Circumcision Revision
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Questions
- Readhesion after Circumcision
- Partial circumcision - re-circumcise?
- Redo 10-month-old's circumcision?
- Fixing Problem Circumcision
Readhesion after Circumcision
Nov 2006
we are worried because after our sons circumcision, some of the skin reattached (crept back up and stuck to the head of the penis). we had it pulled back again when he was a few months old and put ointment on it daily, but it once again crept back up. our son is now 2 years old and we have seen a urologist who didn't really give us an answer as to what to do. he said we could either have an in-office surgery and pull it back again, or do nothing. he said that enough foreskin was taken off, but there is an obvious readhesion. it will eventually pull back itself, but it might not be until he becomes sexually active and that would obviously be very humiliating. Please, has anyone else had any experience with this or have any advice to give? thanks. feeling afraid of surgery
Our son had the surgery to correct an incomplete circumcision that was causing adhesions. I think they called it a ''re-circ,'' something no parent of a new baby wants to think about!. It was also the name of a button on my car's air conditioning system. It was performed under general anesthesia while my son was undergoing another operation, at age 18 months. I don't know if this is the same procedure your son would have, since you say there is no excess skin. It worked perfectly, though it required lots of stitches and about a week of pain / antibiotic treatment of the incision. Yuck. I do remember that there was a prescription cream we tried first -- betamethasone??-- which didn't work for us but certainly might in a less severe case. How bad is the in-office procedure? If it involves stitches and more than a day or two of pain, I would try the cream or just waiting it out. I do remember our urologist saying that it's not good to keep pulling the adhesions back all the time; it can cause scarring and encourage a buildup of more adhesions, something like that. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. ekc
Partial circumcision - re-circumcise?
Feb 2006
My son was circumcised right after birth. It turned out that the doctor didn't cut enough skin and he has a ''partial circumcision'' which means he doesn't have all his foreskin but he has more than most circumcised boys do. Starting last summer when he was 3 he began to have a lot of trouble with infections and discomfort when washing his penis. It started with a terrible yeast infection after which the doctors told us to pull the skin up and wash better. He hated us pulling the skin up and washing better and bath time became a huge dreaded ordeal. He had more of what I thought were infections but when I took him to the doctor they said because he was partially circumcised, the skin would get stuck half way up the shaft after an erection and then get swollen and terribly painful. Once it was so bad we spent hours in the doctors office while they iced it, numbed it and tried to get the skin down. Obviously I don't want my son to live with this kind of irritation and trauma. We had decided to have him recircumcised when we asked our friends of uncircumcised boys what they did. They said they did nothing. Didn't wash it, didn't touch it. Well, we've been trying that and it's been much better. The recircumcision is put off (hopefully forever) and our son likes baths. He has only had two small episodes which is a big improvement though not perfect so I wanted to hear from other people. Is there anyone who has had experience with partial circumcision or recircumcision and what do you advise? Danielle
If I were you, I would consult with Channan Feld, the local moyl, who must be the Bay Area's foremost expert in circumcision. He does a wonderful job and is a very nice guy and my guess is that he might be able to tell you the options and give his opinion on the best way to go.
We also received a ''conservative'' circumcision that left too much skin, causing adhesions (but fortunately, no serious complications). At 18 months, our son was scheduled for an unrelated surgery, and his urologist recommended we have the circ repaired at the same time. It required general anesthesia and lots of stitches. It was sensitive for a few days, and needed neosporin for a few weeks. It healed well and is now completely normal looking and maintenance-free. We are happy not to have to worry about complications--medical, aesthetic or psychological--and are very happy with the results. Anyway, that was our experience. I am not sure that a partial circumcision ''works'' the same way as an uncircumcised penis, but if what you are doing now is effective, it may be the perfect solution for you. Maybe you should check with a urologist to make sure you are on the right track? anon
Redo 10-month-old's circumcision?
Sept 2004
I have a 10month old son who was born 21/2 premature.Due to that fact we couldn't get him circumcised at the hospital before we left so had to do it a few months later.But the doctor did not do a good job.I was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. We are looking for a doctor who can probably do a better job and if it is possible at this age.any advice,recommendations?
You didn't describe what your concerns are with your son's circumcision? Our younger son was circumcised in S. America using a procedure that was not common in the U.S. at the time. His foreskin wasn't completely removed, but the procedure was otherwise well done. We were unfamiliar with the 'look' but quickly got used to it. But of course I'm not sure if our experience applies to yours. Good luck. Mother of sons
My son was circumcised by a resident at Oakland Kaiser using a little plastic bell which was not completely successful and left a little of the foreskin still attached on one size. I fretted about it for a while and then forgot about it. He's 22 now and as far as I know it is a non-issue for him or his girlfriend of 3 years (I assume she has seen it but who knows? - this is not a topic sons are eager to discuss with their moms!). When he was 15 or 16 the topic of circumcision came up and I told him about the botched job - told him we could get it fixed if he wanted. He looked at me like I was suggesting we have his ears removed. So either he never noticed that his circumcision is not perfect, or he doesn't care. Not a big deal - don't worry
Fixing Problem Circumcision
March 2002
My son was circumcised when he was 3 weeks old. The foreskin subsequently re-grew and re-covered the head of his penis, apparently even to a greater extent than would be found in an uncircumcised boy. We were referred to a pediatric urologist who said he would have to be recircumcised (at around 11 months). My son has no problems urinating, or anything else related to this that I have been able to see. I am really concerned that we will be taking the risk of putting him under general anesthetic for something that is maybe not so important (?). I wonder if anyone else has experienced this problem, and if so, what you did for your son. Specifically my questions are (1) should we do this? (2) if yes, should we do it now or wait until he is older? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! You can respond to me directly if you prefer. Thanks!
Save your son the pain and risk of a second cosmetic surgery on his penis. Let him keep all those healthy nerve endings & he will thank you as an adult. The presence of a foreskin is not a medical condition that needs to treated. If you leave his body alone, you will know you made the right decision, if you cut him you will never know if you made the right decision. Consider what kind of message will you be sending him; either that his penis/body is wonderful as it is, or that it is wrong and needs to be fixed. - Mom of two happy boys
One thought would be to get a 2nd opinion from a physician who has specialized training in intact/noncircumcized penises. You can get referrals from the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers 415-488-9883 or www.nocirc.org - they can refer you to a local physician with training in care of the intact penis and their website has lots of other information that you might find helpful. Or you might try calling Dr. Paul Fleiss in Los Angeles, an internationally recognized expert in this area. He is available for phone consults at 323-664-1977. Jen
Hi! Usually the problem is the opposite, that not enough skin is taken... The denuded skin on the penile shaft will epithelialize over (just like it does on the head of the penis), usually with a good cosmetic result. I do understand though, that at first, the way it looks might be upsetting to you! If he has healed and you still feel like there is a problem, I would ask for a referral from your pediatrician to pediatric urology - try Dr. Baskin at UCSF. Disclosure: I'm a pediatric nurse practitioner.