What's going on with my boyfriend's foreskin?

My boyfriend experiences pain when trying to pull back his foreskin. I've read about Phimosis, but I am not sure this is it or not. The foreskin appears to go back (and forward), but it is painful to pull back and the head appears to be unusually red and irritated. So I think it's the head that's causing him the pain, and keeping the foreskin up prevents the pain for him. But I'm not sure, he just said pulling it back hurts. What is going on here? I am concerned for him, this is a part of the body that doesn't usually cause anyone any pain. Also, how can I talk about it with him without him feeling all sensitive about his manhood? He is great, but I just don't think he should have to deal with this kind of pain. It's not like I've never seen a foreskin before, and this one is definately different. I am a bit frustrated by this.