# Foreskin Issues



## Ms. Mom (Nov 18, 2001)

Foreskin Issues
By Marilyn Milos

Sometimes the tip of the foreskin becomes red and inflamed, which can be caused by several things. Often, it is ammoniacal dermatitis, commonly known as diaper rash. When normal skin bacteria and feces react with urine, they produce ammonia, which burns the skin and causes inflammation and discomfort. Changing the baby's diapers frequently and using a barrier cream until the rash clears up both help.

The foreskin can also become red and itchy when there is an overgrowth of yeast, which is caused by bacterial imbalance. When something kills the skin's normal bacteria, yeast simply grow onto the area. So, what causes loss of normal bacteria? Antibiotics are the worst offender, killing all bacteria in the body. Then, too, bubble baths, soap or shampoo that gets on the foreskin, highly chlorinated hot tubs or swimming pools also destroy the natural balance of bacteria and yeast on the tissue.

Correcting the situation and restoring the foreskin to health is simple. Bacterial replacement therapy is easy and inexpensive. Purchase liquid Acidophilus culture from the health food store and apply it to the foreskin about six times a day (with each diaper change, at least). If the boy is old enough, have him cup his hand, pour a few teaspoons of the liquid Acidophilus culture onto the palm of his hand, and let him dip his foreskin into it and drip dry. Afterward, he should wash his hand but not his foreskin. He's putting healthy bacteria back on his skin and it will multiply quickly. His foreskin should be restored to health in two to three days.

About Marilyn Milos:
Marilyn Fayre Milos, RN, is the founder and director of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC) and coordinator of the International Symposia on Circumcision, Sexual Mutilations, and Genital Integrity.

She is the co-editor of Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy (Plenum 1997), proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium (University of Lausanne, 1996), co-editor of Male and Female Circumcision: Medical Legal and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press 1999), proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium (University of Oxford, 1998), co-editor of Understanding Circumcision: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Problem (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press 2001), proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium (University of Sydney, 2000), Flesh and Blood: Perspectives on the Problem of Circumcision in Contemporary Society (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, 2004), proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium (Georgetown University, 2002)and editor of the NOCIRC Annual Report, the NOCIRC Fall Update, and the NOCIRC Educational Series of pamphlets.

In 1988, she received the California Nurses Association's award "for her dedication and unwavering commitment to righting a wrong" and "for her work on behalf of children to raise public consciousness about America's most unnecessary surgery" and the NurseWeek Nursing Excellence Award 2001 for Patient Advocacy.

She is on the Board of Directors of In Spirit (In Support of Quadriplegics in Real Intense Times) and the Alliance for Transforming the Lives of Children www.aTLC.org, a member of APPPAH (Association of Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Sexology.

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