Are there any mother's who chose to circumcision her son purely for aesthetic reasons?

Question

I know there are a lot of reasons why women choose to circumcise their boys. But mainly for religious and health reasons. I am 28 weeks pregnant with a boy and I've talked to a lot of mothers and read a bunch of articles to get an idea whether to circumcise or not. I'm only debating it because of the health benefits, although I'm not sure if there are any. My husband is uncircumcised and he said he got teased a lot when he was a kid but I'm not sure if it's because he was uncircumcised (he's not very well endowed and that could be why). As of right now I'm pretty set on leaving my son intact. I was surprised to hear that a lot of women had their boys circumcised simply because they think it looks better, although a few did state religious reasons and cleanliness reasons. I can't imagine why women would put their boys through so much pain just because they don't like the way an intact penis looks. Is there any justification for aesthetic circumcision?

Answer 1

My son was a preemie and to small to be circumcised at birth, so he was about six months old when it was done, and they completley put him under for it, and when he woke up he didn't act like it hurt him at all, not even when I cleaned it off. So it appeared not to cause him any pain. It is much cleaner and more sanitary for him and his future partner, easier to clean, and, I'm going to be honest, it looks better. I don't want him to be teased in the locker room as a adolescent because he didn't get circumcised. I don't feel guilty for wanting the best for my son. Plus, every man who is circumcised whom I've talked too is glad they are. I have a cousin who had to be circumcised as a teen due to infections, and he was in a lot of pain for a week, its so much better to do it early than to make him decide to do it later in life. Good luck, I'm sure whatever choice you make will be the right one for your family! Congrats!

EDIT---Listen folks...this issue is for every family to make on their own, we can just offer the story of what it was like for us. I didn't go throught the answers and give a thumbs down to everyone who I disagreed with, and I think it is very immature to do so. I don't attempt to tell anyone else how to raise their child, and if I think circumcision is best for my son, then thats what I will do.

Answer 2

I was on the fence about it at first and after talking it over with my b/f we decided to do it. I had it done because I didn't want him to feel different when he got older, children can be cruel. I pictured him in a locker room getting made fun of for having a "coverd wagon" and decided that I wanted to spare him the ridicule. Then the day came to have it done and as the nurse tokk him away I cried. I felt even more guilty when he was returned to me and I saw how raw his penis was.Even though he didn't seem to be in pain it was a pitiful sight. I regreted it right then and there. BUT that was my own guilt because he was fine. Even during diaper changes he seemed to be ok and it healed completely within a few days.Looking back I'm glad I got it done. A few moments of pain to spare him a lifetime of it. Thats how I see it anyway.

Answer 3

they dont remember it and the pain lasts for like 2 seconds...my doctor said that it is worse later in life....so if your son grows up and wants it done it hurts him worse....do you want your son to go through the pain now or later when he will remember it.....my son is circumcised and he still loves me....

Answer 4

Both of my sons are uncircumcised and have had no problems. They keep that area clean. When they were born, there was a big issue about whether it really needed to be done or not. If you wanted it done, you had to go thru tons of paperwork and miles of red tape....even the doctors did not recommend it. Now, it seems to be the thing to do. As long as you teach him how to pull the skin back and keep it clean, there should be no problems.

Answer 5

The fact that there are so many moms on here that believe the maintenance of an open wound kept in a diaper is more hygienic than leaving their infant intact is mind-boggling.

Infant foreskins DO NOT RETRACT! They're not supposed to and you're not supposed to "help" it along. Consider the adhesion of the foreskin to the glans as you would unopened eyes on a newborn kitten. You don't go forcing newborn kitten eyes open, do you? A baby's foreskin will retract on its own, but usually not for several years (some even longer). Until it does, you clean the penis as you would a finger or a toe -- simply swish. There is no pulling back skin and cleaning underneath. The foreskin is self-cleaning, just as a girl's vagina is self-cleaning. If you pull the foreskin back before it has separated and retracted on its own, you'll inevitably cause tiny tears in his skin which leave him open to infection.

I think the simple misunderstanding of how to care for a natural penis is what has led to the preference of altered genitals. The intact penis gained a reputation for being "dirty" and prone to infection because mothers were being given (and some are still given) poor advice from doctors or parents who grew up in a generation that was/is pro-circumcision, meanwhile the circumcised penis was covered in gauze and antibacterial goop and seemed virtually infection free (try getting an eye infection with no eyelids). Personally, I prefer leaving the foreskin intact because it's your child's first defense against infection and will serve a very important purpose later in life when he's sexually mature (follow link below).

** Warning! **
The following website contains adult content and graphic images.
http://www.sexasnatureintendedit.com/10F/1hook_scrapes.html
** Warning! **


Like it or not, your child will probably be teased in school for a variety of reasons. His genitals may or may not be one of those reasons. You should teach your child to be proud of who he is and to be proud of his body. I believe that a parent that surgically alters their child in this way is inadvertently teaching that child to be ashamed of his body (or showing the child that they were ashamed of his body).


Edit to add:

My partner is circumcised and everytime I look at him, I can't help but feel sorry that he isn't whole but I wouldn't dare hurt his feelings by telling him so. I left our son intact because a circumcision can be done at any time in life, but can never be undone. There are restoration therapies for circumcised men who want to regain some of the benefits of having a foreskin, but it's not the same. The foreskin is a powerhouse of nerves and is a highly sensitive part of a man's erogenous zone. I'm not about to take that away from my son. Men who were cut at birth don't know what they're missing and many of those who were cut later in life regret their decision, hence restoration therapy.

Answer 6

There is no medical reason to circumcise, so really, ALL people do it for aesthetic purposes whether they think they are or not. It's nothing more than cosmetic surgery.

Thank you for questioning circumcision! I really hope you leave your son intact. He's born with his foreskin for a reason =)

Answer 7

Well, first of all... I dont remember my circumcision, so I cant speak for the pain. They dont just snip it with no regard to pain anymore though. Also, cleanliness is the main reason. Forget the religous crap. Religion is the worst excuse for a lot of our fallacies. The penis does look better, as any woman would agree to Im sure. And sure, maybe they laughed at your husbands wee-wee in the locker room partly because it was small, but I guarantee you that the elephant nose look will garner the most ridicule and your son will thank you for it in the long run, that is until someone tells him he has a small weanee because you had it clipped, which is not true.

Answer 8

There are small health benefits to getting circumcised, but if you plan to teach your son how to clean his penis well and don't send him off to a country where every other woman has HIV/AIDS it really won't have much of an effect for him.

I think a lot of parents used to circumcise their sons because it was the common thing to do, so their sons would look out of place if they didn't have it done. Some ladies my age and older have never even seen an uncircumcised penis! But things aren't like they were before, and circumcision is less common nowadays so nobody really cares.

Answer 9

It isn't only for his health but his future partners health also. My best friend dated a guy who wasn't circumcised and she was constantly getting infections. Broke up with him and no problems. You have to be careful and be sure and clean well.

Oh and as for the pain, I don't know a man alive who was circumcised as an infant who remembers the pain.

Answer 10

I circumcised my son because I did not want him teased plus it looks better and you do not have to keep it clean and sanitized with an uncircumcised you have to pull back the foreskin to clean it and it can get infected very easy it is not painful to the baby but this is you choice Good luck

Answer 11

Yes, aesthetics is a perfectly appropriate reason for a man to choose circumcision for himself. It's his body, after all.

But for parents to have irreversible cosmetic surgery on an infant? That's a lousy reason.