Pediatrician Boise, Idaho

Circumcision

Circumcision Procedure

1. Our front office staff will check you in and then a member of the nursing staff will get the baby’s height lamp; weight and answer any questions you may have.
2. The doctor will examine your baby and then you will be asked to wait in our lobby during the procedure which will take roughly 20 minutes.
3. You will be asked to come back to the exam room and feed the baby.
4. The nurse will then check the surgery site and give you instructions for post-surgery care.

After Care

• OK to give Tylenol for pain if needed: It is normal for an infant to be fussy post-circumcision, lasting no more than a few days. It is acceptable to use Infant’s Tylenol for the first 24 hours, following the dosing guidelines for the child’s weight. See Pain Medication Dosing/0 to 4-6 Months Old.

• Diaper Changes: Apply a good amount Vaseline on the front, inside portion of the diaper at EVERY diaper change until the penis is completely healed.

• Check for bleeding: Blood stains in the diaper is common after a circumcision. During the first 24 hours, check your child's diaper at every diaper change for active bleeding. It is normal to see spots of blood no bigger than an inch wide. If excessive bleeding occurs, use clean gauze to apply firm pressure over the incision for 5-10 minutes. If the bleeding does not stop, continue to apply pressure for an additional 5 minutes. If the bleeding persists, call our office at 208-323-1222.

• Color changes: Immediately after the circumcision, the glans may appear red, glossy, or even purple. This occurs because the skin covering the glans of an uncircumcised penis is a mucous membrane. Once the membrane is exposed, it becomes darker and thicker. Your child's glans may have off-white or yellowish patches in the first few days after surgery. These are a type of scab and are completely normal. Two or three days after the circumcision, the skin may look green and yellow. This is a sign of normal healing, not pus or infection.

• Hygiene and Bathing: Over the next few days, it is very important to keep the diaper area clean. Do not submerge the penis in water for at least 10 days. Instead, you may give your child a sponge bath. At each diaper change, use a warm washcloth to drizzle water over the penis, rather than applying a cloth directly to the skin.

• Healing: To prevent the skin from sticking to the diaper, put Vaseline on the inside of the diaper - not on the penis. During the healing process, you may notice a yellow crusty scab form. This is a normal part of healing; the scab will fall off on its own. Do not pick or peel the scab.

• Swelling: You may notice some swelling behind or under the head of the penis and believe it looks like a blister. The swelling is simply another sign of healing and will disappear within a week or two.