What's going on when there's white stuff on a child's glans?

The physical health of children is a matter of great concern to parents, but the physiological hygiene and health of children are easily overlooked by parents. For example, families with boys often have genital hygiene problems, which makes parents very worried. Among them, the presence of white stuff on the glans of children is a relatively common phenomenon, which has a greater impact on genital hygiene. Let’s take a look at what’s going on when there is white stuff on the glans of children?

When the penis or foreskin is too long, the secretions of the sebaceous glands in the foreskin cannot be discharged, and smelly smegma gradually forms. Handling smegma is very dangerous, so be extremely careful. In fact, the mechanism of smegma formation in children is similar to that in adults. Therefore, the methods of treating smegma are also similar. The following is a detailed answer from experts for patients' reference.

Andrology experts point out that most children have smegma. As long as there is no infection there will be no smell. If the foreskin opening is relatively large, the glans can turn outward on its own during puberty and surgery is not necessary. If the foreskin opening is relatively small, a circumcision must be performed, otherwise it will affect the normal development of the child's genitals. Generally, local anesthesia is sufficient. The treatment of phimosis and foreskin adhesion can be performed at various ages of children, such as neonates and infancy (1 year old), early childhood (1-3 years old), preschool age (3-7 years old), and school age (7-15 years old).

For example, some babies have no urine for two or three days after birth, and the outer opening of the phimosis is like a pinhole, accompanied by lipid-like dirt. The smegma in children is removed after the phimosis expands, and urination is smooth after flushing. Some children also develop smegma due to phimosis, forming one or more nodules under the skin of the glans penis, which are soft or hard, with no local redness, swelling or exudation. During urination, the foreskin cavity is filled like a ball, and the smegma can be expanded, separated and peeled off. After removing the smegma, sometimes the glans penis can be seen to be pale and uneven where the smegma is pressed, and the development of the glans is often restricted. At the same time, urine will seep into this gap and react chemically with the sebum to become smegma, which produces a terrible odor.

<<: What should I do if my child keeps having fever?

>>: What’s wrong with a one-year-old child’s overbite?