Adult Circumcision

You may be considering getting circumcised for various reasons. It could be for personal or cultural beliefs, hygiene purposes, or even medical recommendations.

Whatever the reason may be, it is important to understand the procedure, the benefits, the potential risks and the recovery. 

Reasons for adult circumcision

Circumcision is often performed for medical reasons. Many stoical men persevere with foreskin complaints that can be readily fixed.

The most frequent medical reason is phimosis where a tight foreskin prevents or restricts retraction of the foreskin. It is a condition that affects 1 in 10 teenage boys and men. Sometimes this can be subtle and only evident with an erection.

Dr Read has seen men in their 40s and 50s that have had this complaint all their adult lives. Often GP’s discourage surgery because they are unfamiliar with the significant inconvenience even minor restriction can cause. Phimosis also greatly increases the risk of penile cancer and is a cause of foreskin and catheter problems in nursing homes.

Paraphimosis follows phimosis as the most frequent reason men present for circumcision. With this condition, the foreskin retracts and causes a restriction behind the glans causing it to sell and not allowing a return of the foreskin or blood flow. This can be dangerous and require an urgent operation to correct. 

Recurrent tearing of the frenulum can be better treated by circumcision.

The adult circumcision procedure.

The surgery itself will usually take an hour. Shaving of the scrotum and pubic hair is performed pre-operatively. On completion of the procedure a fine, skin-coloured, absorbable stitch is used. Every endeavour is taken to ensure a good cosmetic outcome. Without proper attention, it is possible to get significant scarring, irregular mismatched stitch lines, skin bridging and tunnelling, loose skin tags and overly tight or loose outcome.

The benefits of adult circumcision

As described above, adult men who choose to have a circumcision, are usually doing so to treat a known medical condition such as phimosis or paraphimosis.

Some other benefits of adult circumcision include:

• Infection and inflammation are three times more common in uncircumcised men, and many times greater in diabetics.
• Penile cancer risk increases 20 times with an intact foreskin. This can require penile amputation or disfiguring surgery causing impaired penile function.
• Some studies indicate a higher risk of prostate cancer, a common disease affecting 15-20% of men.
• The risk of thrush is reduced in the man and so is the risk of recurrent thrush in their female partners.
• Protection against sexually transmitted infections like HIV, papilloma (wart) virus, genital herpes, syphilis, chancroid, trichomonas and mycoplasma.
• There is up to a 5-times reduction in risk of cervical cancer in a female partner of a circumcised man.

Potential risks for adult circumcision

Like any surgical procedure, adult circumcision does come with potential risks. These may include bleeding, infection and adverse reaction to anaesthesia.  It is important to discuss all potential risks and benefits with Dr Read before making a decision.

Adult circumcision recovery

It is important to follow your doctor’s post-surgical instructions to ensure proper healing. This may include keeping the area clean, wearing loose-fitting underwear and avoiding sexual activity for a period of time. It is also important to schedule follow-up appointments with your doctor to monitor healing and address any concerns.

In Summary

Overall, adult circumcision can provide relief for those suffering from medical conditions affecting the foreskin however, as with any medical procedure,  it is important to carefully weigh the pros and cons and discuss them with your doctor before making a decision to have the procedure.

If you are considering circumcision, please call us today on 07 5531 3205 for more information or to schedule a consultation. We would be happy to discuss this procedure with you and answer any questions you may have.