Everything you need to know about penile health and male intimate hygiene

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

About how often you need to conduct an independent examination of the genitals, in what situations to go to the doctor and why it is worth abandoning the poisonous blue shower gels with "frosty freshness."

Men not only in Russia, but also in many other countries do not like Rosen D. S., Rich M. The Adolescent Male. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews. Philadelphia: Hanley & Belfus Physicians. According to Adolescent male health statistics, after being examined by doctors in childhood, the next time men come to them at the age of 50 with a serious illness.

They especially do not favor urologists and andrologists. But the penis is as unique an organ as the vagina, and requires just as much care and much more care and attention in matters of hygiene.

We turned to the comments of Dr. Darius Paduch, urologist and sexologist at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York, and spoke with Daria Chernysheva, urologist at the City Center for Endoscopic Urology and New Technologies in St. Petersburg, a member of the European Urological Association, to understand how to properly care for the penis, how often to go to the doctor and what diseases to watch out for.

1. Self-examination is really useful

Dr. Chernysheva believes that an independent examination of the penis and scrotum should be carried out from the very beginning of puberty.

This is an element of the boy's acquaintance with his body, but this procedure also has a medical meaning - early detection of a testicular tumor, which, unfortunately, is most common in young men 18-30 years old.

Daria Chernysheva.

To get the most out of self-examination, Chernysheva advises to do it regularly. In addition, a person must have a concept of "norms" in order to determine deviations.

If a teenager began to examine himself at the age of 13, then by the age of 18 he will be able to determine the changes: everything was smooth and even, and then some kind of lump appeared, so you need to pay attention to this.

Daria Chernysheva.

It is most hygienic to do this in the shower at least once a month.

2. Wash your penis as often as possible, but with plain water

Doctors advise washing the penis with plain warm water twice a day. It is especially important to monitor the area under the foreskin, as smegma is actively accumulating there - a greasy discharge, a natural lubricant that ensures that the foreskin can slide properly over the head.

At first, it is whitish in color and odorless. If not washed off, after a few days the color changes to gray-green and smegma begins to smell. The place itself becomes a convenient breeding ground for infections. One of them - balanitis, an inflammation of the head often caused by smegma accumulation - can be very painful.

It's amazing how many men ignore the area under the foreskin. Not only does [lack of hygiene] regularly lead to complications, it is also very unpleasant for a sexual partner.

Patrick French is a sexual health consultant.

So before washing, you need to pull the foreskin to the end to see the entire head of the penis and wash it.

However, you should be more careful with the foreskin of a boy until adolescence. Do not try to forcefully pull the foreskin as it can be painful and harmful. The foreskin can still be attached to the head of the penis and therefore will not move completely. At this stage of the boy's development, there is no need to brush in this place.

3. Yes, you need to wash after sex and masturbation

Unlike the vagina, the penis does not know how to cleanse itself; it will have to be helped. And if the owner of the vagina after sex does not have any fluids inside, the acidic environment will deal with them, then the remnants of any fluid must be washed off from the penis. Because, according to Dr. Padukh, if they dry on the skin, it will lead to a very rapid growth of bacteria.

In real life, it is difficult to imagine a situation in which a man immediately runs to wash after sex, but Dr. Padukh claims that the best option is a period of 10-15 minutes after sex.

In extreme cases, you will definitely need to wash before going to bed or use a baby wet wipe without fragrances.

Dr. Padukh adds that it is especially important for uncircumcised men to pay attention to the cleanliness under the foreskin after masturbation and emission, as dried sperm between skin areas is also ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply.

4. Be careful with soap

The penis is still a very delicate place that requires careful maintenance. Daria Chernysheva says that it is possible to use soap, but in this case it is necessary to wash it off very carefully: “It is especially important to monitor this if the man is uncircumcised. Soap is essentially alkaline, and if it gets on the delicate skin and mucous membrane under the foreskin and remains there, this can lead to the development of phimosis (A condition in which exposure of the glans penis is painful or impossible due to narrowing of the foreskin. - Ed.).

Dr. Padukh also recommends using a simple soap with a minimum of ingredients. As with feminine hygiene, you don't need antibacterial soap either.

5. Be careful with bright blue shower gels too

Russian stores offer men a fairly limited number of shower gels - masculine options with "frosty freshness" or menthol. After all, no one should doubt the masculinity of a man who washes his hair, face and penis with one gel. But for the sake of your penis, buy a separate product for it.

The use of shower gels with specific scents, bright blue color and menthol fragrances, of course, is not encouraged. This can cause both allergic reactions and intolerance to some components. Therefore, it is advisable to cope with ordinary, fragrance-free soap and warm water.

Daria Chernysheva.

Pay attention to any irritation, blemishes, or discoloration of the skin on your penis. This could be a sign that your personal care product isn't right for you, or an infection.

Try washing your penis with only water for several days, and if irritation persists, see your doctor.

6. Don't use flavored talcum powder

The genitals should not smell like flowers. Genitals washed in time with water do not stink. Stop torturing your penis and vagina with perfume, powders and fragrances. Daria Chernysheva says that this has just become popular among men: “The use of deodorants for the genital area and special scented powders has become fashionable now. Of course, urologists do not support this, because it clogs the pores and contributes to the accumulation of talc under the foreskin. These are all annoying external factors and can contribute to the growth of bacteria."

