Circumcision medically refers to the narrow opening of the foreskin, so that the foreskin cannot be flipped to reveal the head of the penis. There are two types: congenital and acquired.
Congenital prepuce, also called physiological prepuce, is seen in almost every normal newborn and infant. The foreskin and the head of the penis stick together at birth, and generally after the age of 3-4, the foreskin can retract upward on its own. Some children have a very narrow foreskin opening that prevents the foreskin from retracting, which can result in what is usually called prepuce. Acquired prepuce is mostly secondary to circumcision of the head of the penis and injury to the foreskin and head of the penis.
Common manifestations: Difficulty in urination, thin urine line, and foreskin puffing up during urination. Long-term difficulty in urination can cause anal prolapse and even vesicoureteral reflux and hydronephrosis. Circumcised children are prone to the formation of foreskin scale, which can induce inflammation of the glans penis.
Treatment: If the newborn has no penile head infection or urinary tract infection, there is no need to deal with it, and it can be separated on its own.
For symptomatic children can first repeatedly try to turn up the foreskin in order to expand the foreskin mouth, and often wash the head of the penis.
If the above methods of treatment do not work, and if there are repeated episodes of penile head circumcision, circumcision can be performed in the hospital.
The advantage of circumcision is that it can reduce urinary tract infections, especially foreskin infections and penile head infections. It can reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and the incidence of penile cancer and cervical cancer.