Foreskin Stuck in Retracted Position

Q. My boyfriend is uncircumcised. Recently half of his penis came out of the uncircumcised area. Now the head is out, and right after the head there is an extra piece of flesh that looks like a ring. He says it hurts from that “ring” to the front of the head. What is happening? Is he still uncircumcised

A. This is a common problem for uncircumcised men. We refer to it as paraphimosis. You see what happens when the foreskin is pulled back behind the head of the penis (the glans) — it can get stuck there in the tight ring in the skin. In fact, every time the man has an erection and the skin is pulled back below the glans, it must be physically returned to its normal position. Sometimes when it is stuck behind the glans and not returned, the result can be severe inflammation (swelling) of the glans. If the foreskin is left retracted too long, it can become an emergency that requires surgery to put it back in place. I would suggest he seek medical attention as soon as possible.