Should I get circumcised?

Question

I'm having some hygeine issues as well as a painful foreskin. Should I get circumcised as my urologist recommends? How much will it cost?

No "copy and paste" answers please.

I should have added quotes around "recommended". My urologist said quote "I would suggest a circumcision. You may not absolutely need it right now, but down the road you'll probably have to get it done anyway"

Oh and I wash there regularly, so the hygeine thing is still happening regardless of that.

Answer 1

Is your foreskin painful because of irritation/infection or because of phimosis, where it's too narrow/tight to be pulled back? If you're experiencing severe cases of both, either frequent and recurrent irritation/infection, or severe phimosis where erections are painful, then circumcision is definitely an option.

If you don't want a circumcision, or want it to be a last resort, then there are a couple things you can try first. If you're foreskin hurts due to phimosis, don't try to pull it back as that'll make things worse. Just wash the outside area with water and mild soap. If your foreskin hurts due to irritations/infections, then it may be caused by a chemical agent. You may want to try using just water when washing the area in that case. Scented soaps can cause irritations and such. Let your foreskin "heal" up a little so it stops hurting before you try to "fix" it.

If it is phimosis, then you can try stretching exercises on the opening. This usually works in the majority of cases. Take two fingers and stretch the opening of the foreskin as far as it'll go without pain or major discomfort (like increasing its radius) by hooking a finger on either side of the opening. It's a bit hard to describe and may take several tries. Once you get the hang of it, do this exercise for a few minutes each day for a few weeks to a month.

If after that time it doesn't work, ask your doctor about prescriptions creams first. The creams usually work especially when combined with the stretching exercises. If after another few weeks and you see no results, then you really should consider surgical options. If by this point you still don't want a circumcision there are alternatives, surgically. Your urologist may/may not know about them, so might as well point them out. See link for one of the better options. If it's phimosis, you can leave circumcision to be your last resort.

Now, if your foreskin hurts because it's an irritation/infection and NOT phimosis, then that's a different case. Again, it may be due to a chemical agent, like certain soaps or detergents. If this is the case, it's really easy to fix. If you've tried everything and it still hurts, then you really might want to consider circumcision, or a partial circumcision if you're uneasy about the idea.

Answer 2

A urologist has recommended it. He needs your positive answer so he can proceed. Since it is a medical problem, your medical insurance, if you have it, should cover the cost or most of it. If not, your doctor may work out a pay schedule. Even hospitals do that. Most expensive: about $1500. Least $100-$200. Even if you are not Jewish, a mohel (circumciser) recommended by a rabbi may do it for less. They are very skilled but you need to ask how many successful adult circumcisions he has done. The same is true of any surgeon. Islamic circumcisers are also available here and there.

I say go for it. It is an outpatient procedure. Many are back at work or school in a few days. There is no pain. Local anesthesia is used. Some discomfort afterward. No sex for a month. Results: Easy hygiene. Full penile sexual feelings. Better sex. Complications are very rare. Accepted in many cultures. Desirable by women. Better look and helpful in her orgasm.

It is not true that circumcisions in the USA are decreasing. The only thing that has changed are the new places it is being done. There are no more hospital statistics or others since 1996.
It is not mutilation only plastic surgery and in your case necessary. It doesn't make the doctors rich.

Answer 3

no you shouldn't have it done, your obviously in america and the doctors dont know how to care for intact penis's because so many babies have been getting cut for so long therefore they've forgotten over last 100 yrs how to care for penis.
If it's too tight you can have the skin stretched just by using your fingers to stretch it daily for a few minutes. You should go to a different urologist because many men get circumcised when they really never had to, just the doctor doesn't know any better. Once you take care of your issue w/o circumcision your foreskin will feel errogoneous again or if you've always had issues then it will become errogoneous. There is no skin on any part of the body that doesn't have feeling and the most sensitive part of a man's body is no exception. Many men who been cut as adults say it's worst mistake ever unless for guys with medical problems like yourself, obviously it would feel better if you had issues if it was cut off, but u can easily deal with those issues w/o cutting it off and it would feel even better because you have foreskin.
So take care of it, find out how from a different doctor who knows how to care for penis's, and you'll be fine, and if your having hygeine issues learn how to clean it in another way, you sholdn't cut off that skin for that, some woman have hygine issues but they learn how to deal with it another way. Just look on the internet for different cleaning methods of for ways to deal painful foreskin
o yea and if you pee then wipe the last dribble's off or shake em out or if you smell bad altoghet like even bad breath etc then you should drink more water and eat fruit cuz bad breath or body odour is caused by dehydration or by the foods u eat etc

Answer 4

I would suggest no. Why would you want to do this unless it was doctor recommended? It is a MAJOR medical procedure and you may take a long time to recover. If you have continuous issues, you should talk with a urologist about solving them. I would believe most urologists would not immediately recommend circumcision unless they have a personal bias or disinterest in dealing with your issue. If he thinks that's the only option, I would get a second opinion first.

Personally, I would need a very compelling reason for lopping off a part of my body, especially one as sensitive and "important" as my penis. Although it's the norm in America, more and more pediatricians (I work with many) are recommending against the practice because of limited evidence of purpose. Best of luck.

