Balanitis is an infection that you will suffer throughout your life between the 3 and 4% of children. Consists of the swelling of the end of the penis who will accompany you a lot of pain, discomfort when urinating and redness of the penis.
The ages at which this infection can appear is usually very different, can be represented from the initial age of the baby until the entrance of puberty, since it can be very nonspecific. Several reasons can be attributed to this possible cause, but the main one may be a poorly conditioned use of hygiene.
Causes of balanitis in children
The main reason usually lies in a superinfection of secretions that appear accumulated under the foreskin, normally it usually appears more in cases where there is phimosis. By not being able to retract the skin, hygiene is often not correct and a few simple drops of urine can cause this infection.
In other cases, it is only preputial adhesions that cause this inflammation. The diabetic children with alterations of the immune system are usually victims of this infection. Other of the many manifestations are usually caused by improper use of irritating soaps in the area, even from foam baths or disinfectant they were not suitable for the skin type of babies or children.
When should you consult a doctor?
Whenever it shows pain, redness, swelling o secretion purulent in the end part of the penis. This type of consultation is also important when, after three years of age, retraction of the foreskin over the glans remains a problem.
How is balanitis treated
This type of problem responds to a effective treatment in a period of 3 to 5 days. For this, you must do a specific proper hygiene:
- You have to make a gentle preputial retraction of the penis and never forced, and clean the area mainly with water or a physiological solution, we will have to make sure that we remove all purulent secretions.
- We must educate children to do your own hygienic treatment at the time of urination. If the child is independent to do so because the diaper has already been removed, it is necessary to teach him to only the skin of the glans retracts when I go to pee. You do not need to use paper to clean yourself as it may cause debris to remain.
- If the area is red and there is no infection, you can ask for it to be apply a cortisone ointment, but if there is infection the treatment will proceed to be a antibacterial ointment and in some cases some type of oral antibiotic. If it accompanies a lot of pain in inflammation, the taking of even painkillers could be indicated.
Can it be prevented?
Balanitis can be prevented mainly as we have indicated with proper cleaning of the area and with neutral soaps, trying removing the skin and cleaning the inner area. Even with practice, it should be noted that the main problem of this manifestation usually occurs in cases where there is phimosis, since the preputial adhesions are behind these infections by not being able to retract the skin easily.
Even so, there are children who have the foreskin so closed due to the phimosis itself that the only way would be the possible surgical intervention, as long as these episodes were repeated very frequently.
Another tip when trying to prevent this type of infection is that the skin of the penis cannot be retracted in babies under 12 months, as this practice is totally discouraged since the foreskin and glans are attached from birth. You have to try from the year of life and only in 50% of children. It is from 3 and 4 years when this practice can be do almost without difficulty. However, the problem of phimosis can be resolved spontaneously as the child grows.