Skip links

Monday – Friday, 9am- 5pm

Circumcision

About Circumcisions 

Circumcision is a procedure to remove the foreskin of the penis to expose the glans permanently.  

 

Around 20% of boys in Australia are circumcised while, around the world, the number sits at around 30%. This is mostly the result of religious and cultural practices.

 

There are a number of reasons you may want your son circumcised. It’s important to note this is your decision, and we respect your right to choose what’s right for your son.

It is a simple operation which can be performed in the first few weeks after birth with local anaesthetic.

Guy has performed hundreds of neonatal circumcisions over twenty years. He prefers to use the plastibel ™ technique. This method avoids the use of scalpels and involves a specially-formed plastic bell being placed around the glans and a ring then placed around the base of the foreskin. This then cuts off the blood supply to the foreskin and allows the foreskin to drop off naturally after seven to ten days.

To Circumcise or Not

There are arguments for or against circumcision, and it’s fair to say even the medical profession has quite differing views. 

In the USA the Centers for Disease Control and College of Paediatrics both suggest a distinct health advantage to circumcision. In the UK, the College of Physicians doesn’t support this view.

It comes down to your preference and what you believe is right for your son.

Guy is able to talk you through all the reasons for and against circumcision and can provide perspectives based on his extensive experience with the surgery and with other families who have been faced with the same experience.

Circumcisions For Older Boys

Circumcisions can be performed at any age although, the older the boy is, this is usually only done for health reasons. For example, a small percentage of boys require it due to complications from infections, or due to scarring of the meatus (the hole at the end of the penis).  

If the boy is older, he will require a general anaesthetic.

Please note: Guy does not perform circumcisions on older boys, but can recommend a highly skilled paediatric surgeon should you require one.

FAQ’s

A circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin. The foreskin is the skin at the end of the penis forming a hood over the head of the penis (the glans). The foreskin is not attached to the head of the penis in most newborn males.

Boys are circumcised for medical, religious or cultural reasons.

While circumcision used to be more frequent, in Australia, since the 1970s the rates of circumcision have declined with more and more boys remaining uncircumcised.

This trend is starting to reverse, and an increasing number of newborn boys are being circumcised.

The World Health Organisation recommends the procedure in higher HIV prevalence regions, as it reduces transmission by approximately 60% and provides a broad range of lifelong benefits.

The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) says the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks but leave decision-making to the parents after an informal discussion with their Paediatrician.

The Australian College of Physicians (RACP) acknowledges the medical benefits cited by the WHO but does not recommend routine circumcision in the general population.

In most cases, the decision comes down to your preference. Guy can talk you through the reasons why your baby may or may not need a circumcision. These mostly boil down to one of two reasons.

  • Medical
    • If your son has a tight foreskin or keeps getting infections of the foreskin and the head of the penis, Guy may recommend a circumcision.
    • In older boys and men, a circumcision may be needed if the foreskin continually contributes to infections or blocks the head of the penis. Please note. Guy does not perform circumcisions on older boys – but can recommend a trusted surgeon for you.
  • Religious or cultural
    • There are a number of different religions and cultures that circumcise their sons. These include Jewish, Islamic and many African communities.

Roughly 30% of uncircumcised males will develop foreskin-related complications and need medical help, and altogether 10% of males will need circumcision for medical problems
throughout life.

Again, it depends on individual circumstances, however, in general, there are some health benefits associated with circumcision. These include:

  • It’s easier to wash
    • While circumcision does make washing easy, uncircumcised boys can be taught proper hygiene and washing beneath the foreskin quickly becomes an easy habit
  • Less risk of infection
    • Urinary tract infections occur more frequently in uncircumcised males
    • Circumcised men also have a reduced risk of contracting some sexually transmitted diseases
  • Prevention of some penile problems
    • Circumcision removes the risk of phimosis – which is the condition which makes it difficult to retract the foreskin and often results in an inflammation of either the foreskin or the head of the penis
  • A reduced chance of some cancers
    • Penile cancer is rare, but much less common in circumcised males
    • Cervical cancer is seen less often in wives and partners of circumcised men

Fine Scissors are utilised to remove excess skin, and no scalpel is involved. The ring falls off the head of the penis in 2-5 days, leaving a clean line. The penis usually heals completely within 10 days.

Your son might be a little unsettled immediately afterwards, but this will settle down within 24 hours. Any invasive procedure may cause some discomfort for a newborn baby.

The procedure usually takes about 2–3 minutes. We ask patients to arrive 20 minutes beforehand so we can provide pain relief using local anaesthetic cream (EMLA).

If preferred, a dorsal penile block can also be given by injecting local anaesthetic at the base of the penis. This block carries a higher risk of complications, which will be discussed with you in detail before the procedure.

Once the Plastibel is in place and the string applied, most parents don’t report later distress in their baby.

Any risks are either complications due to surgery or anaesthetic.

Guy will talk through any risks with you before any circumcision. These include the risks involved if your son has, or your family has a history of, a blood slotting disorder. Or if your baby has been born premature.