Answer 5

Hygiene problems with foreskin is pretty much a myth used to promote male mutilation by doctors and religious nuts. Over 2 billion men are not circumcised, do you hear about their penises falling off from disease?

Just wash your penis well when you shower, and you should not have any hygeine problems unless you don't touch it like some guys have been taught. It is ok to touch yourself, and important to do so in order to pull back the foreskin and clean well. Painful foreskin can also be caused by poor hygiene and lack of retraction--you need to let it heal, then practice pulling it back to loosen it up.

Answer 6

The fact that you ask this question indicates you need a second opinion. Any medical professional who is reputable will even suggest you seek one if they are worth a damn. As far as the rest of the pro/con circumcision crowd....statistics can be made to show whatever you want, trends are just that trends. Name me one other piece of the human anatomy we remove. If it is such a healthy procedure and much cleaner I wonder why we don't include young females in this wonderful "rite". Seriously there are circumstances where the procedure is necessary, yours may be one of these, get a second opinion, because no profession is without its imbeciles. Doctors still practice diabetic therapies that are 20 years out of date because they don't trust all this "new fangled" stuff they send out from the Mayo clinic. and if excess folds of skin are terribly "filthy as some posters suggest perhaps they need to view an anatomically correct vagina....nope no folds of skin there*chuckling*Be well.

Answer 7

I would definitely suggest getting a second opinion on this. It is really rare for circumcision to be medically necessary, but some doctors, for religious or other reasons, are prejudiced in its favor. This is a serious loss of a body part, and it can never be put back, so you need to be absolutely sure that there is no less-invasive way of dealing with your problem. Good luck, and I hope you can keep your foreskin!

Answer 8

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!
I don't know where SCUBA got his statistics from, but the rate of circumcision in the U.S. is steadily declining and has been since the 1960s. The AMA has recently revised its previous recommendation for routine infant circumcisions and has stated that it is not justifiable based on current research.

Hey SCUBA, show me a reliable reference that show conclusively that circumcised males have a shorter life span than those left intact! If being circumcised is SO beneficial, then why aren't intact males lifespans much shorter and the incidence of penile cancer and all other medical ailments attributed to the foreskin obliterated with the procedure? As far as male circumcision being different than female circumcision, explain your position on this. If the clitoris' only purpose is to provide sexual pleasure, then why not remove it to prevent possible future occurences of skin cancer? Could happen? Don't swallow all that nonsense that is reported about the benefits or circumcision. Think for yourself!

For those of you who say circumcision does not hurt - please view the following and then look yourself in the mirror and try to say it again with a straight face!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6901800056639202215&hl=en

Please do not think for a minute that a hygiene problem, no matter how servere you think it is, should be corrected by surgery. If you are not educated enough on the topic of circumcision and the benefit of having a foreskin, then please go to the following link and become so. Circumcision removes over 50% of all erogenous genital tissue and over 20,000 nerves. It removes the frenulum, frenar band and reduces blood flow. By removing the foreskin, you expose the glans to the elements which can desensitize it further. Circumcision is NOT necessary in your case. It does not take a Medical Doctor to know this. If your problem in hygiene, discuss ways to provide the necessary practice to correct your issue. If you are having symptoms of phimosis (inability to retract your foreskin when erect), then educate yourself about manual tissue expansion and stretching techniques. I was circumcised as an infant and am currently in the process of restoring my foreskin. If any out there are interested in finding out more about the process please go here:

http://www.cirp.org/pages/restore.html

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/

http://www.norm.org/whyrestore.html

No disrespect intended to the girls out there, but no female has ANY business suggesting that a man have his foreskin removed. Would a female accept a male telling her to have her clitoris removed because it emits a strong offensive odor? Yeah, right! Please don't propogate the advise to have circumcisions performed without educating yourselves first and never just accept what a doctor tells you...particularly if he is telling you to amputate your most sensitive erotic tissue.

Good Luck,
-Rob

Answer 9

Absolutely. That sounds like it could lead to some very uncomfortable complications. It shouldn't be all that much compared to other procedures. You could shop around so to speak. It is amazing how much difference there can be in the costs of procedures between different hospitals. I'm thinking you might not even have to be put under for that. I'm no doc, but that's my 2 cents. Good luck. You are brave!

Answer 10

Scuba is right, circumcision is increasing I have read in the newspapers.

Choose CIRCUMCISION.

Circumcised is definitely better.

CIRCUMCISION IS PAINLESS WITH ANESTHESIA, EASY AND VIRTUALLY NO-RISK

Most women prefer a man with a circumcised penis because it may move inside them in a less friction-based manner. Once he is inside the vagina, the circumcised penis may easily slide up and down to create pleasure for both partners.

There are several advantages for circumcised men when it comes to sexuality. First is that circumcised male have no need to worry about daily cleansing of his foreskin. Meanwhile, men with an uncircumcised foreskin must take special care to move it up and down and clean it inside its covered areas to avoid odors or serious infection because of material buildup. Consequently, there might be some bacteria and germs that could surface thus affect their sexual health.

Safe sex is an added concern for uncircumcised men and their partners. Men with foreskins occasionally have difficulty finding the right condom or keeping one on during penetrative sexual activity. That spells trouble in bed as well as generates unneeded anxiety.