Patient's question:
Patient Gender: Child, 14 years old, when is the best time to have the foreskin surgically removed?Doctor's answer:
Hypospadias, at what age is it suitable to have circumcision for children? With the popularization of health knowledge, people know that excessive foreskin can cause great harm and needs to be removed in a timely manner. However, excessive foreskin is mostly caused by congenital reasons, and boys may have excessive foreskin from birth, making it difficult for parents to distinguish and determine the timing of removal. So, for children with excessive foreskin, at what age is it appropriate to have it removed? Experts from Dongguan Chang'an Urology Hospital said: Parents should not worry too much. Although boys are born with excessive foreskin, as the child grows, the penis will gradually grow, and the foreskin will also gradually retract. If by the time the child is 8 years old, the foreskin no longer retracts with the growth of the penis, it can then be surgically removed. Removing the excessive foreskin before the child stops developing is beneficial in avoiding the harm of a short penis. Of course, if the child has good self-control, it can also be surgically removed at the age of 6 or 7. The best time for surgery is when the child is 8 years old, and it is best not to exceed 16 years old, because at 16, the penis enters a period of rapid development. If the foreskin is not removed, it will obstruct and hinder the growth and thickening of the penis, leading to a small penis in men. Some men have also mentioned that they have missed the best surgical window and that even timely surgical treatment cannot promote the penis to grow again, causing them to become frustrated and give up surgical treatment. Experts say: This idea is completely wrong. Removing excessive foreskin is not only for the purpose of increasing penis length but also for preventing the occurrence of other urological diseases, because excessive foreskin can cause various inflammations, such as balanitis, urethritis, cystitis, and prostatitis. If the foreskin is not removed, these diseases cannot be treated, and the harm will be greater, affecting male sexual function, leading to premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, and even infertility. It may also induce penile cancer, threatening life safety. If the patient hopes to achieve penis elongation after treating excessive foreskin, penile elongation surgery can be performed.