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Head or Foreskin Penis Cuts Causes and Cures

June 27, 2018

Penis cut is a situation where the penis tears, either after sex, due to an injury, or due to infections. Obviously, this is one of the worst things that can happen to your penis. Have you ever been a victim of this?

These cuts occur in the following parts:

  • The foreskin
  • Penis head or tip
  • Frenulum

In terms of prevalence, it is estimated that one in every three people have suffered from a kind of penis tear or cut. Therefore, it is a common problem that cannot be ignored. Besides affecting your self-esteem, it is a serious health concern to sexually active people.

In most cases, some people find it hard to tell their spouses or doctors that they are having cuts on the penis. However, no matter how small it appears, should be handled with great caution and given a chance to heal once the cause is known.

You will all agree that the penis is a very sensitive organ. This explains why even a small cut would be a real bother for many men. Therefore, having the right information concerning this condition is very important.

Where would penis cuts come from?

Are you having a penis cut, either on the tip, head, or frenulum? Where did this come from? Contrary to believes by many people, the cut may not be because of sexual intercourse. According to, they are attributed to many factors.

Some of the common causes of penis cuts include:

Excessive friction during sex

This is the main cause. Generation of excess friction during sex results in friction burn besides some cuts or tears.

Cases resulting from sex is generally attributed to the following factors:

  1. Reduced lubrication. This mainly occurs when the female partner is not ready. This means that there is limited lubrication fluid, thus increased friction.
  2. Women with extremely small vaginas. In such cases, sexual pleasure is high but the penile head might be injured in the process.
  3. Men with extremely big penises. Due to increased thickness, there is excess friction between it and the vagina walls.
  4. Deep penetration. This may result in an injury if it involves women with small vagina and men with a huge penis.

Yeast and other infections

Every gynecologist will tell you that male reproductive organs are highly susceptible to yeast infections. Yeast infections will mainly infect the testicles or the penis, especially the tip and head.

If you are having a yeast infection on the penis, then it is infected by a fungus commonly known as candida. According to, these yeast infections are sexually transmitted, especially when one engages in unprotected sex.

Penile yeast infection comes along with the following symptoms besides experiencing a cut on the penis:

  • Some pain that worsens during intercourse
  • The affected area gets severely red
  • Excessive itching
  • Having a burning feeling around the affected part

Cut on frenulum

You all know what frenulum is. This is the most sensitive part of the penis as far as cuts are concerned. The frenulum is an elastic tissue that connects the foreskin to the vernal mucosa and the shaft. In case of an injury or yeast infection, frenulum may have tears.

Many men have fallen victim to frenulum injury. When there is excessive friction during sex, the frenulum gets torn. Such a scenario is very painful. This injury comes along with inflammation and bleeding. In such a case, wearing inner wears becomes an issue. Furthermore, engaging in sex is also inhibited.

Balanitis – tears on foreskin or penis head (common in diabetics)

This sounds mysterious, doesn’t it? In fact, the term balanitis has gained overwhelming popularity in recent years.

According to, balanitis is witnessed in cases of chronic diabetes. In the penis, balanitis is common among uncircumcised men. The cut involves the foreskin. In most cases, balanitis is fatal. It may take months to heal given the fact that diabetes slows the rate at which wounds heal.

However, balanitis among uncircumcised men may also be related to poor hygiene. The region beneath the foreskin harbors a lot of dirt. This provides a favorable environment for the breeding of fungus and bacteria.

Behavior-related causes

These are environmental factors. They relate to the things we do or expose our penises to. For example, masturbation can cause tears or cuts. How does this happen? Masturbation involves rigorous rubbing of the penis. As a result, frenulum, head, or penile tip may get injured.

Additionally, the penile piercing may result in these cuts or tears. When not done by professionals, severe cuts may be witnessed, especially on the glans.

Finally, wearing latex condoms can also contribute to this problem. This is common if your body develops an allergic reaction to these condoms.

