Does the baby feel the circumcision?
Circumcision performed at The Circumcision Clinic is undertaken with local anaesthesia. The baby will briefly feel the injection of anaesthesia, but will not feel the procedure itself.
Circumcision should never be undertaken without local anaesthesia. Sugar coated pacifiers or other distraction techniques are not a replacement for a full local anaesthetic block.
Are there medical benefits?
Whilst there is some evidence that circumcision can reduce transmission of HIV and also reduce the incidence of penile cancer neither of these are reasons to undertake infant circumcision.
Does circumcision affect sexual function later in life?
There is no conclusive evidence that sexual function is affected by circumcision in either a positive or negative way.
What after care is required?
Use of the plastibell® method makes aftercare from a circumcision very simple. The plastibell® prevents bleeding from the circumcised skin edge and leaves no raw areas. This means that there is no need to have bandages or dressings applied to the penis.
The plastibell® is also firmly attached and cannot be accidentally dislodged by normal cleaning and nappy care. Therefore, you can change the nappy using your regular cleaning and barrier cream regimen. In addition it is fine to bathe or shower your baby whenever you want to.
The plastibell® has a large hole at the tip which allows free passage of urine. Your baby will feel no discomfort from urinating. At between 5 and 8 days the plastibell® will come away spontaneously making the circumcision complete.
Do we need to bring our baby back in for a check up?
You do not need to routinely bring your baby in for a check up after the circumcision.
However, should you have any concerns you will be given out of hours contact numbers from our team so you can get in touch with us at any time. If you have any concerns over the appearance of the baby's penis you are also welcome to take a digital photograph and email it to us for advice.
In addition we are always happy to see you back in clinic at any time if you want to see us in person. There is no charge for follow up at any time. Having said that, complications and the need for follow up are rare.
What is the technique you use called?
We circumcise male babies using the plastibell® method.
This technique has been developed to minimize pain and bleeding for the baby whilst greatly reducing the risk of damaging the penis. It uses a surgical tie (or ligature) to hold the foreskin to a cylinder of plastic (the plastibell®). This ligature cuts off the blood supply to the foreskin which then withers away in the same way as the umbilical cord does after birth. The foreskin will then separate from the penis after 5 to 8 days and will fall off painlessly along with the plastibell®.
The finish is very neat as the ligature is held in a circular groove on the plastibell® making the divided edge of the skin symmetrical.
What is the cost?
The cost is $795 and is fully inclusive of the pre-operation advice, procedure and any required follow up. The full amount is required on the day, we accept cash, Eftpos, Visa, Mastercard and Afterpay. Please note there is a 2% surcharge on credit card and paywave transactions.
Why do you only circumcise the male baby up to 6 weeks of age?
We feel that circumcision should be performed on a newborn as they are unaware of the procedure. We also have a specially developed bed that comfortably holds the baby still for the procedure. Meaning that we can both be more surgically accurate and there is no need for anyone to hold the baby still. This bed is developed to hold small babies and cannot support a male child once it is much larger than 6 weeks old.
Having said that we do not have a strict cut off at 6 weeks and will consider an older baby based on size. This of course means that small babies and those born prematurely can be circumcised at a later age.
However, please call the clinic as soon as possible to make your booking as we do not guarantee that we will perform surgery in a baby over 6 weeks of age.
Do you make the penis numb before you circumcise?
We do not support circumcising without local anaesthetic. Whilst the baby will not remember the procedure we feel that causing unnecessary pain at the time is unacceptable.
Prior to starting the circumcision, an injection will be put around the base of the penis which will make the whole penis numb for the next 2 hours.
Is it cruel to circumcise babies?
There are widely diverse opinions on whether circumcision of infant boys is acceptable or not. Professional medical bodies agree that the decision to circumcise is one for the parents to make. Parents are best placed to decide on the most appropriate care for their children as they can consider the wider social and cultural aspects of the child's environment.
Conversely, if circumcision is to occur, it is paramount that it be undertaken by a qualified medical practitioner using local anaesthesia.
Where are you located?
The Circumcision Clinic has clinics throughout New Zealand.