Preputial Adhesions and Skin Bands

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Preputial adhesions occur when the preputial remnant adheres back onto the glans penis (the foreskin "grows back," covering much of the glans). See Figure 1 below.

  • A preputial adhesion may require surgery or circumcision revision, but can often times be corrected over time (four to six weeks) with gentle retraction of the prepuce and daily application a thin layer of a potent topical corticosteroid.

In this image: Figure 1. An example of when the preputial remnant adheres back onto the glans penis.

Skin bands or bridges are bridging bands of scar tissue from the circumcision of preputial remnant onto the glans penis. Skin bands will require surgical correction for proper cosmesis, but small ones do not have to be resected.

Prevention of preputial adhesions and skin bands: Retraction of the preputial remnant off the glans penis, exposing the corona. Use white petrolatum ointment on diaper. Both of the above must be done with each diaper change and until full epithelialization with cornified squamous epithelium occurs at about seven days.

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