Urinary and Genital Disorders (Children)

My two year old son has an inverted penis

10/05/2006 03:58PM

Question:

I am alittle worried about my two year old son who has been curcumsied. His penis goes back into his skin when he is relaxed and often is very red around the head. Sometimes the head of the penis is purple and I am very worried as I am not sure if this is a problem. I asked the health visitor when he was about a year old and he said that it will push out as he get older as the penis gets bigger but it hasn`t. Can this be corrected because it does not look normal at all. When he has a bath with his older brother who is five he oftens laughs at him as he thinks it is funny that he hasn`t got penis but he has it`s just you can`t see it. I don`t want him to be a joke and am very worried it may be more serious than that. If you can imagine an ariel on a radio you pull out and then push it all the way back in, that`s the best way I can describe it. Please help as I would like to get it corrected while he is still young and unware of his problem.

Answer:

It is very common for boys to have a penis that is retracted into the fat and skin over the pubic bone. This typically resolves when the child is older and starts to go through puberty, by this time the baby fat is gone, and the penis starts to grow.

There is an increased risk of infections and complications if one tries surgery, and it is usually best to leave things alone unless the child were to have recurrent infections.

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Response by:

Rama Jayanthi, MD
Pediatric Urologist
Section of Pediatric Urology
Nationwide Children's Hospital
The Ohio State University