When Is Phimosis an Emergency?

Boys who have been toilet-trained and cannot retract the foreskin themselves without discomfort may have some element of phimosis. Phimosis is not an urgent condition unless there is associated pain, infection, ballooning of the foreskin when urinating or painful urination.

When should I worry about phimosis?

If phimosis interferes with healthy erections or urination, or if there are other symptoms, your son should see a doctor. Recurrent infections of the glans or foreskin should also be evaluated by a doctor. Signs of an infection may include: changes in the color of the glans or foreskin.

Should I go to the ER for phimosis?

Emergency Department Care. Patients with phimosis rarely require any emergency intervention and should be referred to a urologist on an outpatient basis prior to development of irreversible penile damage. A paraphimosis is a urologic emergency and needs to be attended to immediately.