At what age is it appropriate for children to undergo circumcision?

Many boys are born with long foreskins, but many parents don’t know how to treat their children. They always think that they can wait until the children grow up. In fact, this is not good. Too long foreskin can cause great harm. If it is not treated for a long time, it will also cause other diseases. So, at what age is it suitable for children to undergo circumcision surgery? Let me tell you!

There are three general situations where surgery is needed:

Acquired phimosis with a fibrous narrow ring at the foreskin opening;

Recurrent episodes of balanoposthitis;

After the age of five or six, the foreskin opening is severely narrowed, urination is difficult, the foreskin cannot be retracted and the glans penis is exposed, and the conservative treatment effect is unsatisfactory.

If one of the first two conditions is met, surgery is required.

If the boy does not have the above surgical indications, he can wait until after puberty when the penis and glans penis grow, and the foreskin can retract upward and be turned outward on its own when the penis is erect.

However, if surgical treatment is not adopted even though the patient is suitable for it, the foreskin opening will become inflamed repeatedly, causing scar contracture, loss of skin elasticity and expansion ability, inability of the foreskin to retract upward, and urethral stenosis. If a stenosis ring is formed, it will cause pain during penile erection, affecting sexual life in adulthood.

There are 4 types of surgical anesthesia

1. Simple penile root block anesthesia (local anesthesia, mainly suitable for older children who can cooperate with surgery)

2. Basic plus local anesthesia (basic anesthesia means letting the child sleep quietly)

3. General anesthesia (anesthetics enter the body through inhalation, intravenous, intramuscular or rectal infusion, causing the patient to lose consciousness, feel no pain throughout the body, and have varying degrees of inhibition of nerve reflexes and muscle activity, also known as general anesthesia).

4. Epidural anesthesia (The epidural space is located outside the dural sac, which contains the spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid. The puncture needle enters the epidural space through the midline of the back, and can enter the epidural space through the cervical, thoracic or lumbar segments to perform anesthesia. Sacral canal anesthesia is often used for children)

If the child is older and can cooperate with the surgery, local anesthesia can be chosen. If the child is young, basic plus local anesthesia can be used.

After reading the above introduction, I believe you will have a better understanding of your child’s circumcision surgery. If your child has this situation, it is best not to delay and take your child to the hospital for examination in time, and take reasonable measures according to the doctor’s advice. All diseases should be treated early rather than late!