A circumcision is a surgical operation that removes skin that covers the head of a male’s penis. Some religions advocate circumcision. In Australia, circumcisions are only done in the public hospital system for medical reasons.
The main medical reasons for the procedure include:
- Pain or bleeding of the foreskin during or following sexual intercourse.
- Phimosis: a persistent tightening of the foreskin preventing full retraction after 7yo
- Susceptibility to infections or inflammation.
The procedure takes 40 minutes and is typically performed under general anaesthesia, however can be done under local anaesthetic. In essence, the skin to be removed is marked out, to ensure sufficient skin remains to allow erections to occur without excess tightening. Once the foreskin is removed, the remaining skin is sutured with dissolvable stitches to minimise scarring.
After the operation, a dressing is applied to minimise infection and speed up healing.
