliding. A problem could occur when the foreskin partially retracts and in times of excitement might fully retract and get stuck. This can b be painful, but it is easily resolved by returning the foreskin to its normal position. My personal view is that you'll find greater satifaction by having a foreskin which retracts fully.

How much reading have you done so far? Have you started the exercises? How is it going?

Well so far it's going pretty well I think I've noticed a small change, it seems a little less tight. Like today, I thought that my penis was actually touching off the inside of my pants and it felt a bit uncomfortable, which is good I think cause it probably means its looser than it normally is. Also, from reading what other people have posted here I think that I definitely don't have it as bad as other people, so that encouraging as well I was just wondering is just pulling the foreskin back as far as it can less effective that pulling it outwards/stretching the opening? Also, the main reason I want to get rid of the smegma is because it looks and smells horrible so yeah..

Your statement reminds me of the room freshener ad on TV! I'm with you on getting rid of the odor, but trust me when I tell you smegma is of no danger otherwise.

Pulling the foreskin back vs pulling it forward will have about the same effect. Pulling forward helps to lengthen the frenulum. Pulling back will also lengthen the frenulum to a degree, but very slowly. You'll get your best results for retraction by pulling the opening apart. That means getting the fingers inside and applying pressure in opposite directions as illustrated here: http://pages.suddenlink.net/manual_methods/phimosis.html

Of course, we are not actually advising that you should be out having sex with all and sundry by any means at all; in fact we would not, but it just happens to be the way your body is "designed".

Regarding smegma; I do wonder about your description that you just "started to get" it about 6 months ago. Is this actually because you only started to attempt retraction at that time? Generally, I would think the smegma had been there for quite a while - so in fact if you just started to attempt retraction, there would have been quite a reserve. Also, as Jim has pointed out, more smegma is produced if you irritate the skin such as by using soap, so you certainly should not be using soap to imagine you are "cleaning" it.

Again the point is - why do you imagine smegma is a "hygiene" concern? When I wrote my previous comment, I had in mind that just a couple of days back, I was requested to examine a young lady of your same age and noted that she had a quite obvious build-up of smegma between her (vulval) lips - which is perfectly usual and certainly not something which I would have even mentioned to her (unless she herself was to happen to comment on it, and it was probably not something she had even noticed). This does seem to be an observation of puberty and frequent sexual activity is one factor - but not the only one - which tends to clear it away.

Since you have not had any experience of the opposite sex, I am sure you simply do not realise just how normal and insignificant the presence of smegma is. There is no more reason for you to focus on "cleaning" it away, than there is for the girls of your age to do so and I venture to say there are very few who would be concerned about it. It may have a slight odour, but that area and particularly for girls, is obviously going to have an odour which would be perfectly acceptable (indeed - attractive) after a normal shower.

As you would have read here in previous postings, to perceive a risk of the foreskin being forcibly retracted presumes that sexual activity would be absurdly violent and I very much doubt this would be part of your relationship with a young lady. Whatever might happen, you would simply pull the foreskin forward again as I have described before. On the other hand, because you would be using a condom, forcible retraction even when you get to the stage that you can almost retract, is almost completely prevented.

And I reiterate - just what "problem" do you imagine to be so bad, that you could even consider a mutilating operation to "fix" it? It's not just that we do not "think it would happen", we cannot see how you would have picked up the notion that you would ever need such a thing at all!

{Except perhaps, by finding so-called "information" on the Internet! }

Well to be honest now that I've thought about it, the only reason I want to retract my foreskin is because I want to get rid of the smell of the smegma. But still, things are going well, I've noticed a lot of change when I'm flacid, but not a lot when I'm erect, but that makes sense I guess. I think that I could probably retract the foreskin completely when flacid if I just pulled back hard enough but then I think it might hurt or tear. But anyway, it's looking mostly good

Unless you have a skin disease, your foreskin will not tear. The only part subject to tearing is the frenulum which must be stressed to rip.

If you happen to get the skin back, you may experience what some refer to as paraphimosis. Don't fear it. When the skin has the ability to retract, it also has the ability to recover, so keep that in mind and maintain control. I encourage you to try it. Lubrication may facilitate the procedure.

You have a worthy goal, so pursue it. I'm glad you're finding success.

Thanks guys, the advice is really helpful and encouraging

In other words be pulled forward again over the glans. Make sure you have read back and found a description of the most effective technique of getting your foreskin forward again if it appears to get "stuck".

I just noticed this morning that either a small bit of my penis or my foreskin is sore and feels uncomfortable, and when I try to retract it. It was never like this, not even last night. Any ideas what this could be??

If it's just temporary, it's an effect of the stretching.

... is that you cannot see all the parts on which you are working!

Yes, you might cause some minor injuries to various little folds and creases if you pull on the wrong bit. In fact, this area (not unlike the corresponding parts on women which must be able to recover promptly from injuries in childbirth) heals very quickly in the main.

Go a little easier - but certainly do not stop the stretching process.

So I've been going well ever since I've started, but I keep coming up with questions!
Um, I noticed that when I'm flaccid I can get my foreskin back pretty far, but it kind of gets to a point where it "folds back over itself" instead of just retracting, is this ok? And then eventually, it sort of appears to get "stuck", as in it looks very tight but it doesn't feel sore and I can push it back without any trouble. I'm just worried I'll tear it or get it stuck. Also, is it normal that my foreskin it still very far from being fully retracted when erect?

At your age, what you are experiencing is quite normal, so don't fret. Keep doing the exercises and all of these things will sort themselves out. It won't tear or get stuck. You are a lot smarter than your foreskin, so take control.

Is it possible that the smegma could prevent my foreskin from retracting? I think it might be the case, although I'm not sure

I can't imagine how that could happen.

You are still focussed on the "dreaded smegma", aren't you?

In fact, it really is of no significance - as I pointed out previously, this is something which the young ladies experience just as much, yet we never hear any of these concerns from them.

Similarly, you are still measuring yourself by how far you can retract. What is important is to perform the stretching. At any given point - say once a week, you might check whether you can retract easily when erect. If you can, well and good, otherwise forget it for another week while you do the stretching. Of course, when you can retract, you need to continue the stretching not quite as vigorously, for a further month to "fix" the degree of looseness.