Circumcision is a common procedure with minimal risks of complications when performed by trained professional doctors.
There are different opinions on whether a male needs to be circumcised.
Optimal Age for Circumcision
Many medical studies and research show that boys under 1 year are at an optimal age for clinical circumcision.
In our experience, the ideal age of circumcision is in babies under 4 weeks because:
- A baby’s low movement facilitates the use of local anaesthesia
- Usually sutures are not required
- Healing is quick
- Cosmetic outcome is usually excellent
- Costs are minimal in this age group (ranges from £250)
- Risks of complications are uncommon
Newborn circumcision is safe, simple, convenient and cost-effective.
Medical Benefits of Infant Circumcision
The benefits of infant circumcision include:
- Prevention of urinary tract infections (a cause of renal scarring)
- Reduction in risk of inflammatory foreskin conditions such as balanoposthitis
- Prevention of foreskin injuries
- Prevention of phimosis (tight foreskin)
- Prevention of paraphimosis (foreskin stuck behind the head of the penis)
Protection in Adulthood
When men later become sexually active, circumcision offers substantial protection against:
- HIV
- Other viral sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and oncogenic human papillomavirus
- Penile cancer
The risk of cervical cancer in female partners is also reduced.
Tight Foreskin and BXO
Tight foreskin in adolescence or adulthood may evoke fear of pain, sexual pain or reduced sexual pleasure.
Tight foreskin may be due to Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans (BXO), which may require circumcision.
BXO is a penile skin condition which affects the foreskin. It may also affect:
- The glans penis (rounded head of the penis)
- Less commonly, the urethra (the tube carrying urine from the bladder out of the body)
Features of BXO
- Chronic inflammation of the glans penis (balanitis)
- Lesions appear as white, thickened plaques with an abnormally dry appearance (xerotica)
- Lesions often start in the foreskin and may extend to the glans penis
- Skin fusion between foreskin and glans can develop, causing phimosis (foreskin cannot be retracted)
- Symptoms: difficulty passing urine, painful erection, tight foreskin
Summary
Circumcision is a procedure which can be done under anaesthesia with minimal risks of complications by professionally trained doctors.
Reference:
Surgical Guide for Circumcision 2012, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4471-2858-82