&lt;h1 class=&quot;legacy&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;lsquo;HOW DO I CLEAN MY PENIS?&amp;rsquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Growing up, no one ever gave me the rundown on how or what I should do to keep my penis clean [&amp;hellip;] I&amp;rsquo;ve never read any reliable answer beyond washing it with water. Do I use soap? Any soap? How normal is smegma? If my penis gets itchy from smegma should I go see a doctor? If so, my GP or a urologist? &amp;mdash; Anonymous&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KEY POINTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;clean under the foreskin, using soap, but not too much&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;smegma is normal&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;if you have any concerns, see your GP.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s a shame some people think talking about cleaning and caring for our genitals is embarrassing or taboo. We probably know more about hair care than penis care.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;The penis is simply another part of our anatomy, so cleaning should be relatively straightforward.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If you&amp;rsquo;ve been circumcised, where your foreskin was removed soon after birth, your penis will look something like the one in the diagram (below, right), with the head (or glans) always exposed. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pulse-clinic.com/circumcision-thailand&quot;&gt;Circimcision&lt;/a&gt; makes the cleaning easier.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;But if you have a foreskin (below left and centre), there are some extra things to consider when washing, which we&amp;rsquo;ll get to soon.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FORESKIN FACTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;But first, some foreskin facts. From around the time, you turn five, your foreskin&amp;nbsp;separates&amp;nbsp;from the head of your penis, bit by bit. This allows you to pull back your foreskin (retract it). In some boys, the foreskin can stay partially stuck to the head of the penis until puberty.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;You should&amp;nbsp;never forcibly pull back&amp;nbsp;your foreskin. That&amp;rsquo;ll be painful, you could bleed, you could scar, or have other complications.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OK, NOW FOR THE WASHING PART&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Once your foreskin separates easily from the glans, gently retract and clean underneath the foreskin with each bath or shower. Then, after washing, pull the foreskin forward to its normal position.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gently wash the penis with warm water each day when you&#39;re having a shower or bath.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If you have a foreskin, pull it back gently and wash it underneath.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;When it&amp;rsquo;s time to dry off, retract the foreskin again so you can dry the head of the penis with a towel. Then, you guessed it, pull the foreskin forward to its normal position.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s OK to clean with soap whether you have a foreskin or not. But generally, too much soap is worse than none at all. Excessive cleaning removes essential body oils that would normally keep our skin moist and reduce friction. If you have sensitive skin, you can use a soap-free wash from the chemist.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHAT ABOUT SMEGMA?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Smegma&amp;nbsp;is a thick, whitish discharge consisting of a build-up of dead skin cells, oil and other fluids under the foreskin. And it&amp;rsquo;s very useful. It protects and lubricates the penis.&amp;nbsp;Smegma is a natural lubricant that keeps the penis moist. It&#39;s found on the head of the penis and under the foreskin.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Some people have oilier skin than others and&amp;nbsp;tend to have more smegma.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;So some smegma is normal, but if you have too much or it becomes smelly, you may need to clean more.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If you don&#39;t wash underneath the foreskin correctly, a cheesy-looking substance called smegma may begin to gather.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If smegma builds up in the foreskin, it can start to smell, stop you from easily pulling your foreskin back, and become a breeding ground for bacteria. This can cause redness and swelling of the head of your penis, called&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pulse-clinic.com.sg/balanitis&quot;&gt;balanitis&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;AVOID GETTING A SORE PENIS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Washing your penis too much with soap and shower gels can cause soreness. To wash your penis once a day with warm water&amp;nbsp;and then dry it gently is enough to maintain good hygiene.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If you want to use soap, choose&amp;nbsp;a mild or non-perfumed soap to reduce the risk of skin irritation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;It may be tempting to use talc and deodorants on your penis, but these are best avoided as they may cause irritation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR (AND WHEN TO SEE YOUR GP)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If the head of your penis becomes painful, red, itchy and has a discharge, you may have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pulse-clinic.com.hk/balanitis&quot;&gt;treatable condition called&amp;nbsp;balanitis&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s more common if you have a foreskin. And the bacteria and fungus that cause it like the warm and moist conditions under there.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Skin disorders, infection, poor hygiene, friction from sexual activity, and using too much soap all&amp;nbsp;cause the condition.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;You can clear a mild case with good hygiene and simple treatments, such as an antiseptic or anti-fungal cream. You can buy these from any pharmacy. In addition to the medication, the cream itself helps protect and moisturize the inflamed skin.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If you have balanitis you may need to be more careful than usual to avoid urine irritating your inflamed skin. Retract your foreskin when you urinate. Dry the head of the penis gently after you finish.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If your penis is still inflamed after a week of these simple measures it&amp;rsquo;s&amp;nbsp;best to see your GP. They can then investigate other causes, such as&amp;nbsp;psoriasis or an allergy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TESTICLES AND PUBIC AREA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Don&#39;t&amp;nbsp;forget to clean&amp;nbsp;the base of the penis and the testicles. Sweat and hair can combine to produce a strong smell, just as unpleasant as under your armpits.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;These areas need frequent washing&amp;nbsp;to stop sweat from accumulating, especially&amp;nbsp;as they are enclosed&amp;nbsp;in underwear for most of the day.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Make sure the area between the base of the testicles and the anus is also clean and odour-free.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Look out for any unusual lumps or swellings in your testicles that weren&#39;t there before.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR PENIS PROPERLY

RELATED SERVICES