Does my swollen, red urethral opening need attention?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 25-year-old uncircumcised male. My condition is not disturbing my life, but for the sake of clarity, it would be nice to consult for a primary opinion on whether it is necessary to physically visit a urologist. I had a minor yeast infection a few months back. While clearing them off, I just found out for the first time in my life that I had a partial phimosis.

For the past few weeks, I tried doing retraction exercises, and now I can easily retract my foreskin to view the whole glans and clear off the excessive smegma. The smegma softens after a period of time and gets less every time I shower for the past few weeks. However, I am a bit troubled by the fact that the bottom end of my urethral opening appears swollen.

Previously, when I was not able to retract my foreskin, the appearance was like a small red bump. Upon revealing the whole glans, I see that it is a red part of the penile opening, and it is like a straight line of red skin from the bottom end of the urethral opening until the end of the glans. When I raised this issue with my GP, who treated my fungal infection, he said it was probably a birth variation or minor inflammation.

I told him (from what I recall), I had always had this since probably my teenage years or even younger. It does not concern me, but I just want to be more informed about my own well-being. I have not been sexually active and just very recently solved my phimosis.

Could it have been caused by the residual urine on my penile tip, since I am uncircumcised? Does this condition require serious medical attention?

Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com,

I understand your concern.

I think the red line you are referring to is nothing but the frenulum. It is a normal structure, and since you do not have any symptoms attributable to it, I really do not think that you need to see a urologist in person. It would add better clarity if you could attach a photo of your penis showing the lesion.

Kind regards.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I just saw all the photos you have attached (attachment removed to protect patient identity). As I pointed out earlier, it is nothing but a normal anatomical structure, the frenulum. To me, it looks like you have had a frenular tear, and it has healed well.

So, there is absolutely no necessity to see any urologist as of now. In case you get pain in that area during an erection in the future, which is very rare, you may need to consult a urologist for a physical evaluation.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.