| Circumcision | |
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Circumcision is commonly performed in the newborn period. This is an elective procedure. Parents may decide whether or not to have their son circumcised. Evidence suggests that a circumcision can protect against urinary tract infections in the first year of life and sexually transmitted diseases in the future. If you chose to not circumcise your son, please visit our "Care of the Uncircumcised Penis" page. How a circumcision is done: Our physicians do circumcisions with one of two procedures: a Mogen Clamp or a Plastibell. The type of procedure done depends on the training and experience of the physician. The final "look" of the penis with both procedures looks the same the following week. We usually use a local anesthetic. This injection may sting initially and leave a bruise at the base of the penis. The foreskin is pulled away from the head of the penis (aka glans). For the Mogen Clamp: The foreskin is pulled up and the clamp is placed over the glans, to protect it from being cut. The clamp puts pressure on the tissues to prevent bleeding. No stitches are needed unless there is excessive bleeding, which is a rare complication. The head of the penis will look open and raw during the healing process. For the Plastibell: A plastic ring is inserted between the head of the penis and the foreskin and tied off. The ring is left in place until it falls off naturally, generally 3-7 days later. How to care for a circumcised penis the first week: After a baby's circumcision, it takes about a week to heal regardless of method used. The Plastibell must simply be left alone until the bell falls off.
After the Mogen Clamp it will look bright red and swollen initially, then less swollen. As it heals, yellow granulation tissue appears on the head of the penis. This is normal and NOT an infection. We recommend putting petroleum jelly on the head of the penis during the healing process to keep it from sticking to the diaper. If stool gets to the area, simply wash with water. Reapply petroleum jelly each diaper change. We suggest you do not use any creamy products or lotions on the healing penis, as they cause irritation. It usually takes 3-7 days for the circumcision to heal. Once healed and there are no more red or yellow areas on the head of the penis, you can treat the penis like any other body part with cleaning. How to care for a circumcised penis the first few years: The cells on the surface of the glans and inside the foreskin are discarded normally, like other cells of the body. Routine cleaning can prevent the accumulation of these cells. If these cells accumulate, they form a white cheesy substance called smegma. This is normal, but may become trapped if the foreskin and glans begin to fuse. The glans is the tip of the penis, the part that looks like a helmet. We call this fusion "penile adhesions". Adhesions usually do not cause any problems and no treatment is necessary. You might notice white pearly, cheesy, smegma coming out of the edge of the adhesion. This does not require treatment. If it becomes red and swollen, make an appointment with your doctor. As boys build up baby fat, they tend to get a large fat pad at the base of the penis. The penis often hides in the fat pad. You should push down on the fat pad near the base of the penis to expose the penis for cleaning while bathing. If you notice that the skin starts to "stick" to the head of the penis (aka the glans), put petroleum jelly in the area several times per day to prevent more adhesions. As your son becomes able, teach him to clean his own penis with normal bathing. |
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