Circumcision can be done at any age. Traditionally, the most common time to do it is soon after your baby is born, or within the first month of life. Because the process is painful, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area and the surgery is performed while the baby is still awake.
The foreskin is removed just behind the head of the penis using a scalpel or surgical scissors. Any bleeding can be stopped using heat (cauterised). The remaining edges of skin are stitched together using dissolvable stitches. It will take up to 6 weeks for your son's penis to fully heal.
But if parents choose this for their baby, the procedure is usually performed on the first or second day after birth in a healthy baby. However, it can be done within 10 days of birth. Circumcision is riskier and more complicated in infants older than 2 months of age, and in older boys and men.
The majority of children do not require a circumcision. Most children are referred with a "tight" foreskin but in fact this is quite normal in the majority of cases and loosens up as the child heads towards puberty. This is called physiological phimosis and does not require treatment.
We are regularly asked about the optimal age for circumcision, and whether at a certain point a boy becomes too old to have it done. The answer is that circumcision is available for boys and men of all ages, and our medical team will perform the operation safely. There are no age restrictions for circumcision.
Craig Peters, M.D., a pediatric urologist at Children's Health℠ and Professor at UT Southwestern, says the procedure is optional and it's a decision completely up to parents. "Circumcision is the parents' decision," says Dr. Peters. "Your choice could be based on cultural, aesthetic or religious reasons.
This surgery is most often done 1 or 2 days after a baby boy's birth. Circumcision can also be done on older boys. This can be more complex. An older boy may need medicine (general anesthesia) to put him to sleep during the procedure.
A baby who is not circumcised has a one in 100 chance of getting a UTI in the first year of life. A slightly lower risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV. A lower risk of cancer of the penis. However, this is very rare in both circumcised and uncircumcised men.
These findings suggest that it is better to perform circumcision when boys are < 1 year old, when the anesthesia complications are also at a minimum. A longer hospitalization is associated with an increased risk of infection as well as increased costs (24).
Can an adult get circumcised? Yes. People who were not circumcised as babies may choose to undergo circumcision as an adult. Generally, the procedure is the same for older boys and adults as it is for babies.
It is generally not very painful. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen are likely all you'll need. You will probably have a dressing over the area or over your entire penis. Follow your doctor's directions about when to remove it.
Most of the time it takes between 7 to 10 days for a penis to heal. At first the tip of the penis may appear slightly swollen and red and you may notice a small amount of blood on the diaper. You may also notice a slight yellow discharge or crust after a couple of days. This is a normal part of healing.
As long as the foreskin doesn't easily retract, only the outside needs to be cleaned. If the foreskin retracts a little, just clean the exposed area of the glans with water. Don't use soap on this area, as it can irritate the skin. After cleaning, always gently pull the foreskin back over the glans of the penis.
During the circumcision in the operating room, a circular incision is made around your child's penis. The foreskin is removed and the skin edges are sewn together with stitches. The stitches will dissolve so nothing has to be removed after surgery.
After the circumcision has healed:
Usually, after the circumcision has healed, the penis requires no additional care. Occasionally a small piece of the foreskin remains. You should pull back this skin gently each time the child is bathed.
It usually takes at least 10 days for your penis to heal after circumcision. You'll probably be advised to take at least 1 week off work to recover.
Circumcision might have various health benefits, including: Easier hygiene. Circumcision makes it simpler to wash the penis. However, boys with uncircumcised penises can be taught to wash regularly beneath the foreskin.
A circumcision (sir cum SI zhun) is surgery to remove the foreskin (extra skin) from around the end of the penis (Picture 1). The circumcision is usually done in the doctor's office. Your visit will take about one and one-half hours in all.
It's more than just extra skin. The foreskin has far more functionality in the life of a male child than most people realize. As a baby, the foreskin keeps a baby's penis safe, warm, moist, and clean. It allows the head of the penis (the glans) to develop normally.
The Surgery
After your child is asleep, the doctor will begin the circumcision. The penis will be cleaned and the foreskin of the penis will be removed. Fine sutures (SOO-chers) or stitches that dissolve on their own will be placed at the time of the surgery. The surgery itself will take only about 15 to 30 minutes.
Foreskins removed during hospital circumcisions are sometimes sold to biotech labs, since young skin is ideal for researching skin for burn vitamins, insulin manufacture, and also making skin creams for ladies. One infant foreskin can be grown into literally thousands of square feet of new tissue.
The most recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines state that the health benefits of circumcision in newborn boys outweigh the risks of the procedure for families that choose to do it, but the AAP makes no recommendation for or against the procedure.
However, circumcision does not increase the penile size, and a meta-analysis revealed that circumcision does not affect premature ejaculation10.