What is a buried penis?

Buried penis indicates the clinical situation when the penis is hidden in the prepubic fat. A buried penis is usually present in patients with excessive fat in the pubic area (=lower abdomen) or when excessive skin has been removed during circumcision or when the two situations coexist. 

In patients with buried penis sexual and urinary function are severely compromised.

Quality of life tends to be poor as the patient is not able to expose the penis while urinating and therefore the pooling of urine in the abdominal skinfolds causes maceration of the skin and recurrent urinary infections, which can ultimately lead to renal damage. As the skin is macerated by the urine and is always moist, the formation of lichen sclerosus is quite common and this makes the situation worse.

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