The foreskin, or prepuce, of an infant or young child is typically fused to the head of the penis by a shared membrane. Additionally, the sphincter-like muscle within a child's foreskin protects against entry of pathogens and irritants, while allowing urine to pass. [7] This is what current science refers to as “physiologic phimosis” — the healthy, normal, nothing-to-worry-about kind.

The average age at which this membrane has finished separating, and the foreskin tissue has become more elastic to allow for retraction, is 10 years of age, with a wide range of normal. [8,9,10] Sometimes a toddler can have retractable foreskin, and sometimes a teenager nearing completion of puberty can have non-retractable foreskin — both occurrences are normal. Unfortunately, the older a child gets with what’s termed “physiologic phimosis,” the more likely he is to be on the receiving end of a “diagnosis.”

Which brings us to one last definition…

Diagnose: to recognize (as a disease) by signs and symptoms

Is it appropriate to “diagnose” a a child with physiologic phimosis, if this is a natural state rather than a disease? We might argue that it is not appropriate to do so, particularly since doctors often refer children to specialists for this developmentally normal state of non-retractability, or suggest treatments ranging from steroid creams and stretching exercises to cutting off the foreskin.

But since the phrase “physiologic phimosis” isn’t disappearing from medical literature anytime soon, parents and providers alike need to be aware that it just means normal kid penis. We encourage you to bring this issue of definitions up if you do hear the word “phimosis” during a doctor’s appointment — the resultant discussion may plant a seed of understanding, or you may determine that this doctor is not a good fit for your family.