Balanitis: what is it, causes, symptoms and treatments

• Balanitis is inflammation of the skin that covers the head of the penis, that is, the glans. This infection is most common in children or adults who have not been circumcised.
• Poor hygiene and phimosis are related to this disease, as they lead to the proliferation of fungi under the foreskin, causing balanitis.
• Circumcision is the ideal treatment when the pharmacological does not produce any effect. Surgery eliminates any chance of the disease coming back.

Balanitis is a male genital infection that is usually caused by fungi. This disease involves inflammation of the penis, more specifically of the glans. However, when the inflammation occurs in the foreskin, we speak of postitis and when it reaches both parts, glans and foreskin, we refer to balanoposthitis.

Balanitis is more common in uncircumcised men

This condition of the glans can develop in any man or child, and is more common in those who have not been circumcised. Circumcision is the operation in which the foreskin is removed, so uncircumcised people are more likely to have a fungal or bacterial infection such as balanitis. In such cases, dirt and bacteria are more likely to accumulate underneath the skin of the foreskin.

This disease is associated with factors such as diabetes, bacteria and germs or allergic reactions due to synthetic fibres in underwear or irritants such as bath gels, etc. 

Some of the most common symptoms of balanitis are itching, redness and swelling of the area which, in most cases, is caused by the fungus Candida Albicans.

However, in the next section you can read in more detail the causes of male genital balanitis.

Balanitis is a disease that affects the glans, that is, the head of the penis. It usually appears in men who have not been circumcised and have poor intimate hygiene. The skin of the foreskin that covers the glans keeps the area moist and makes the growth of fungi and bacteria more likely.

However, there are many reasons why balanitis occurs, the most prominent being the following:

• Poor hygiene. As we said, poor hygiene contributes to the appearance of balanitis in men who have not been circumcised.
• Infections. Applying strong soaps or not rinsing the soap properly when bathing can cause balanitis.
• Uncircumcised men. Dirt can build up between the skin of the foreskin and there is a greater risk of bacteria spreading due to moisture.
• Allergies. Chemicals such as aromatic gels, synthetic fibres or the fabric of underwear can cause an allergic reaction on the skin and lead to balanitis.
• Diabetes. Diabetic men are more likely to get this disease because their disease makes them more prone to infections.
• Phimosis. This disease involves the difficulty of retracting the skin from the foreskin, that is, the skin that covers the glans. Therefore, the smegma, which is a whitish substance, is deposited and accumulates between the foreskin and glans leading to infections and bad odour in the penis. Because of the inability to retract the skin, cleaning the area is a complicated and even impossible task.
• Lichen sclerosis. It is a skin disorder, at an inflammatory level and of chronic evolution that affects the genital area. The sclerotic and atrophic lichen causes episodes of balanitis, which may cause phimosis.

Risk factors

Sometimes, balanitis can occur due to certain factors, such as:

Phimosis increases the risk of balanitis

• Poor hygiene. Phimosis is related to this factor, as inability to retract the foreskin, it can be difficult to wash the skin underneath. In these cases, a whitish substance accumulates, giving rise to the proliferation of bacteria and fungi.
• Healing. As you may have read, balanitis can be acute or chronic, depending on how long the disease persists. When the episodes are intermittent and repeated, it may cause scarring in the area and narrowing of the orifice of the penis.

Similarly, there are factors that help prevent balanitis.

• Maintain good intimate hygiene without perfumed products, soaps or anything else that irritates the area.
• Dry the penis after the shower to avoid moisture.
• Have good hygiene, especially after intercourse.
• Protective sex to prevent sexually transmitted infections
• Make a regular diaper change for children and infants to keep the area dry and prevent the risk of fungus and bacteria spreading.
• Monitor the glucose level, in the case of diabetics.
• Keep the foreskin clean.

It is important that as soon as the first symptoms of balanitis appear, see a urologist, or take your child to the paediatrician for an examination. In this way, the appropriate treatment will be prescribed according to the diagnosis made by the doctor.

