Host: I heard the news lately about circumcision, it's always discussed, sometimes you should sometimes you shouldn't, what is your opinion on circumcision? I am not talking ritual we are talking if a baby is born today should you circumcise your kid or shouldn't you circumcise your kid?
Guest: Oh, we know there are like cultural differences in circumcision but if we disregard the cultural issues, the American Academy of Pediatrics does state there are some advantages to circumcision especially in the young, in the neonatal period, there is a slightly decreased incidents of infections after circumcision in the first twenty two months of life, after that if proper preputial care is performed there is no advantage or disadvantage with circumcision.
Host: If you choose to not circumcise, when you actually pee, you should take to penis, so they don't get infection or get some kind of problem?
Guest: Yes, we do teach proper preputial care, however it must stressed that the foreskin does not need to fully be retractable until the age or three or four but proper hygiene care can prevent possible Balanitis prior to that time.
Host: So the parents roll back the area and keep it clean without causing undue pressure.
Guest: Yes, yes they should be doing of that, to pull the skin back as far as they can go minimal or moderate pressure but try not to pull the skin back when there is resistance, keep it clean and over many years the skin will retract.
Host: There is some indication that the incidence of AIDS is a little bit lower in a circumcised male, is that true?
Guest: There is recent research and recent articles that came out of the Asian and African studies that hasn't been proven yet, they are early studies and only time will tell at this point.
Host: So to take good care of the area and make sure you don't get any kind of residual or any kind of introduction in that area you probably could go either way that's really based on what you and your pediatrician discuss and tell, is that true?
Guest: Yes, it's a personal preference. We explain to the family what the benefits and the risk of the procedure are. It can be done during the neonatal period up to one month of age, in the office using a lidocaine or numbing cream, after a month of age then it would require anesthesia and we usually would recommend after six months when the anesthesia risk is minimum.
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