Male Circumcision
The optimal age at our clinic is 1-4 weeks but we are happy to perform the procedure on babies up to the age of 10 weeks.
No, your baby does not require a referral letter to obtain a Medicare rebate.
We use the Plastibell technique at our clinic. It is safe and easy to manage after the operation. It involves placing a plastic ring between the head of the penis and the foreskin. A string is tied tightly around the foreskin and the excess skin is removed. The ring stays comfortably in place for 3-5 days before spontaneously falling off. This technique takes 10 minutes.
There are no dressings to manage but this method does require frequent and liberal application of Vaseline during the post-operative period.
Babies may benefit from a dose or two of Panadol in the first 24 hours following the procedure, but rarely anything after that.
Complications are low in neonates.
Complications of circumcision in an infant with the Plastibell technique are all rare.
Occasionally, there can be bleeding which is mostly treated conservatively but may require further intervention.
Infection is also a rare complication. The signs to look for include redness, pus, or abnormal smell from the circumcision site.
Meatal stenosis is a narrowing of the end of the urethra. We prevent this by using Vaseline on the tip of the penis following the operation and whilst the child is wearing nappies.
Suboptimal cosmetic result is another rare possibility.
Our patients are provided with emergency contact numbers for our clinic doctors for the immediate post-operative period.
We recommend a single dose of paracetamol 45 min prior to your appointment if your baby is over 4 weeks of age AND 4kg weight.
Your baby is given 1mL sucrose orally at the time of procedure, which is proven to reduce procedural pain for infants.
The baby will undergo a nerve block with local anaesthetic which will also prevent the baby from having any sensation in the area during the procedure. This will last for a number of hours following the procedure. Once this wears off, your baby should not require any further pain relief.
It is not unusual for a baby to sleep 6-8 hours after the procedure and to miss a feed.
Some babies will be irritable for a number of minutes to hours afterwards.
Behaviourally, most babies are back to themselves within 24-48 hours.
After the procedure, treat the penis as normal with bathing and cleaning when changing the nappy. If any of your baby's poop is on or near the wound, gently clean it as you normally would before putting the new nappy on. Apply Vasoline to the entire head of the penis and a gauze square every nappy change. You may need to use a Q-tip to do this.
After 3-5 days, the shaft skin will become red and the ring will start to separate. If the ring is hanging on by a small amount, leave the ring in place and continue to lather in Vaseline until it falls off by itself. By pulling off the ring you may cause significant bleeding.
Once the ring is off, continue to apply Vasoline to the entire head of the penis, especially around the edge of the head (corona) every nappy change for 4 weeks. You may need to continue this a few nights per week until the baby is out of nappies.
If the ring has slipped down on the shaft and the whole head of the penis is exposed, it is in the incorrect place and can cut off the blood supply.
This is an EMERGENCY and the ring needs to be removed as soon s possible.
Please call your clinic doctor IMMEDIATELY or attend your local emergency department.
We will organise a check up at 2-4 weeks following the procedure but can see any patients that are worried or concerned earlier.
For those living out of town, please organise a review with your GP or paediatrician.
We also routinely review patients at 6 months.
Due to the nature of the consultation and procedure, we do not offer telehealth appointments.
Penis size is mostly determined by genetics, which influence its physical traits.
An uncircumcised penis can look slightly larger when flaccid because the foreskin adds some bulk — about one-third of the total length. During an erection, the foreskin retracts, so it doesn’t affect erect size.
Circumcision doesn’t change penile tissues or size when erect, though a circumcised penis may appear a bit smaller when flaccid.
In the few months following the circumcision the layers of skin are trying to heal themselves and often the remaining inner layer of the foreskin will reattach to the head of the penis. This can be prevented by regularly retracting the foreskin and cleaning underneath as well as applying Vaseline.
If reattachments do occur, the baby may feel a tugging sensation during erections or you may see a white discharge (smegma) collecting under the skin where the shaft and head of penis are stuck together. These adhesions can appear as a band of skin connecting the shaft to the head of the penis, sometimes creating a "buried" or "hidden" look and the "mushroom-shape" has disappeared.
Adhesions can be easily separated with minor discomfort in our office or a topical treatment can be prescribed if necessary. This is not a major problem and we are happy to review these children in the rooms non-urgently. Equally, the adhesions may undergo spontaneous separation at some stage in the future.
Please take a look at the associated photos in our online gallery.
Please contact our office for up-to-date consultation and service fees as well as Medicare rebates.