Doctor says circumcision not necessary for infants

Staff writer, with CNA





A pediatrician has advised parents against having their sons circumcised for the sake of increasing their chance of having a larger penis in adulthood, saying that it is inappropriate to “pull up the seedlings only to help them grow faster.”

National Cheng Kung University Hospital pediatrician Chen Chau-jing (陳肇真) said one of the main reasons Taiwanese parents bring their children to him for a circumcision is that they feel their kids’ penises look different from theirs and need to be “dealt with.”

“While some parents cling to the folk belief that the sooner their boys’ glans is ‘set free,’ the bigger and more functional their penis will become when they grow up, others think the foreskin should be removed because it accumulates dust and dirt,” Chen said.

Chen said the foreskin was supposed to protect the glans.

“During infancy, the foreskin is attached to the glans and is generally not retractable. Forcible retraction of the foreskin may lead to bleeding, scarring and phimosis,” Chen said, urging parents not to retract their infants’ foreskin for cleansing because no dirt would accumulate under it.

Chen said while about two-thirds of boys’ glans and foreskin are not fully separated by the age of six, no surgical procedure is needed unless they experience an inflammation of the glans penis and the foreskin or urination problems, adding that less than 1 percent of boys need a circumcision for medical reasons.