Balanoposthitis, as the name implies, is an infection of the glans and foreskin of a child. It usually occurs in children who have not been circumcised, while children whose foreskin has been “cut off” usually do not get inflamed. What are the symptoms of glans and foreskin infection? In mild cases, the opening of the foreskin on the head of the penis will be red; in more severe cases, the entire penis will be red and swollen; some children will have a discharge (usually milky white) from the opening of the foreskin. Older children will say “itchy penis”, “painful penis”, “painful urine”, and even refuse to urinate or cannot urinate. Infants can’t speak, and when the inflammation of the glans foreskin is strong, it will make them cry and quarrel. The most severe cases can cause redness and swelling in the groin area, rash and swollen lymph nodes. The serious parents must be “asking questions” again: why exactly my son’s penis is inflamed? What am I doing wrong and what can I do about it? The actual fact is that you will be able to find out more about the actual reason why your son’s penis is inflamed. The reason: Inadequate cleaning. The actual fact is that you can find a lot of people who are not able to get a good deal on their own. Cross-infection. Family members with eczema and fungal infections can easily contaminate children’s clothing, bed sheets, toys, etc., especially small underwear, which can cause inflammation of the penis. There are recent bacterial infections in other parts of the body that can easily secondary cause chicks infections, such as diaper rash, eczema, pharyngitis, diarrhea, arthritis, etc. Traumatic. Violent exposure of the foreskin makes it damaged and thus susceptible to infection; other traumatic injuries to the foreskin also tend to induce infection. Contact with irritating objects, such as excessive washing of the penis with soap. Children have other systemic diseases that can cause the penis to become inflamed, such as diabetes (yes, children have diabetes too). Other causes, such as pedophilia adults “playing” with children’s penises, adolescent boys allergic to condoms and unclean sex, etc. Treatment: Clean the penis properly. Properly turn up the foreskin to clean the dirt between the foreskin and the glans. For boys with small foreskin openings, avoid violently turning up the foreskin. Soak in disinfectant solution. Generally use boric acid powder 3% (diluted in warm water) and soak the penis for 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times a day. Parents who cannot get disinfectant solution in time can temporarily use warm salt water (a little salt in warm boiling water) instead. Antibiotic ointment is applied to the foreskin opening. Usually use erythromycin ointment or Bactrim ointment. Avoid contact with irritating objects and keep clothing clean and decontaminated. If there are other related diseases, they should be treated at the same time. After the above reasonable treatment, the inflammation can generally subside in 5-7 days. After the inflammation subsides, the habit of reasonable cleaning should be continued. If the inflammation recurs, circumcision is recommended (best age 3-9 weeks). If the inflammation persists, a prompt visit to the urology clinic should be made for targeted treatment with oral antibiotics. Tips Children with typical prepuce and small foreskin opening can come to the clinic to dilate the foreskin opening with “Ekolda” or use topical hormones to dilate the foreskin opening. What is “prepuce”? When children with prepuce urinate, the foreskin bulges and urine accumulates in the foreskin sac, often stimulating the foreskin and glans, causing it to produce secretions and epidermis to fall off, forming prepuce. The gathered foreskin scale is milky tofu-like and can occasionally be discharged from the foreskin mouth; some foreskin scale can form the size of a green bean and accumulate in the coronal groove of the glans, which can be seen through the foreskin as a small white lump, often mistaken by parents as a “swelling”.