Should children be circumcised?

Some parents feel very confused because they don’t know whether their children should go to the hospital for circumcision if they have foreskin that is too long or phimosis. If circumcision is necessary, they don’t know when is the best time to go to the hospital for the surgery. In response to this issue, the editor has compiled some relevant content about whether children with foreskin that is too long or phimosis should be circumcised.

Correctly understand phimosis and prepuce in children

Phimosis and prepuce are common pediatric external genital diseases in pediatric surgery. If not treated in time, it may affect the child's future quality of life.

Phimosis ≠ foreskin is too long

People often confuse "phimosis" and "foreskin is too long". In fact, there is still a clear difference between the two. Phimosis refers to the narrowness of the outer opening of the foreskin, which prevents the foreskin from being turned up to reveal the entire glans penis. Phimosis refers to the foreskin covering the entire glans penis and the external opening of the urethra, but the foreskin can be flipped upward to expose the glans penis. If the foreskin still covers the glans penis and the external opening of the urethra after the child is 3 to 4 years old, it is called foreskin being too long.

"Physiological phimosis" can also cause problems

For most infants and young children, from "physiological phimosis" at birth to 3 to 4 years old, the foreskin can be turned up on its own, which is a normal physiological development process. However, a small number of babies may have problems with "physiological phimosis". If your child shows any of the following symptoms, parents must pay attention and take the child to the hospital for medical treatment in time.

Before the age of 3, it is a physiological phenomenon

After a baby boy is born, it is normal for the foreskin to not retract and cover the entire glans penis. Some people have observed that only 0.93% of children under 3 years old can have their foreskin completely retracted, while for children aged 11 to 18, 48.33% have their foreskin completely retracted, and 29.19% have most of the glans penis exposed. That is to say, 99% of boys have phimosis before the age of 3.

As the child grows and develops, the foreskin will slowly loosen. For most children, the foreskin will gradually retract upward as the penis begins to grow around the age of 3 to 4. If the child's foreskin is too long, you can wait until the child is about 7 years old to go to the hospital for circumcision. Be sure to pay more attention to observation at other times.