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     INFORMATIVE VIDEOS: 
    
Facing Circumcision  Eight Physicians Tell Their Stories
     Restoration in Focus  
Instructional Video for Foreskin Restoration
     They Cut Babies, Don't They?  
One Man's Struggle Against Circumcision
     Whose Body, Whose Rights?   Award-winning documentary seen on PBS!

THE BOOK THAT EXPOSES IT ALL: 
    
Circumcision Exposed
Rethinking a Medical and
Cultural Tradition

FORESKIN RESTORATION with:
The P.U.D.  new low pricing!
and The VacuTrac at special pricing!
plus the Foreballs device

 

Study Shows Circumcised Boys
are Prone to Penis Problems

Sex & Health, March 1998


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"It's the exact opposite of what parents have been told to do for the last 50 years."

Of all the factors parents consider when deciding whether to circumcise a newborn boy, hygiene typically tops the list. But a surprising new study published in the British Journal of Urology challenges that notion. Not only do circumcised toddlers require more care, but they're far more likely to develop penis problems than their intact counterparts, says study author Robert S. Van Howe, M.D., a pediatrician at Marshfield Clinic in Minocqua, Wisconsin.

"It's the exact opposite of what parents have been told to do for the last 50 years." Here's what Dr. Van Howe concludes:

There's no medical reason to circumcise. In fact, there may be a good reason to leave well enough alone. Dr. Van Howe's study of 468 boys found that 54 percent of circumcised boys under age three had minor penile problems, such as swellings and skin adhesions. Only 5 percent of their uncut brethren had such irritation.

Retract and wash daily. While he recommends leaving an uncircumcised boy's penis alone until the child can retract his foreskin himself, Dr. Van Howe advises parents of circumcised infants and toddlers to retract any remaining skin doctors typically leave behind. If this skin is not drawn back and washed, adhesions can form between it and the head of the penis. These adhesions in turn can form scars and bumps. In fact, 44 percent of the circumcised kids in the study had penile problems that could have been prevented through proper hygiene.

Bring concerns to your doctor. Any redness or irritation that lasts for more than three days may indicate an infection and needs medical treatment," says Van Howe.

Since fewer than 15 percent of the penis problems in the study were detected by parents, it's important to ask your doctor to give your son a thorough genital exam during his regular checkups.

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Last updated: 28 February, 2012
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