Circumcised vs. Uncircumcised: Does Circumcision Matter?

When you hear circumcision, penis owners may get some interesting memories as they reminisce about going through the procedure. Not to mention the aftermath, where they walk side to side and the challenging recovery process after that. Either that scenario at a young age (or even during their adult years), or they have no recollection since they must’ve undergone the procedure after their birth.

But aside from this, it’s also possible to not go under the cut and remain uncircumcised. Each of these has its differences, but what exactly are they?

In this article, we’ll delve deep into why such a process is done by penis owners and the said differences between circumcised vs. uncircumcised penises.

Why Is Circumcision Done?

There are a bunch of reasons why circumcision is done, whether as a baby by their parents or during their puberty phase. Browse through the most common reasons down below.

1 Religion

In Judaism, it’s performed on the 8th day after the baby is born. It’s a ceremony or bris done by a man (mohel) with training and experience with the procedure. It’s done at the baby’s home or synagogue during the Sabbath or holy day. This ritual is a way to express your duty to God or your faith.

The same goes with Islam, where being circumcised is a way to follow the prophet, Muhammad. According to Healthline, it’s called a khitan, and it can be done as a part of a religious ceremony or in the hospital. Age-wise, it can be performed in infancy or puberty.

2 Culture

Some tribes in Africa and Australia practice this to mark a boy’s journey into manhood. For the former, it’s like making a strong statement on their masculinity.

In the Philippines, circumcision is called tuli, and it’s a social tradition with the same meaning as the previous countries mentioned: a rite of passage to manhood and masculinity. According to this journal back in 2018, around 90% of males were circumcised through medical or traditional means. It’s normally done long after birth; around the ages of 8-12.

For the latter, young boys would soak their penises in the river to “soften the foreskin” and munch on guava leaves as it will also be helpful towards the end of the procedure. The flaccid penis will then rest and be stretched on a wooden base, then another chunk of wood would “drive a knife onto the foreskin which applies sufficient force to detach the foreskin”. Another term to coin their procedure is pukpok, and it’s done by a medically trained circumciser or manunuli.

It’s a common social norm, almost obligatory in the country in hopes of avoiding any backlash or rude comments from others. In fact, there’s even an insult surrounding the idea of not being circumcised in the country called supot. 

3 Personal Preference

Some penis owners may want a low-maintenance relationship with their penis regarding cleanliness. Others don’t want to get ridiculed. Or maybe some simply want to follow their roots regardless of the discomfort they’ll feel. Various personal reasons are responsible for a penis owner’s choice to get a circumcision.

4 Family Tradition

In many countries, having close ties with their family is important in their culture. Under this, there’s a desire for fathers to have their sons “resemble” them. Or even the desire to carry on with the line.

5 Health Benefits

There are a few immediate benefits for the penis owner’s health to remember when they push through with a circumcision. Some of those include a decreased risk of getting urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, and penile problems. We’ll get into this deeper in the next section, but other than that, having a circumcised penis leads to a healthier lifestyle compared to an uncircumcised one.

How Does Circumcision Work?

A circumcision can occur after the baby’s birth or when they’re older. The procedure is administered by a urologist, pediatrician, or even an obstetrician in the hospital. If the boy is older, it’s done in the hospital on an outpatient basis. This means they get to go home right after.

And as mentioned earlier, a mohel is also trained to do such a procedure for religious reasons. Here’s a breakdown of what occurs during this procedure:

1. The boy must be in bed, calm and sometimes asleep due to the anesthetic.
2. Medical staff cleans and numbs the penis with medication or anesthetic cream.
3. They may place a clamp around the genitalia before separating the foreskin from the penis.
4. After such, they’ll apply ointment on the penis and wrap it around with gauze.
5. For a newborn baby, the procedure can take around 5-10 minutes. For a young boy or adult, it can take an hour. Healing can take around a week as it can be a painful period for the penis owner.

Circumcised Penis vs. Uncircumcised Penis: What to Expect

Going under the knife towards your crotch (or not) has its differences, pros, and cons. It may sound intimidating, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide if you want to push through with it. Or maybe, it’s something you’ve gone through at a younger age but never really know what it meant.

But no worries, that’s why we’re here. Browse through this section to learn more about what to expect when you have a circumcised penis or an uncircumcised one.

1 Appearance

Circumcision is having the foreskin surrounding the penis, or the skin on the tip of the penis, removed surgically. In other words, having a circumcised penis means there’s no foreskin on the tip and further exposes the glans (the head of the genitalia) and the urethral opening.

Meanwhile, an uncircumcised penis retains the foreskin.

2 Sexually Transmitted Infections

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that circumcised penises have a reduced risk of getting STIs by 60% when they have heterosexual intercourse. Some STIs included in this statistic are HPV linked to cancer, genital cancer, syphilis, and genital ulcer disease.

On another note, although it doesn’t reduce the chances of the vulva owner getting any viruses or infections, it does lessen their chances of getting infected. Especially with syphilis. However, proper protection specifically condoms must be used for both circumcised and uncircumcised penises.

3 Urinary Tract Infections

Especially if the circumcision was done during the penis owner’s birth or infancy, it decreases their chances of getting UTIs growing up. In fact, one study shows that there’s a 0.1 chance that a circumcised penis owner can get a UTI vs. an uncircumcised penis owner. That’s because there are less bacteria present under the foreskin of the penis, which is responsible for such infections when they enter inside the penis owner’s urinary tract. 