7. It is not recommended to leave the penis wet after washing

Urologists advise you to wipe your penis thoroughly. Excessive moisture contributes to the development of candidiasis and, in general, increased bacterial growth in the area under the foreskin.

However, it is important not to forget that the skin in this area is delicate, so there is no need to rub the penis until it turns red. Optimally - just blot the penis with a towel and close the foreskin.

8. Do not forget about the testicles and pubic area

At the base of the penis and testicles, where sweat and hair combine, the odor can be as strong as under the armpits, so these areas need frequent washing. Especially if they were in tight clothing for most of the day. Make sure the area between the base of the testicles and the anus is clean as well.

And it's a good idea to check your testicles for swelling and swelling. It is worth doing this once a month after a warm bath or shower.

9. Do not stick your penis in places that are not intended for this

If you want to diversify your sex life, there are sex toys, devices sold in sex shops. But there is a certain category of men who stick their penis into objects that are not suitable for this. And this, to put it mildly, is harmful to the health of the penis.

Daria Chernysheva.

Also, do not forget to wash sex toys with soap after use and dry thoroughly.

10. Protect yourself

The urologist Daria Chernysheva recommends the constant use of condoms during sexual intercourse with new partners or those partners for whom you have not seen the results of the analysis for sexually transmitted infections: "Moreover, these results should be fresh and, ideally, not one-time, but with an interval of at least three months." …

Regular personal hygiene can reduce your risk of contracting HIV and other STDs. However, a balance must be struck here, as too thorough washing and frequent exposure to harsh detergents can damage the skin of the penis, and this, in turn, will facilitate the penetration of bacteria and viruses, including STDs.

Remember that any skin ulcer, skin scratching, and poor penis hygiene can increase the risk of HIV transmission.

11. Go for preventive check-ups

A teenager should go to the doctor without complaints at the age of 13-14

“In Russia, everything is organized in such a way that before the start of the school year, schoolchildren should be examined, among other things, by a urologist. But it is difficult to say how this program is implemented: as a rule, the urologist is combined with the surgeon. In Europe and America, this function is entrusted to a pediatrician, who annually observes the child and can assess, among other things, his sexual development. Our pediatricians simply have no time for this,”says Daria Chernysheva.

So, if the school examination seemed useless, there were questions or there was no examination at all, the teenager should see the urologist himself.

If a delay in puberty is suspected, according to Chernysheva, no symptoms can be considered in isolation. It is worth looking at the development of secondary sexual characteristics, checking whether sex hormones are released and whether they reach their destination: “You need to monitor whether signs of hair growth on the face and body have appeared, whether the voice has changed, whether there is a growth spurt. Just touching a teenager's scrotum and checking if his testicles have grown is somehow one-sided."

In general, the norms of sexual development differ even from region to region, so it is somewhat incorrect to compare the norms of boys in America and boys in Buryatia. It is believed that one should really sound the alarm if by the age of 20 the signs of puberty have not appeared.

Daria Chernysheva.

But with early sexual development, parents should take the child to a urologist and endocrinologist. Early maturation in boys is considered to be that which begins before the age of nine. So the signs of hair growth and a growth spurt in seven years should be alarming.

Adult men should go for a checkup once a year

According to Chernysheva, there are no norms in Russia, how often a young man who has no complaints should visit a urologist: once a year. This, of course, should vary depending on whether he is in a monogamous relationship or not, but, as a rule, it should be checked once a year."

Dr. Evgeny Grekov, andrologist, urologist, head of the urology department of Professor Kalinchenko's Clinic, also spoke about the need for regular examinations for men, since, according to him, in Russia, serious pathologies are detected for the first time only during a medical examination in the army.

One of the common pathologies, he calls microgenitalia caused by Kalman's syndrome or Klinefelter's syndrome. In these diseases, the penis does not develop: it does not grow and cannot fulfill its functions.

According to Grekov, with early diagnosis, this can be completely cured with hormonal therapy, in the future, treatment is already more difficult.

12. Be sure to consult a doctor if you have complaints

If there are complaints, the visit to the doctor should not be postponed in any case. Daria Chernysheva recommends going to the doctor with the slightest doubt, since cancer, such as a testicular tumor, develops rapidly and very aggressively. She adds that the treatment is very effective if it is applied in the early stages, so an independent examination and a timely visit to the doctor are really very important here.

13. Problems with potency can save a man's life

Any violation in the sexual sphere is always a complex problem. As a rule, they signal endocrinological and vascular diseases that cannot be dealt with on their own.

Daria Chernysheva adds: “It is important to understand that going to the doctor requires any discomfort in sexual activity: premature ejaculation, too short sexual intercourse. These problems can be effectively resolved, which will significantly improve the patient's quality of life if he seeks a doctor in a timely manner. In addition, it has been found that erectile dysfunction can be an early sign of heart and vascular problems. Studies have shown that signs of impaired potency appear 2-3 years earlier than signs of coronary heart disease, and 3-5 years earlier than the possible development of myocardial infarction.

Therefore, early detection of sexual dysfunction can, roughly speaking, save a man's life. This is a reason to see a doctor. This is a reason to undergo an extended examination, take blood tests, do an EKG and, possibly, an EchoCG if indicated, to be checked for signs of coronary heart disease.

Daria Chernysheva.