anesthesia

The operation of foreskin removal from the penis, known as well as circumcision, has its own medical pros and contras. On the one hand, the circumcision brings obvious benefits to the patient. On the other hand, it is connected with certain risks. The benefits are as follows: much less risk of acquiring a urinary tract infection; the same goes for diseases transmitted through having sex and even for penile cancer. Among the involved risks one finds: the surgery might be quite painful, there is a possibility, though not significant, of bleeding or getting an infection. The older the person – a baby, a boy, an adult man – the higher the risks become.

According to reputable sources of medical clinical research there are certain evidences that the circumcision brings down the risks of some adverse conditions for male infants, such as:

• Emergence of penis cancer

• Diseases that most often are transmitted by the way of a sexual intercourse (including HIV that leads to deadly AIDS)

• Various penile infectious diseases

• The syndrome of a very tight foreskin that practically “glues” it to the penis head and prevents it from retracting because the opening is too small(phimosis)

• Infectious diseases of the urinary tract.

What ate the actual risks of the circumcision surgery? All in all, they are as follows:

• Possibility of bleeding.

• Possibility of catching some infection or a chance that the penis will be traumatized.

• The surgery leaves the foreskin around the penis head very red, raw and sensitive.

Are there any considerable benefits acquired through this surgery operation?

The well-established health benefits of the circumcision include:

• Better and more convenient penile hygiene. A circumcised penis is much easier to wash thoroughly (though it should be admitted that washing of an uncircumcised does not require so much trouble either).

• The risk of getting a urinary tract infection is significantly decreased. Though the serious risk of getting a problem with urinary tract infection during the first year of infancy is not very high, the research demonstrates that uncircumcised baby boys are up to 10 times more likely to acquire it than the circumcised ones. Ant the adverse effects of the infection suffered so early in life can later become the cause for kidney problems.

• Some penile problems are avoided. For instance it happens so that an uncircumcised baby boy suffers from phimosis that means too small opening of the foreskin, which makes it difficult or impossible to retract the skin. This can results in inflammation of the penis head.

• The risk of emergency of penile cancer is much lower. As was demonstrated by statistics research, the number of cases with cancer of the penis happens to be noticeably lower among the circumcised men.

Much fewer chances to catch some disease that is commonly transmitted through the sexual intercourse. Of course, one should make it a habit to practice safe sex or none. Nevertheless, circumcised men are slightly less likely to get certain sexually transmitted diseases, including the very dangerous HIV, the virus, which can cause the deadly AIDS.

Are there any disadvantages to the circumcision method?

Yes, we regret to say, there are some disadvantages to this method. They are as follows:

• The risks caused by the necessity to undergo surgery. There is a possibility – though a very slight, but still real – to suffer bleeding and infection. Even the most experienced professionals do make mistakes – and your foreskin may be cut too short or too long. It is also possible that you will suffer problems with proper healing after the surgery. In some cases the remaining foreskin attaches itself back to the penis head, so another surgery is required to correct the irregularity.

• The surgery is painful. It really hurts when being circumcised. Local anesthesia is required; otherwise a patient will not be able to stand it to the end of operation.

Circumcision is not a major operation and is commonly done in the hospital as an ambulatory procedure by using local anesthesia. For very small children, general anesthesia is recommended.

But as the practice shows, the chances to get problems after circumcision are very low. Anyway, do not hesitate to contact the doctor in the following cases:

• Upon six to eight hours after the circumcision your son is not able to urinate in a normal way.

• The area of the circumcision is constantly bleeding, is very raw and red.

• The area of the circumcision exudes foul smell, you see sores that are covered with crust, it oozes some fluids.