Frequently asked questions

Phimosis and circumcision

Question: My son is 4 months old, but the balanus is not seen yet. Our pediatrician's diagnosis is phimosis. What should we do? Is circumcision necessary?
Answer: Your son most likely has physiological phimosis. Only 15% of children at the age of 3 months have an open balanus. The operation is not necessary.

Question: At what age can circumcision be done? My son is 2 months old.
Answer: Circumcision can be performed to a healthy child since one month old.

Question: My child is 3 years and 7 months old. When he urinates, a "ball" bulges at the end of the balanus and urine oozes in a thin stream. What should we do?
Answer: Your child is to be examined by an urologist-andrologist. Your description is typical of cicatricial phimosis that requires planned surgical treatment.

Question: I have noticed that the tip of my son's prepuce is constantly red and a white substance can be seen under it. My son is 3 years and 6 months old. We were told to perform circumcision, though the balanus is half-seen. Is it necessary to perform circumcision?
Answer: Your son is likely to have synechial fusion of prepuce (these are commissures between the balanus and prepuce). White substance is smegma. Circumcision is not necessary. It is better to separate commissures under local anesthesia, and thus the problem will be solved.

Question: My son is 2 years and 3 months old. The balanus is half-seen. Is circumcision necessary?
Answer: It is physiological phimosis. There are no medical indications for circumcision.

Question: Our child is 5 years old. A pediatrician of kindergarten said our son has cicatricial phimosis and immediate operation was required. How urgent is it?
Answer: If it is just cicatricial phimosis there is no emergency in the operation. It can be a planned one.

Question: My younger son is 4 years old. After examinations we were told he had commissures and that there was a necessity to separate them. Our elder son has gone through such a procedure, and it was very painful. Is it possible to avoid this operation or whether it can be performed under general anesthesia?
Answer: Commissures can be separated under local anesthesia and if won't be painful. General anesthesia is not necessary.

Question: Our son is 8 years old. Within the last 3 months the balanus is not seen (though it was seen before) and the balanus' tip is constantly red. What should we do?
Answer: Examination of a doctor is necessary. This is probably cicatricial phimosis, which has formed after inflammatory process of prepuce.

Question: Our surgeon examined the boy and said the latter needed immediate balanus release. But he is only 2 years old and complains of nothing. Should we go to hospital?
Answer: If there are no complains, if a baby is 2years such an operation should be done on no account.

Question: My son was circumcised when he has 2 years old. This was done in the country. 6 months have already passed, but the balanus is still not seen. Is in normal?
Answer: This indicates that the operation was performed incorrectly.

Question: We are Moslems and our son is 3 years old. And the diagnosis is hypospadias. What is it and when he can be circumcised?
Answer: Given hypospadias, circumcision is contraindicated.

Question on other topics:

Varicocele

Scrotal hydrocele

Inguinal hernia

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