Overview

Infant circumcision is one of the most common surgeries performed throughout the world. More than half of the men in the world are circumcised, and the far majority get circumcised as infants. The procedure that has been developed over the last few thousand years within the Jewish community is highly accurate and remarkbly fast, normally taking about 60 seconds. In sharp contrast, circumcision performed in hospital settings ranges from 5 minutes up to 30 minutes.

 

The Level of Hygiene

The standards of hygiene utiilized for this procedure are mirrored after hospital surgical standards. All utensils are cleaned, packaged and then sterilized in an autoclave. The packaging has a unique indicator that lets you know the utensils are in fact sterilized after undergoing the heating process of the autoclave.

 

All medications are prepared in a sterile environment. Sterile, individually wrapped gloves are used for setup, and a new pair are used for the circumcision itself. Hands are scrubbed with surgical scrub brushes containing chloroxylenol. All gauze pads are individually wrapped and sterile.

 

The Medical Procedure

There are five steps to infant circumcision:

[1] separation of the foreskin from the glans using a thin instrument called a probe;

[2] determining the amount of skin to excise and pulling the foreskin away from the glans with a hemostat;

[3] applying a shield that ensures the safety of the glans;

[4] the excision of the foreskin;

[5] bandaging with specialized clotting agents and a pain medication.

 

Aftercare

The aftercare for infant circumcision is really simple. For all of the diaper changes within the first 48 hours of the circumcision, parents will apply a 3 x 3 gauze pad with ointment over the affected area. That's it. Nothing complicated.

 

There are a few things that are very common for parents to see during the aftercare... all of which are completely normal:

[1] the glans will go through many color shades of light blues, light purples and reds. Every child goes through this and it is a normal part of the healing process.

[2] at the incision mark, the body produces what is called granulation tissue. It has a yellowish-white color. This granulation tissue is how the body heals, and all infants experience this in the first few days after a circumcision.

[3] swelling of the mucosal lining is very common. The mucosal lining is a filmy tissue that lines the inside of the foreskin. After the circumcision, there is a small amount of this mucosal lining remaining and it can swell. While not every baby has swelling, most do. Swelling usually dissipates within a few days, though it can last longer in some cases.

 

In regards to the amount of time it takes to heal, while the aftercare only takes a couple of days, it can take up to 4-6 weeks for all of the skin to return to normal skin color. If at any point beyond the first 10 days or so there is swelling or redness that is out of the ordinary, call Rabbi Karesh to ensure that the body is healing normally.

 

The Ceremony

Families work together with Rabbi Karesh to find just the right touch for the ceremony. There are honors to be given out, blessings to be said, and names to be bestowed upon a newborn.