Why do people get circumcision?

  • Whether to get a circumcision for yourself or your child is a personal decision.   Some of the reasons that parents, men and their partners decide to have a circumcision are below:
  • To help maintain hygiene
  • Aesthetic reasons – some men and/or their partners prefer circumcised look
  • Cultural reasons which could be either a family tradition or a cultural/religious tradition
  • Health benefits: decreased chance of acquiring some sexually transmitted diseases
  • Lower chance of urinary tract infection in newborn boys
  • Lower chance of penile cancer (very rare in the US/Western Hemisphere) if circumcision is performed at birth
  • Prevent development of phimosis which affects a certain percent of men and eventually requires circumcision
  • Ø  Diseases of the foreskin: phimosis, paraphimosis, balanitis, balanoposthitis
  • Tight frenulum,  penile trauma from sexual intercourse.

Should I have a circumcision?

For most men, whether to have a circumcision is a personal question that revolves about aesthetics, culture and preferences rather than a medical question.   For them there is no significant medical benefit from circumcision.

Some young boys with recurrent urinary tract infections benefit from circumcision. Some men clearly have a medical condition such as phimosis or paraphimosis .  For these two conditions, circumcision is  an appropriate medical treatment.  Some men with phimosis can also be treated medically with certain creams that often can be effective in treatment of phimosis.  In addition, some men with Lichen Sclerosus (Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans) can be treated with circumcision.