Cleaning foreskin in a newborn: good or bad idea?
The hygiene and cleanliness of the little ones is of primary importance: here are 10 rules to follow absolutely!
Circumcision - what does it mean?
"Total or partial resection of the foreskin, in order to uncover the glans. Practiced for medical purposes, or with ritual value among Jews and Muslims". This is how the practice is defined by the La Repubblica Dictionary.
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What do pediatricians advise about circumcision?
At birth, the foreskin, the skin that covers the tip of the penis, is attached to the glans. Over time, the foreskin and glans separate. Up to the age of three or four, it is physiological that the glans does not discover itself, it will arrive with the first erections. From a hygienic point of view, it is rather advantageous that the foreskin continues to cover the glans: this is the moment in which babies still wear diapers and the foreskin protects them from urine and feces.
While for a long time mothers were recommended to remove the foreskin of their babies during bath time, but fortunately today the practice has changed considerably. These recommendations were based on the idea that infections could be lodged between the foreskin and the glans and that circumcision promoted hygiene; it was thought that the practice would cleanse secretions under the foreskin (and we know how important cleanliness is when it comes to babies!). Some doctors have even recommended cleaning with cotton swabs! Among other things, there was also the fear of phimosis (a too tight foreskin that prevents the glans from coming out). It was thought that the child would have difficulty having good erections later on and that the glans would have difficulty getting out of the "preputial ring.
But in the case of a forced circumcision, the trauma related to excessive pressure can cause a cicatricial phimosis, which is the opposite of what we are looking for. A circumcision can also cause paraphimosis: the foreskin tightens around the glans, which swells and becomes purple, which is very painful and is a "full-fledged medical emergency." Our doctors' advice today is to let nature take its course.
What to do then?
The answer is simpler than we think: nothing. There is absolutely nothing to do. Except in the case of an anatomical anomaly, which only the doctor can judge and treat, do not intervene. This is the opinion of doctors and psychiatrists. The less you touch the sex of the baby, the better. So, up to the age of three or four, just check for malformations, and most importantly, don't worry - a mom's life can be really simplified at times!
Anomalies are rare and when they exist, they are mostly mundane. The important thing is that the child bathes regularly with good soaps. For the rest, he will be able to heal his attribute independently, which will amuse him much more than a hygiene-obsessed mother who irritates him several times a week in the place. wrong.
Removing the foreskin to clean the glans has only negative effects. If the mother is too worried, talk to a doctor or pediatrician.
Studies have shown that there is little point in removing the baby's foreskin other than to cause unnecessary physical and possibly psychological trauma.
When to consult?
- If the foreskin hasn't expanded naturally by the age of five, then it's called phimosis.
- If the circumcised glans can no longer return to the foreskin: it is an emergency, a very painful strangulation of the glans.
- If the child has difficulty urinating or if they feel pain when the penis is erect.
- If the urine does not come out in a smooth flow or if it is thrown in all directions.
When to worry?
In most cases, nothing to worry about! The foreskin softens and stretches naturally, along with the penis. Erections will happen worry-free. If there is a problem, it will be noticed in puberty and, very often, it is a preputial adhesion (the foreskin which is difficult to detach from the glans penis), or a phimosis caused by repeated and too violent cleaning in early childhood. Phimosis must be identified before puberty and treated (creams, more rarely a small operation). This is certainly not new: baby care is essential!
What about circumcision?
The practice was recommended in France and not in other countries. In the end, no other cases of phimosis were found abroad. This clearly demonstrates that the removal of the baby's foreskin is in no way a prevention of phimosis, as well as that good hygiene does not consist in circumcision of the baby!
In the United States, a hygienic fashion recommends circumcision. This is systematically practiced on Jews and Muslims for religious reasons. Furthermore, it seems that these customs have more to do with an act of initiation than with reasons of hygiene, as has long been believed.
When circumcision is necessary, for medical reasons (for example in the case of phimosis), it is called post-ectomy and is performed only if the pharmacological treatments have failed. Phimosis can be treated with creams that relax the skin of the foreskin. If, for personal reasons, the parents refuse a circumcision or a post-ectomy, another intervention is possible: a plate for the enlargement of the foreskin.
Without unnecessarily alarming and being excessive, you can be sure that your baby is growing in the best way in many other ways!
