Dr. Sommer Team:
Every fifth man in Germany lives and loves "circumcised"!

A few weeks ago my family doctor recommended to consult an urologist to learn about a circumcision. I could push my foreskin over the glans only with huge difficulties. Since that time I chickened out to make an appointment because I didn't know anything at all and was too afraid to ask my family doctor. Can you tell me what will happen next and explain in general what consequences a circumcision has? 
Thomas, 15, Münster

Hello Thomas! 
You're concerned about circumcision. Does it hurt? What will be afterwards? Are there still any feelings? What will happen during surgery? Will the penis still fully erect? Do girls like a circumcised penis? Are there many men who get circumcised? A lot of questions that arise if you're dealing with this topic.

I will give you some information about it. That will make it easier for you to form an opinion. 

The removal of the foreskin (circumcision) is the most frequent surgery worldwide. Circumcisions are done on boys shortly after birth or in the early years for religious reasons in many countries. Circumcisions have different meanings in different cultures. If followers of the jewish belief are being circumcised on the eighth day after birth, because this is fixed in Genesis, the ceremony of circumcision acts as a rite of passage, that means the distance of the foreskin is a symbol for the time a boy becomes a man. In Western Europe the circumcision mostly is for medical and hygenical reasons.

While around 70% of all American men have been circumcised during childhood only 20% of all German men abandon their foreskins rather voluntarily. This may be necessary if the foreskin - like yours - can not or only with hurt be pulled back over the glans (phimosis). By this it's hardly possible to clean the turret of the glans - that is the channel at the intersection of the glans to the penis - from smegma. Smegma is a whitish substance that accumulates from scaled off skin cells, adenoid secretion and urinary rests and leads to inflammation of the penis and the foreskin if you don't clean yourself regularly. The smegma is supposed to have attributes that cause cancer.

Some men just don't want the daily cleaning anymore and get circumcised forehanded so that smegma can't accumulate in the first place.

Others find a circumcised penis just more beautiful and therefore consult a health professional.

How do girls and women like a penis without foreskin? It's a matter of taste like a lot of things in life. A girl once told me she thought the circumcised penis of her boyfriend to be more velvety and firmer. "Not like a softened hot dog". Others say that it looks "alarmingly naked". Fact is that most girls find the penis less important than the boy attached to it. If he is nice and kind it doesn't matgter at all if he's circumcised or not.

If a boy gets circumcised he will need some time to get to know "his best friend" all over again. The penis will be able to fully erect and will still be sensitive after the surgery. It might be over-sensitive in the beginning since the glans has been covered by the foreskin before surgery and now has direct contact with the fabrics of the boxers. This over-sensitivity will calm down after a few weeks. There will be new experiences when masturbating. If the boy masturbated by pulling the foreskin back and forth he will now find different ways to bring himself to culmination.

By the way: Many boys who had problems with a dissatisfying fast ejaculation can enjoy their lust often even longer afterwards.

The little surgery is mostly done in the office of the urologist or surgeon, either by a short general anaesthesia or local anaesthesia. After this the patient can go home. On the following day he may have slight pains, after ine week the wound has healed largely. There are only problems during the healing process if the wound inflammates. This happens if the patient does not listen to the recommendations of the doctor and does not keep the wound dry, masturbates too early or has sex. With this he should wait about 10 to 14 days.

If you have further questions on this just consult an urologist and get more information. You don't need to be ashamed since circumcision surgeries are part of his daily duties.