How do you treat penis cuts?

According to, treating penile cuts involves identifying what is causing it, even before seeking medical attention. Knowing the source of the injury is the primary step in determining the nature of medical care to be adopted.

Your doctor may even conduct a swab test to ascertain if the cuts are from a yeast infection. Once this is ascertained, the doctor may prescribe topical antifungal creams or ointments.

If it is resulting from diabetes, then specialized medical attention is required. Commonly, managing the severity of diabetes may enhance your body’s ability to heal fast.

If the cut is deep, especially on the frenulum, stitching may be recommended. This involves a minor surgery where torn tissues are stitched together, thus correcting the tear.

Can you prevent cuts on the penis?

Naturally, we should all seek prevention rather than cure. However, there is no precaution that can guarantee you total safety from cuts. However, you can minimize the chances of occurrence.

According to, penile cuts can be prevented by adopting certain measures. These measures mainly relate to hygiene and personal care.

Some of the prevention measures include:

  • Always keep your genitals dry and clean. We all know that the disease-causing organisms thrive well in dirty and moist areas. Note that fungus and bacteria thrive well in moist and dirty genitals. Wear inner wears that absorb moisture. Additionally, clean your genitals daily.
  • Protect yourself from STIs. Like earlier noted, most yeast infections are sexually transmitted. In this regard, always consider safe sex by using condoms. If your penis reacts to latex condoms, you can always shift to non-latex ones.
  • Keep the penis skin moisturized. Chafed skin is likely to experience regular cuts. In this case, use some oils that are rich in vitamin E to keep its skin is moisturized.

Cuts on the foreskin in men is a common problem that affects a considerable number of people. It is very common in uncircumcised men. They occur due to too small or tight foreskin, rough and vigorous sexual activity among other causes

In this article, we will discover reasons for cuts on the foreskin.

Also known as prepuce cuts. We will discuss related symptoms, the best treatment, and preventions.

Causes of foreskin cuts

There are many causes of cuts on the foreskin, and these include congenital problems, infections, and injuries during sexual activities.


As we have already mentioned, cuts on prepuce majorly occur when the foreskin becomes too small or tight, and thus, cuts and tears would transpire if it is pulled (retracted) back. This is called phimosis. It is a problem in uncircumcised men.

Phimosis can be congenital or something a baby develops at birth. This is categorized as physiologic phimosis. Nevertheless, congenital phimosis would completely resolve after the age of 8.

But the condition is not probable in circumcised boys. However, there are rare cases where congenital phimosis would progress to adulthood.

The other types of phimosis are pathologic phimosis which can affect even adults. This usually occurs due to infections, malignant conditions, inflammation, or scarring from underlying conditions such as acne.


This is a type of skin irritation that occurs at the head of the penis and common in uncircumcised males. Linked symptoms are itching, swelling, and skin redness. These symptoms could lead to a tight foreskin that would lead to cuts and tears. One would experience pain when urinating as well.

Balanitis infections usually occur due to unhygienic conditions. Diabetes can also contribute towards the development of balanitis since it limits the ability of the body to fight infections.  Proper hygiene or topical creams are essential in managing this condition.


This is another condition that could lead to these cuts or tears. It emerges when the glans and the foreskin is inflamed making the foreskin tighter. Yeast infections are the major cause of this condition but, bacterial infections could also be responsible.

OTC products can be used to deal with this condition as they contain antibiotics and antifungals.

Sexual Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Sexual Transmitted Infections also cause injuries on the foreskin. STIs are usually accompanied by symptoms such as sores, swellings, blisters, inflammation all of which can contribute to cuts in the foreskin.

The commonly blamed STIs include genital herpes, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

Rough sex

Rough and vigorous sexual encounters could be also to blame for. This is the reason why you would develop cuts on the skin of the penis after sexual intercourse.

In addition, when the skin is very dry and one involves decorous sex- for instance without proper foreplay!

