When is the best age for circumcision of children?

When a little boy is born, his penis is completely covered by foreskin. I believe all parents are very clear about this. However, as the child grows, if the penis has never been exposed, you need to consider whether the child has foreskin that is too long. If so, it is best to help the child solve this problem in childhood to avoid affecting the child's future development. So when is the best age for circumcision of children?

The inner lining of the foreskin gradually separates from the glans penis, and the foreskin begins to retract upward on its own until the glans penis is exposed by the foreskin being everted. However, the foreskin opening of some children is very small, and the foreskin head cannot retract even during puberty, which will hinder the development of the glans and even the entire penis. This phenomenon is called phimosis. Children with phimosis will have blisters on the glans penis when urinating because urine is retained between the foreskin and the glans penis.

Not only will blisters appear, but secretions and shed epidermal cells will also accumulate between the foreskin lining and the glans, forming excessive smegma. Frequent irritation of the foreskin lining and glans can cause balanitis and urethritis. In severe cases, it can cause ulcers on the foreskin and glans or the formation of stones. Some children may excrete bean dregs-like substances when urinating, and may even have difficulty urinating.

Childhood circumcision

For children with phimosis, if there is no obvious improvement between the ages of 3 and 4, especially those with frequent redness, swelling and inflammation, circumcision is necessary to avoid retrograde infection due to repeated infection, redness and swelling of the foreskin, which may cause urethra or bladder inflammation.

Some parents are afraid of surgery and hope for conservative treatment. So, for children with phimosis, parents should clean and care for them at home: first try to repeatedly turn the foreskin up to expand the foreskin opening. This process should be gentle and should be done in moderation each time to avoid causing pain to the child. When the glans penis is exposed, clean the smegma and then restore the foreskin. Otherwise, it will cause phimosis and affect the blood supply to the glans penis.

If the above methods are ineffective, circumcision should be performed when the child is 8 years old. If foreskin incarceration occurs, the child should be taken to the hospital immediately for circumcision. Circumcision surgery is relatively simple and generally not very dangerous.

Now that we know when is the best age for circumcision for children, in fact, children may have psychological resistance when undergoing circumcision surgery. At this time, parents need to provide psychological counseling for their children and not let their children have psychological trauma. They should also pay attention to choosing a regular large hospital for their children to undergo surgery. In addition, after the child has undergone circumcision surgery, they must be well cared for to avoid infection.