Penile Hygiene

yawha

What's yours like?

I got the idea for this thread from a thread on the A&A forum about routine infant circumcision. Claims are sometimes made that circumcised penises are "cleaner", but personally, I think this is just down to uncircumcised men not washing the area frequently enough or properly.

I don't think many boys are taught anything about penile hygiene when growing up, and I have a hypothesis that a lot of men would have very poor hygiene in the area, particularly those of us who are uncircumcised.

At about 14, I kinda figured out on my own and with the help of the internet that the foreskin loosens and gains the ability to retract, generally just before or during puberty, and that I should retract it and wash the area every day. I was never told this by anyone though, and I think there's a good chance it could just have not occurred to me to do so.

So...

What were you taught about penile hygiene?
Were you taught about foreskin retraction, washing under the foreskin etc.?
Would you currently wash the area, especially under the foreskin every day?

Galvasean

Just wash it every time you shower. Think of it like your armpits*. You wash under there all the time so why not the foreskin? I mean when you think about it, it's inherintly one of the most prone to dirt areas of the body considering it's functions.

*Note: I am not suggesting spraying deoderant on one's member.

kfallon

Pull it back and wash it every day in the shower!

Well if you were having a lady over you wouldn't expect her to eat off a dirty plate would you???

parker kent

Why would anybody NOT pull back the foreskin and wash?

Fair enough a 14 year old may not, but surely you'll quickly learn?

Deedsie

kfallon wrote: »

Pull it back and wash it every day in the shower!

Well if you were having a lady over you wouldn't expect her to eat off a dirty plate would you???

Ha Ha

homerun_homer

parker kent wrote: »

Why would anybody NOT pull back the foreskin and wash?

My thoughts exactly - I'm stunned that it wouldn't occur to anyone to wash under there. It's all kinds of wrong and it would be obvious in no time that something's amiss.

DazMarz

I genuinely think that most boys are not told this by their parents at all, as it is a touchy/sensitive/'embarrassing' area and so on. But today with the internet and stuff, hopefully more lads are cleaning their lads a bit better!

Always in the shower, roll it back and keep it clean! Aside from the health implications... the smell alone should be enough encouragement for all uncircumcised men to clean under their foreskin while they're in the shower.

Galvasean

DazMarz wrote: »

I genuinely think that most boys are not told this by their parents at all, as it is a touchy/sensitive/'embarrassing' area and so on. But today with the internet and stuff, hopefully more lads are cleaning their lads a bit better!

Never been told about this. Figured it out though. I assume most are of similar experience. Chalk it down to another case where the Irish mentality has us afraid to discuss our 'private parts'. In fact, I think the very term 'private parts' is very detrimental to men's health in general. It implies that you shouldn't speak of such things.

suey71

Mine is self cleansing:cool:.

Just kidding, though i used to date a girl who told me she wouldn't wash down there because she was told by her mother that the vagina is self cleansing. Needless to say the relationship didn't last long.
Girls need to be properly educated in these matters too.

Bottle_of_Smoke

suey71 wrote: »

Mine is self cleansing:cool:.

Just kidding, though i used to date a girl who told me she wouldn't wash down there because she was told by her mother that the vagina is self cleansing. Needless to say the relationship didn't last long.
Girls need to be properly educated in these matters too.

The inside of a vagina is self cleaning. The mother didn't mean don't wash the outside.

On topic, figured out myself but later than I should have. I think the problem is the foreskin is quite painful to pull back at first; at first I could only do it whilst having a bath - a lot of boys just wouldn't do it.

I think it is something parents should tell their male kids to do.

suey71

I understand that, but the labia was dirty. I think she took her mam's advice a little too far.

Back on topic, I wash mine every day.

Joey the lips

Was never thought anything and honestly use to feel ashamed to handle that general area as a young lad however now it gets a good wash and wax regular,

I agree i dont think its though and TBH it should be.

TangyZizzle

I was never ever told about this. I remember the day I discovered that I could roll it back - finally, my foreskin didnt get in the way and piss didnt go everywhere ..and coincidentally I also remember pulling it back as far as it could go and experiencing absolute agony.

Of course I did as all lads do.. I played with my lad and found that it had an odour, so I started scrubbin.

It should definitely be taught and I think now it is. Only a few weeks ago my little brother came home from school armed with new knowledge - he had his sex ed. But what he couldnt get over, is that you have to wash your mickey - This was just alien to him. Gas.

Lukker-

My parents were pretty graphic in their explanation of self cleansing so I never had a problem but I've heard a horror story in school about 16 year old lad cleaning it for the first time..

Probably could sell as expensive cheese.

TangyZizzle

16? How is that possible? Surely he'd have been tugging himself off for at least a year prior to that. I'd say the smell was stomach turning..

Sonics2k

kfallon wrote: »

Pull it back and wash it every day in the shower!

Well if you were having a lady over you wouldn't expect her to eat off a dirty plate would you???

Funnily enough, this is basically the advice my mother taught me when I was a child.

It was basically the advice of "No-ones going to touch you if you're dirty".

I plan on teaching my son the same advice ^^

parker kent

We were taught in primary school to wash properly when we have sex ed in 5th and 6th class. Didn't realise this was such a unusual thing to be taught in school.

Guess we just had a good teacher. Must thank him whenever I see him again :pac:

nkay1985

Why would you have to be taught? :eek:

You wash everywhere so how could someone not extend that logic to their extendable friend?

kwalshe

i remember my mam telling me when i was young enough to wash down there. She told me that i should wash down there , as you know...... Your grandad got cancer from not doing it.....

minidazzler

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

The inside of a vagina is self cleaning. The mother didn't mean don't wash the outside.

On topic, figured out myself but later than I should have. I think the problem is the foreskin is quite painful to pull back at first; at first I could only do it whilst having a bath - a lot of boys just wouldn't do it.

I think it is something parents should tell their male kids to do.

I was basically the same til I figured out something wasn't quite right. Noone ever told me the foreskin actually comes back and is supposed to, I was like 17 watching internet porn when I figured it out, and by then I had to actually stretch the skin to get it to come back.

SugarHigh

minidazzler wrote: »

I was basically the same til I figured out something wasn't quite right. Noone ever told me the foreskin actually comes back and is supposed to, I was like 17 watching internet porn when I figured it out, and by then I had to actually stretch the skin to get it to come back.

Not to get too graphic but how did you masturbate? Did your foreskin not retract when erect?

suey71

To all the guys that cant pull their Fskin back, How do you clean under it???

Lukker-

suey71 wrote: »

To all the guys that cant pull their Fskin back, How do you clean under it???

Thats called phimosis or something, prob would have to see a doctor and possibly get cut.

LegacyUser

Was circumcised when I was younger because i could not pull it back to clean under. Years later did an STD test as part of a mediacl and the nurse mentioned that generally being circumcised gives you a slightly better chance of avoiding certain stds because alot of the time men contract something from oral sex like chlamydia and the germs stay alive under the unwashed foreskin and gradually surround around the tip