Adolescent and adult circumcision

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Adolescent and adult circumcision is rare when compared to the millions upon millions of medically-unnecessary, non-therapeutic circumcisions of boys that are carried out in Islamic nations, Israel, the United States, and elsewhere.

Reasons for circumcision

All circumcisions are injurious because they amputate a multi-functional body part, but in some cases the benefit obtained by removing a deformed, diseased, or damaged foreskin may be of more value than the lost foreskin.

• Deformed foreskins — The common type of deformed foreskin is the narrow non-retractable foreskin of phimosis. Circumcision is the traditional treatment for phimosis, however circumcision is less performed today because newer conservative treatments are now available that preserve the foreskin and its many useful functions.

• Diseased foreskins — Diseases for which circumcision may be indicated include malignant tumor, lichen sclerosis, recurrent yeast infection in diabetic males, and recurrent balanoposthitis.

• Damaged foreskins — This is includes any type of physical trauma and injury which is beyond surgical repair. Zipper injury usually does not require circumcision.

Some adult males may seek non-therapeutic circumcision because of a conversion to Judaism or Islam. Others may simply want a circumcision because they like the physical appearance, to fit into a society where most men are circumcised, or for some personal whim.

A word to intact teens

Boys are born with a foreskin that is non-retractable. The inner surface is fused with theglans penis by a synechia. Also the tip of the foreskin is too narrow to retract. As a boy gets older, the synechia disintegrates and releases the foreskin and the foreskin gets wider as a boy ages, so the foreskin gradually becomes retractable. Some boys go through puberty but find that their foreskin is still to narrow to permit retraction. The traditional way of addressing this issue was to consult a urologist and get a circumcision, however we now understand that in the vast majority of cases, manual stretching over a few months will widen the foreskin by tissue expansion, make the foreskin retractable and eliminate the need for a destructive circumcision.

Methods of adult circumcision

Dorsal slit

Dorsal slit is a cut on the top of the foreskin to open it. This allows the foreskin to fall below the shaft of the penis. Dorsal slit does not cut around and does not remove tissue, so it is not a true circumcision. Dorsal slit is a first step in the circumcision of a phimotic foreskin by the sleeve technique.

Rite of passage

In some cultures, circumcision is viewed as a rite of passage, and a male may not be considered a privileged adult until he has undergone circumcision.

Aborigines

The indigeous people of Australia, the Aborigines, have variously practiced subincision and circumcision on adolescents and adults since before the first contact with Europeans.

Ulwaluko

Traditional Circumcision and Initiation into Manhood (ulwaluko) is an ancient initiation ritual practiced by the amaXhosa of the Eastern Cape. The ritual is traditionally intended as a teaching institution to prepare boys for the responsibilities of manhood. The principles that lie at the very core of the ritual are respect for self (including self control and integrity), respect for family (not to bring shame to them), and respect for community (to protect them from harm).

Every single initiation season the media writes about complications accompanying the ritual of Traditional Circumcision and Initiation into Manhood (ulwaluko). The magnitude of these complications is horrific, from 1995 till 2014, 919 boys have lost their lives in the mountains and hills of the Eastern Cape. Many others were mutilated or even lost their manhood.

See also

• Tuli

External links

• Complications
• Photos