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Circumcision
What is
Circumcision?
Circumcision is the surgical removal of the hood
of skin covering the glans of the penis which is
called the foreskin.
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Effects
of Circumcision
Circumcision is requested by parents for
different reasons. They want the procedure done
for religious reasons, others request it for
health or cleanliness reasons. Circumcision is
most likely useful in lessening risks of:
. Cervical cancer among their female partners
. Infection that may occur underneath the
foreskin
. Penile cancer
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Candidates for Circumcision
While
the penis is flaccid, foreskin should be
retracted so that it lies smoothly along the
shaft of the penis. Do the same thing once there
is an erection with the foreskin still forward.
You are a candidate for circumcision if you have
any of the following conditions while either
flaccid or erect:
. The foreskin is too taut to slide back over
the whole glans together with the coronal rim (phimosis)
. The foreskin may have slid back over the glans
but it gets trapped in the coronal groove and
would not return without lots of manipulation (paraphimosis)
. The foreskin is able to cover the glans but
could not be smoothed down the shaft as it
becomes too stretched beneath where the little
cord or the frenulum is; or as the foreskin is
smoothed right back, the glans becomes distorted
because of the frenulum pulling on it too much (frenulum
breve)
. The foreskin may be retracted but this process
is very painful
. While urinating, the foreskin balloons out
. After sexual activity or masturbation, the
foreskin develops some splits or tears
Circumcision should also be considered if you
experience the following conditions:
. If there is some difficulty in controlling
smegma
. Infection or soreness of the foreskin and/or
the glans repeatedly occurs
. Bothersome itching of the foreskin is
experienced which may be often related to a
herpes infection. This may manifest mostly
during the summer months, in hot climates, or
after playing sports (balanitis)
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Your Consultation
Newborns are usually circumcised either before
they leave the hospital or a few days after they
are born usually done in outpatient clinics. The
procedure becomes more complicated, as well as
more costly as this is done from the age of a
few months.
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The
Circumcision Procedure
In the
circumcision of an infant, the clamps that are
often used are the Gomco clamp, Plastibell, and
Mogen. These clamps are usually used since they
protect the glans while pressure is applied to
the foreskin in order to stop any bleeding. When
a Plastibell clamp is used, the foreskin and
clamp may be removed in approximately three to
seven days. When using a Gomco clamp, a section
of skin is first crushed with a hemostat and
then slit with scissors. The foreskin is then
drawn over the part of the clamp which is bell
shaped and then inserted through a hole in the
base of the clamp. Tightening of the clamp is
done crushing the foreskin between the bell and
the base plate. This crushing lessens bleeding
and therefore provides hemostasis. The foreskin
is cut away with a scalpel from above the base
plate. At the same time, the bell covers the
glans in order to avoid it being reached by the
scalpel. This is done with the flared bottom of
the bell fit tightly alongside the hole of the
base plate.
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Recovery
Most
of the time, it takes approximately 7-10 days
for healing to take place. At first, the penis
will appear bright red. As healing takes place,
the redness of the penis begins to fade and the
penis will get back its normal skin color from
the tip to the base.
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Risks
The
risk of complication from a circumcision is
quite uncommon. The usual complications expected
are bleeding from the area of incision,
infection, and injury to the glans or shaft of
the penis.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
What are the advantages of undergoing
circumcision?
A:
Studies have shown that boys who are circumcised
experience lesser urinary tract infections that
boys who are uncircumcised by a factor of 10.
There is also an obvious confirmation that
circumcision lessens the chance of a man to have
AIDS, as well as reduction of chances of having
cervical or penile cancer. According to
urologists, a higher percentage of men who are
uncircumcised usually need their professional
attention during old age.
Q:
What occurs during circumcision?
A:
During circumcision, the foreskin or the loose
sleeve of skin covering the end of the penis is
removed in order to permanently expose the glans
or knob. It is preferred for the procedure to
result in a full exposure of the whole glans and
the coronal groove behind it.
Q:
Does the procedure hurt?
A:
As documented in medical literature, babies are
as sensitive to pain as anyone else, or maybe
even more, so it is not true that babies cannot
feel pain. Anesthesia is usually not used in
most circumcisions due to risks that may be
involved with using anesthetics on babies.
Local injections may be used; however, this does
not get rid of the pain. Signs of pain may be
seen in babies during the procedure and in 7-10
days after the procedure.
Q:
Who does the procedure?
A:
Urologists typically perform adult circumcision
and is usually done in an outpatient basis.
Others may also perform this procedure such as
family physicians who are adequately trained who
practice in isolated or rural areas.
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The following list of Urology procedures are
performed at Beverly Hills Medical Group -
please click the links to find out more:
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