Balanitis is inflammation of the glans, that is, of the head of the penis, so the most visible symptom will be redness in this area. In addition to this, balanitis involves a number of other symptoms, including:

• Bad smell
• Discharge and pus under the foreskin
• Red rash on the glans
• Formation of plaques in the form of scales
• Severe itching
• Itching when urinating
• Inflammation of the foreskin
• Difficulty retracting the foreskin

Balanitis is a disease that, depending on the cause that caused it, involves a different treatment. Therefore, it is imperative that if you have any of these symptoms, you see your doctor to refer you to a dermatologist or urologist.

The diagnosis of balanitis can be made with the physical examination of the physician and knowledge of the clinical course. Therefore, your doctor will be able to ask about your symptoms and the condition you are in, as it is essential to know the exact cause in order to prescribe the right treatment.

In cases where there is discharge, the doctor will take a sample of the tip of the penis or urine to check for bacterial infection. On the other hand, when the cause is a chronic skin condition, a biopsy may be performed. 

Thus, a small piece of skin will be removed in order to analyse and determine the cause and rule out premalignant lesions. However, this is a painless test, as it will give you local anaesthesia so that you do not feel any discomfort.

As we mentioned above, balanitis can be associated with diabetes, especially in cases of recurrent balanitis. In this case, your doctor will tell you to do a blood test to check if you have diabetes. In the same way, the blood test will be used to detect the presence of a sexually transmitted infection.

With regard to treatments, the doctor may indicate good hygiene free of perfumed soaps and chemicals that irritate the skin, the intake of antibiotic drugs to combat fungal or bacterial infection, or recommend a more radical and effective treatment, such as surgery.

As it is a multi-stage disease, depending on how long it lasts, balanitis can be acute or chronic, that is, recurrent. In these cases and when pharmacological and hygienic treatment has not been effective, the doctor will require circumcision.

Circumcision is the most effective option for balanitis

Balanitis is a disease that may present with specific symptoms or, on the contrary, assume a chronic pathology that recurs over time. The cause of the disease is, in most cases, a fungal or bacterial infection. Therefore, there is a greater risk of dirt accumulating in uncircumcised men, under the skin of the foreskin.

As you may have read, when drug treatment has not worked, the specialist will resort to circumcision as the only solution. This surgery is a surgical procedure in which the skin is removed from the foreskin completely preventing infections.

Circumcision is a minor surgery, so there are rarely any complications. It is a simple operation, which is performed in 30 minutes under local anaesthesia. As this is an outpatient procedure, you will be able to return home after the circumcision is complete. 

Thus, surgery for balanitis will consist of the following:

• First, you will place yourself on a stretcher facing up, with your legs raised and raised. They'll cover you with a sheet, exposing the penis.
• Before surgery begins, the area will be washed and disinfected to apply the anaesthetic. Once this is done, circumcision will begin.
• The surgeon will cut the remaining part of the foreskin, exposing the glans.
• He will then give you the stitches that are needed.
• At the end, the area will be bandaged and you will be explained and informed of the postoperative care to take into account.

Circumcision in an outpatient surgery so, when it's done, you can go home on your own foot.

Operarme offers you a first consultation of surgical evaluation with the specialist free of charge.

Our company has the collaboration of different hospitals, distributed throughout the country, to carry out the circumcision.

If you want to know if we have this procedure available in your city to solve, completely, the problems of balanitis you can contact us at +34 91 141 33 56, and our patient service department will solve any questions regarding the services of our company in circumcision.

This first consultation is to determine if you are suitable as a candidate for circumcision, as it is not a consultation to diagnose balanitis or any disease. Therefore, it is important that you take all the tests you have done so that the specialist can make a diagnosis, in any case, surgical, more accurate.

If you want to book your surgical assessment consultation with the specialist, click on the following image: