Short frenulum: what it is, causes, symptoms and treatment

• A short preputial frenulum is an abnormality of the tissue due to its shortening, which makes it impossible to fully or partially retract the skin of the foreskin that covers the glans penis.
• It is possible to solve it by means of exercises and the application of corticoid creams. However, the definitive solution is surgery, called circumcision.
• Surgical treatment of short frenulum is a simple, quick procedure that ensures success by eliminating the annoying symptoms of frenulum shortening.

Normally, in situations where the penis is not erect, the frenulum remains hidden behind the foreskin. When the foreskin is removed, the frenulum is exposed, revealing a triangle-shaped piece of skin that extends to the opening where urine and semen are expelled.

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There are two functions of the frenulum:

• On the one hand, it protects the glans and helps to keep the foreskin in the correct position on the glans.
• On the other hand, it facilitates sexual intercourse by allowing the foreskin to move during erection.

Despite this, the frenulum can present a number of problems, including the short frenulum anomaly.

A short frenulum is a frenulum that restricts the movement of the foreskin over the glans penis and may cause pain during erection or sexual intercourse. This condition can develop due to congenital causes, infection in the area or medical problems such as phimosis.

It is possible to treat the anomaly by moving the skin and applying steroid cream to make the skin more elastic, although this anomaly is normally solved surgically. Depending on the problem, circumcision, frenuloplasty or frenectomy (short frenulum operation) may be performed.

What other types of short frenulum are there?

A short lingual frenulum (ankyloglossia) is a condition present from birth that restricts the range of movement of the tongue. It attaches the lower part of the bridge of the tongue to the base of the mouth. A person with ankyloglossia may have difficulty sticking out their tongue. It can also affect the way one eats, speaks and swallows, as well as interfere with breastfeeding.

As mentioned above, it is possible to develop a short preputial frenulum for a variety of reasons, the most common of which include the following:

• Genetics: it is simply a condition inherited congenitally from your parents, so you are born with a shortened frenulum. It may not be diagnosed until puberty or adolescence.
• Infections: as a result of having suffered an infectious disease in the genital area, it is possible to develop inflammation and changes in the tissue that forms the frenulum, so that the frenulum shortens, and the skin becomes thicker, preventing the foreskin from retracting properly.
• Rupture of the frenulum: although it is possible that the rupture is caused by a short frenulum itself, it is also possible that it is caused by injury during sexual intercourse or masturbation. If the breakage is caused by injury, the frenulum may heal incorrectly, leading to shortening and consequent problems.
• Phimosis: this is an abnormality of the skin covering the penis. This condition occurs when the foreskin is too narrow in the area of the glans penis, so that it cannot be fully or partially retracted. This abnormal growth of the preputial skin usually means that the frenulum also develops incorrectly, being shorter than normal and leading to the need for circumcision.

Although you can imagine it, there are several signs of short frenulum, but in order to make it clearer, here we explain the most common ones and what they are usually due to:

In cases of short frenulum, the frenulum may break during sexual intercourse.

• Pain can occur from the tension exerted by the shortened frenulum both during erections and from retraction of the foreskin. Even when the shortening is very pronounced, acute pain can cause impotence.
• Cracks in the skin of the foreskin, due to the shortening, the skin changes its appearance due to the forced and constant tension of the skin. It is possible that due to the cracking of the skin the tissue may also become irritated and intermittently itchy. Consult a specialist for the most appropriate treatment to stop the tissue changes.
• Bleeding can occur by injuring the shortened frenulum, i.e. by tearing it. If this happens, the bleeding is usually very heavy and prolonged, and it is necessary to visit a specialist to keep the area clean, as well as to ensure proper healing.
• Infection occurs as a result of the wound caused by the rupture or lack of proper hygiene of the penis due to the difficulty of retraction of the foreskin. This can lead to infection of the foreskin or even a general infection.
• Drooping of the head of the penis during erection. Due to the tension exerted by the short frenulum, the foreskin does not properly uncover the glans penis and the glans becomes wedged between the tissue, leading to a drooping of the head of the penis or a curved shape of the erect penis.

If you have one or more of these symptoms, the best thing to do is to see a urology specialist. In this way you will be able to have your case assessed as soon as possible and the best solution to put an end to it will be proposed.

If you are thinking of putting an end to the discomfort of a short frenulum, the most effective solution is circumcision surgery. 

You can request an immediate and free surgical assessment appointment by clicking on the following image:

Do you need short frenulum surgery?

Request a free and immediate appointment with our specialists in Urology

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You can also call at +34 91 141 33 56 where you will be attended by our patient service team and they will help you with any queries you may have about the process.

The diagnosis of a frenulum brevis is made by a medical examination, either preventively in childhood or later in adulthood.

Generally, during the medical examination, the specialist can detect abnormal development of the genital organs and the short frenulum. To do this, he will retract the foreskin without forcing. If this action is impossible or difficult to perform correctly, the shortening of the tissue can be confirmed.

He or she will also review your medical history and ask you about any symptoms or problems that cause the abnormality in terms of carrying out any daily activity normally.

Once everything has been checked and the abnormality has been assessed, the specialist will decide which is the best treatment for you, the pharmacological or surgical procedure.

Whether to resort to short frenulum surgery or circumcision depends on the particularities of each case, i.e. the discomfort caused by the abnormal development of the tissue and with it the continuous problems, such as discomfort during intercourse, in cases of skin lacerations, bleeding or infections, as well as the appearance of complications that put the genitals and their correct functioning at risk.

In most cases in which the specialist detects problems in retracting the foreskin, either because of its narrowness or because of a short frenulum, the simplest, quickest and most effective solution is surgical treatment, circumcision.

To solve the short frenulum and the problems it causes, the most commonly used option is circumcision.

In the following section you can find the different procedures that can be used to solve the problems caused by the inadequate growth of the tissue that forms the foreskin and the frenulum of the penis.

Although the problem of short frenulum is a very annoying and delicate condition, fortunately there are several solutions to solve it easily and quickly. 

Read on, you will find all the treatments that exist to eliminate the ailments and setbacks caused by a short frenulum:

Non-surgical treatments

If you do not wish to resort to surgery as a first option, there is the possibility of using exercises and steroid cream to increase the elasticity of the tissue. In very mild cases of frenulum shortening, non-surgical treatment may be able to solve the problem.

However, before opting for this treatment, you should consult a professional urologist; no one better than an expert will know which is the most suitable procedure for you.

• Stretching of the short frenulum with steroid creams: you should apply steroid cream to the area. This type of cream decreases the thickness of the tissue and makes the skin more elastic. However, when you stop applying the steroid, the skin rebuilds itself again. Keep in mind that whether or not to use steroid creams is up to you, as it is a prescription medication, so you will need to check with your doctor.
• Stretching for frenulum brevis: this consists of applying light pressure to the foreskin for at least 5 minutes twice a day, always under the advice of a Urology specialist who can advise you and adapt the exercise to your case. During the exercise, you should try to retract the skin until you feel some discomfort, but without pain. When you succeed, hold the position for about 30 seconds and pull the skin forward again, relax and repeat the exercise for 5 minutes.

While it is true that treatment with exercise and corticosteroid cream often has a favourable effect in patients with very mild frenulum shortening, urologists agree that non-surgical or pharmacological treatment does not usually work in the vast majority of cases, but only delays the time for surgery.

Surgical treatments

Among the procedures to repair the short frenulum, whatever it is, they consist of releasing the point of tension. For this, there are 3 possible solutions:

Short frenulum surgery takes about 30 minutes and is performed under local anaesthesia.

The urologist is the main person in charge of advising the patient on which of these techniques is the most appropriate for them depending on their specific case.

In all 3 procedures, local anaesthesia is used and the wound is sutured with a resorbable material.

• Circumcision: this technique involves cutting off the foreskin completely, so that the glans penis is completely uncovered.
• Frenuloplasty: this is the plastic surgery technique for repairing the frenulum. It achieves a much more aesthetic result, as it also removes the excess skin around the frenulum, as well as eliminating the frenulum.
• Frenectomy or frenulectomy: the procedure consists of the complete removal of the frenulum. Its purpose is purely functional, that is, to free the frenulum.

These procedures usually take 30 minutes on average and recovery is relatively quick, usually complete after about 4 weeks.

Thanks to phimosis surgery, there are numerous advantages in addition to the obvious ones, such as forgetting about discomfort and pain. In addition, other benefits of the surgery include:

• Improved genital hygiene. When the foreskin is removed, the accumulation of sweat, dead cells and bacteria that builds up between the foreskin and the glans disappears and does not return.
• It reduces the chances of suffering problems such as: fungus, balanitis, STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), HIV or genital herpes, but it does not make you immune so you should always use protection.

In addition, after surgery, the penis will harden more easily, as it will not be so compressed. In the same way, you will avoid discomfort and risks such as frenulum breakage, excessive tension, bleeding due to injury, among others.

The main advantage of the short frenulum operation is the elimination of discomfort.

On the other hand, circumcision does not increase or decrease sexual pleasure, it will only change your perception of sensitivity in the area.

If you are thinking of having surgery but don't know which doctor or hospital to go to, at Operarme we make things easier for you by providing a free surgical assessment consultation.

This way you can meet our Urology specialist in your city, tell him about your case, have him review your reports and medical tests, confirm that you require the intervention and together you can decide to solve the pain and the rest of the discomfort once and for all.

If you need more information about how we work or the Specialist Surgeon we work with in your city, you can contact our patient care team through our contact form, indicating your email address and phone number, as well as calling at +34 91 141 33 56 if you prefer.

Do you need short frenulum surgery?

Request a free and immediate appointment with our specialists in Urology

Make an appointment