> # Re: paraphimosis

> Written by R J Knight at 19 Jul 2000 23:30:57:

> As an answer to: paraphimosis written by joe at 19 Jul 2000 20:34:03:

> >hi. I think I have paraphimosis my foreskin is behind the gland of my penis all the time. It will stretch over the gland but it retracts behind the gland if let go. I am wondering if this is normal, do many people have this condition or is it something not to be worried about? please write!
> If your penis isn't giving your pain or any other kind of trouble, then there's nothing wrong with it and certainly nothing to worry about. When I was in the service I knew a couple of guys who had this condition. They looked more or less as if they were circumcised but had never been cut. They never complained, and one advantage was that they stayed clean in the field even when we didn't have a chance to take showers. The penis is a very variable organ; in most men there is about enough foreskin to cover the glans, in others it's very long and hangs over the end of the penis. In some others, apparently like yourself, at one stage in your growth the shaft of the penis grows faster than the foreskin, & this results in leaving the glans exposed. There is nothing wrong with you, and the best thing you can do is just leave it alone and be grateful you don't have any trouble with a tight foreskin or a short frenulum. Paraphimiosis is the condition where a tight, narrow foreskin becomes stuck behind the glans, cutting off circulation and bringing about the risk of gangrene. Over 200 years ago Diderot, a French encyclopedia writer, said that the foreskin (or prepuce, as he actually called it) is the most varied part of the human anatomy. I don't know whether that's actually true, but certainly you zre well within the limits of human variability. If this condition is causing you pain or distress, however, you can always go to a doctor for advice, but unless you feel you have a serious problem, I'd leave well enough alone. Cheers, Bob.

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