What are the Benefits of Circumcision?
There is evidence that circumcision has health benefits, including:
- A decreased risk of urinary tract infections.
- A reduced risk of some sexually transmitted diseases in men.
- It can lower the chances of getting penile cancer if treated for phimosis and reduce the risk of cervical cancer in female sexual partners.
- Prevention of balanitis (inflammation of the glans) and balanoposthitis (inflammation of the glans and foreskin).
- Prevention of phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin) and paraphimosis (the inability to return the foreskin to its original location).
- Circumcision also makes it easier to keep the end of the penis clean.
Is a circumcision safe?
Circumcision is generally a safe surgical procedure if the following conditions are met:
- The circumcision is performed carefully, using strict aseptic (sterile) technique;
- The circumcision is performed by a trained, experienced practitioner;
- The circumcision is performed only on a healthy, stable infant; and
- There is no medical reason not to have circumcision performed
What are the contraindications to circumcision (the reasons against doing it)?
Unstable or sick infant: Circumcision is contraindicated if the baby is unstable or sick. Circumcision is elective surgery and, as with other medically elective procedures, it should be delayed until the baby is well. Signs of stability include normal feeding, passing urine and stool normally, and maintenance of normal body temperature without an incubator or radiant warmer.
A period of observation after the infant’s birth may allow for recognition of abnormalities or illnesses (for example; serious jaundice, infection, or manifest bleeding disorder) that should be addressed before this elective surgery.
Prematurity: It is usually best to wait until a premature infant meets the criteria for discharge from the hospital before performing circumcision.
Genital anomalies: Infants born with genital anomalies (including hypospadias) should not be circumcised. The foreskin may be needed for the surgical correction of the anomalies.
Deciding when to book an appointment: Circumcision can be performed on all healthy boys from the age of 5 days old. From our experience, the Plastibell or Circumplast method works best the younger the child is and we do not recommend waiting for children to get older. In fact, infancy is the ideal time for a child to undergo circumcision. At this age, babies feel less pain, move less during the procedure and will have no recollection of the operation. We have seen the Plastibell & Circumplast method work best when a child is circumcised between the ages of 0-3 months old in terms of child and parent comfort during the operation and the recovery period.
Booking the appointment can be done by calling us or emailing us. Do call us if you do not find the date you are looking for, as we often have extra times available due to cancellations or appointment changes. We recommend booking your appointment two weeks in advance of your preferred date or longer with school holidays but you can often find an appointment within the week during less busy periods.
Keep an eye for any text messages or emails we send out after the appointment is booked.
The whole Plastibell or Circumplast procedure takes about 15 minutes to perform and causes minimal pain in comparison to other circumcision techniques. It requires no stitching, no dressings and results in minimal operative bleeding. The child is left with a small scar which will fade further over time.
Our prices are all-inclusive, so we will not ask you to pay extra for follow-up appointments, 24-hour support, local anaesthetic, take-home ointment, initial pain medication, after-care instructions and flexible appointment options.