More causes

Apart from the above regular causes, there are also more skin conditions that can contribute towards the development of such cuts or can as well exacerbate them. Here are more examples.

  • Lichen planus
  • Eczema
  • Psoriasis
  • Lichen sclerosis
  • Acne

Therefore, what is the way forward to prepuce tears? What are the best remedies for cuts on foreskin?

Treatment options for cuts on the foreskin

If you have this problem, a good treatment plan must consider the underlying causes. Therefore, before even deliberating about the treatments, proper diagnosis should be performed to establish exactly what is causing the painful foreskin cuts.

It is also worth noting that the types of treatment would basically depend on the underlying causes and the severity alongside the accompanying symptoms.

Home remedies are essential for alleviating mild symptoms. However, they are not the final treatment.

However, before using these remedies and over the counter products, be sure they will not worsen the situation. We don’t even encourage home remedies or over the counter products when the causes of swellings, redness, blisters, etc. on your foreskin.

In severe cases of cuts including on your glans, medical procedures such as surgery, preputioplasty, or frenuloplasty may be recommended by your doctor.

Let us begin by looking at the various home remedies available.

Home remedies for prepuce cuts

There are specific home remedies that can be used to minimize the symptoms. They would include keeping proper hygienic standards and the application of certain natural products.

There are home natural products that would help treat infections, relieve itching and inflammation, moisturize the foreskin as well as aiding the healing process of the cuts on the skin of the penis.

These natural products include aloe vera, lemon juice, applied cider vinegar, coconut oil, honey, baking soda, lavender oil, tea tree oil among others.

Other home remedies would include washing the area beneath your prepuce to avoid infections. You can use warm water to gently but thoroughly wash the area. You should then moisturize the area after washing it.

NOTE: You should refrain from sexual activities when you are still undergoing treatments. During this period when the foreskin would be forming crust and scabs, it would be even tighter than before.

Over the counter products to use

OTC products can treat many skin conditions.

Depending on the underlying causes, you can apply topical antibiotics and antifungals.

Many of the recommended OTC products for glans or prepuce cuts include topical corticosteroid creams and ointments.

However, you should seek advice before buying some of these products. They could contain ingredients that may lead to more irritations and inflammations.

Prescription treatment for cuts on the foreskin

Here are the common prescription treatments for cuts on foreskin or phimosis:


The doctor can prescribe some topical steroids such as betamethasone and triamcinolone. Prescription of antibiotics and antifungals may also be suitable to treat bacterial and fungal infections affecting the penis and the foreskin.

Ensure you follow all the instructions that come with the prescriptions. “Stopping antibiotics too soon may allow a bacterial infection to continue and sometimes develop resistance to antibiotics,” warns

Surgery (circumcision)

A surgical procedure would be necessary where other treatments don’t yield satisfying results i.e. when you keep on getting cuts after getting some treatments. There are many types of surgical procedures and these include:

  • Circumcision: This surgical procedure involves the removal of a section or all parts of the foreskin. This is usually done during infancy but can also be done at any age.
  • Preputioplasty: This is a process where the foreskin is cut and stretched. It is usually performed by men who still want to remain uncircumcised.
  • Frenuloplasty: It is a process similar to preputioplasty. It involves the foreskin being cut on the underside of the penis to enable it to retract.

These surgical procedures are used for severe or recurrent phimosis.  However, they can also pose serious complications if not well taken care of. Otherwise, slight risks of bleeding, pain or infection should be expected.

Preventing prepuce cuts

How to prevent these cuts depends on what is causing them.

Among recommended prevention measures include proper hygiene, avoiding intercourse while treating the sustained injury, taking precautions during sex i.e. using effective condoms, proper diet, and above all, going for regular medical check-ups.


Cuts on the foreskin can lead to pain during urination and sex as well as increase the vulnerability to infections. Ensure you get a proper diagnosis and treatment.