4 Penile Problems

Healthline shares that circumcision prevents a penis owner from getting penile issues such as phimosis (inability to pull back the foreskin), paraphimosis (inability to pull forward the foreskin, making it stuck and swollen and even stopping blood flow in that area), and balanitis (inflammation of the glans).

In a rare case, uncircumcised penis owners are more prone to penile cancer due to their more evident exposure to smegma and phimosis.

5 Hygiene Maintenance

This aspect is crucial when it comes to circumcision.

For a circumcised penis, it’s low maintenance to take care of it. Make sure to wash it regularly when you take a shower or a bath. It also helps to wear loose-fitting undergarments instead of tight clothing to avoid dryness and irritation. In other words, make your penis breathe!

With an uncircumcised penis, you’ll need to pay extra health attention. Forgetting to wash under the foreskin allows dead skin cells, bacteria, and oil to form smegma. This secretion can cause odor around your penis and even lead to inflammation of your glans and foreskin. This is a condition called balanitis, and it can make any movement on your foreskin too painful so seek urgent treatment in this kind of situation.

6 Cervical Cancer

If you’re a vulva owner and you slept with a circumcised penis owner, you’re likely to have a decreased chance of getting cervical cancer. Since a benefit of circumcision is to have a reduced chance of contracting any infections, it also works for their partner if they’re a vulva owner. At the same time, they better wrap it before they tap it.

7 Sensitivity in Sex

Circumcision doesn’t affect how you react to sex or how long you last in bed. Surely, the foreskin is extra sensitive to touch for uncircumcised penises. Though there’s a study wherein it shows that there’s no negative impact on sexual function or sensitivity during sexual intercourse.

Regardless, this aspect needs further research as there is limited information on whether or not there is a connection between circumcision and sexual pleasure.  

As for sexual interest, we’ve come across that mantra saying that size shouldn’t matter in sex. However, it’s become a common preference for vulva owners mostly to lean towards circumcised penises over the other. Based on this review, additional reasons why they feel this way are because of its appearance, lower risk of infection, and even a heightened level of sexual pleasure.

8 Fertility

Circumcision has no link to one’s fertility or sperm production since they’re rooted in the testicles. So whether you’re circumcised or uncircumcised, fertility can also depend on your age, genetics, or any external factors. Thus, taking extra good care of your overall health, diet, and lifestyle is important.

Risks of Circumcisions

Circumcision is a straightforward surgical procedure for penis owners, but it’s not exempted from having any risks when you push through with it. Here are some risks that to remember as you push through with the procedure.

1. Infection: Getting it around your incision may occur, which can lengthen your recovery period.
2. Bleeding:  Around the incision, you’ll experience this for a few hours to days.
3. Response to anesthesia: In a procedure like circumcision, anesthesia is given to soothe the patient. However, some patients can react to it through vomiting and such.
4. Foreskin complications: It can be trimmed too short or left too long post-circumcision
5. Reattachment
6. Improper healing of stitches and incisions: This can lead to scarring and skin issues.
7. Difficulty in mobility or walking

How to Recover From Circumcision

Circumcision can be physically demanding depending on the penis owner, needing time to fully heal before one can resume their lifestyle. In this section, we have some key tips on how to have a successful recovery from circumcision if you’ve either done it as an adult or you know someone who’s bound to go through the knife (a young boy or adult, we don’t judge).

1. Avoid strenuous activity.
2. Try to go on walks when you’re feeling better.
3. Remove any wound dressing until your doctor gives you the go-signal by soaking it in a warm bath.
4. Take pain relief medications. 
5. Avoid any sexual intercourse or activities until your doctor says otherwise.
6. Rest and sleep when you can!
7. Place an ice pack on your crotch for 10-20 minutes at a time.
8. Wear comfortable underwear (eg., cotton). 

Frequently Asked Questions

Still curious to know more about circumcision? We can help you through this FAQ section down below.

1 Does circumcision affect your overall sexual game?

As mentioned earlier, there’s no connection between whether being circumcised brings you more or less sexual satisfaction. Based on anatomy, the foreskin brings a lot of sensitivity merely by touching it, and the head is filled with numerous nerve endings. Either way, how you respond to sex doesn’t matter if you went through circumcision or not. Plus, there’s limited research on whether being circumcised actually decreases your sensitivity and such.

2 So wait, is circumcision painful?

It can cause mild to moderate pain since it’s a surgical procedure. During it, the boy can be put under anesthesia. But after, they may feel discomfort and difficulty in walking.

3 When should I contact my doctor after my circumcision?

If you’re experiencing frequent, increased pain, non-stop bleeding, foul-smelling odor, any signs of infection (fever, swelling, etc.), or difficulty in urinating within 12 hours, give your doctor an emergency call.

4 How long should I avoid sex post-circumcision?

You should wait for at least 6 weeks or depending on your doctor’s instructions to properly heal. 

5 Does circumcising my penis change its size?

Nope. In circumcision, all you’re doing is removing the foreskin around the tip. In terms of size, that depends on your genetics.

Circumcised vs. Uncircumcised Penis: Final Verdict?

There may be benefits and risks per choice, but if you’re an adult who’s never undergone a circumcision, it’s up to your preference and beliefs on whether or not you want to push through with it. You may want to have this article on your bookmarks to reread again or even send it out to someone who’s conflicted about going under the knife. There are no right or wrong answers, but always remember each option’s health benefits and risks, as they may affect you in the long run.

Takeaway

And that wraps up our Circumcised vs. Uncircumcised Penis article! As each option has its own benefits and risks, the key takeaway is to prioritize how you wash it to stray away from any sort of infection. That way, you can take care of your body even more.