Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • Articles & podcasts
    • Blog posts
    • Collection
    • News
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Early releases
    • Collections
    • Sections
    • Blog
    • Infographics & illustrations
    • Podcasts
  • Authors
    • Overview for authors
    • Submission guidelines
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Forms
    • Editorial process
    • Editorial policies
    • Peer review process
    • Publication fees
    • Reprint requests
  • CMA Members
    • Overview for members
    • Earn CPD Credits
    • Print copies of CMAJ
    • Career Ad Discount
  • Subscribers
    • General information
    • View prices
  • Alerts
    • Email alerts
    • RSS
  • JAMC
    • À propos
    • Numéro en cours
    • Archives
    • Sections
    • Abonnement
    • Alertes
    • Trousse média 2021
  • CMAJ JOURNALS
    • CMAJ Open
    • CJS
    • JAMC
    • JPN

User menu

Search

  • Advanced search
CMAJ
  • CMAJ JOURNALS
    • CMAJ Open
    • CJS
    • JAMC
    • JPN
CMAJ

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • Articles & podcasts
    • Blog posts
    • Collection
    • News
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Early releases
    • Collections
    • Sections
    • Blog
    • Infographics & illustrations
    • Podcasts
  • Authors
    • Overview for authors
    • Submission guidelines
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Forms
    • Editorial process
    • Editorial policies
    • Peer review process
    • Publication fees
    • Reprint requests
  • CMA Members
    • Overview for members
    • Earn CPD Credits
    • Print copies of CMAJ
    • Career Ad Discount
  • Subscribers
    • General information
    • View prices
  • Alerts
    • Email alerts
    • RSS
  • JAMC
    • À propos
    • Numéro en cours
    • Archives
    • Sections
    • Abonnement
    • Alertes
    • Trousse média 2021
  • Visit CMAJ on Facebook
  • Follow CMAJ on Twitter
  • Follow CMAJ on Pinterest
  • Follow CMAJ on Youtube
  • Follow CMAJ on Instagram
News

Podcast: new interest in circumcision

Lauren Vogel
CMAJ July 14, 2015 187 (10) E295; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.109-5076
Lauren Vogel
CMAJ
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Tables
  • Responses
  • Metrics
  • PDF
Loading
Submit a Response to This Article
Compose Response

More information about text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
References
Author Information
First or given name, e.g. 'Peter'.
Your last, or family, name, e.g. 'MacMoody'.
Your email address, e.g. higgs-boson@gmail.com
Your role and/or occupation, e.g. 'Orthopedic Surgeon'. Minimum 7 characters.
Your organization or institution (if applicable), e.g. 'Royal Free Hospital'. Minimum 12 characters.
Your organization, institution's or residential address.
Statement of Competing Interests

Vertical Tabs

Jump to comment:

  • RE: Foreskin retraction and circumcision: possible late consequences
    Sergei Jargin
    Posted on: 18 December 2020
  • Posted on: (18 December 2020)
    RE: Foreskin retraction and circumcision: possible late consequences
    • Sergei Jargin, pathologist, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

    Infant circumcision has become an increasingly sensitive subject in recent years [1]. Advantages of circumcision are often discussed but late consequences developing along with age-related skin atrophy remain understudied. The loss of protective prepuce may expose the glans and meatus to direct abrasion and trauma [2]. This letter is about foreskin retraction after a childhood burn but it is relevant also to the status after circumcision. A superficial scald burn of the genital area occurred to a 3-years-old boy in conditions of child neglect and (later) abuse [3]. Immediate medical help was not sought. When the healing ensued, the child started scratching the area. In subsequent years, symptoms of balanoposthitis were repeatedly noticed. Along with the pubertal development, the foreskin became completely and permanently retracted. There has never been any strangulation or compression. The symptoms started appearing at the age ~58 years: recurring superficial erosions in the frenular area, preputial rim and adjacent surfaces. With sexual abstinence the condition comes to remission; but permanent binding of the penis with a soft cloth is necessary as thin atrophic skin of the glans and frenulum area is sensitive and vulnerable. Ointments or vegetable oil are used to prevent sticking with the cloth in case of erosion or discharge. Derangements of blood supply may contribute to atrophic changes; therefore, diabetes mellitus and vascular diseases must be included in the differ...

    Show More

    Infant circumcision has become an increasingly sensitive subject in recent years [1]. Advantages of circumcision are often discussed but late consequences developing along with age-related skin atrophy remain understudied. The loss of protective prepuce may expose the glans and meatus to direct abrasion and trauma [2]. This letter is about foreskin retraction after a childhood burn but it is relevant also to the status after circumcision. A superficial scald burn of the genital area occurred to a 3-years-old boy in conditions of child neglect and (later) abuse [3]. Immediate medical help was not sought. When the healing ensued, the child started scratching the area. In subsequent years, symptoms of balanoposthitis were repeatedly noticed. Along with the pubertal development, the foreskin became completely and permanently retracted. There has never been any strangulation or compression. The symptoms started appearing at the age ~58 years: recurring superficial erosions in the frenular area, preputial rim and adjacent surfaces. With sexual abstinence the condition comes to remission; but permanent binding of the penis with a soft cloth is necessary as thin atrophic skin of the glans and frenulum area is sensitive and vulnerable. Ointments or vegetable oil are used to prevent sticking with the cloth in case of erosion or discharge. Derangements of blood supply may contribute to atrophic changes; therefore, diabetes mellitus and vascular diseases must be included in the differential diagnosis. Potential causes of the foreskin retraction should be considered: lichen planus, squamous cell carcinoma and premalignant lesions, other foreskin conditions as well as congenitally undeveloped prepuce (microposthia). In conclusion, neonatal circumcision without clinical indications can be considered as invasive procedure with potential late consequences, performed without patients’ consent.

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.

    References

    • 1. Lauren Vogel. Podcast: new interest in circumcision. CMAJ 2015;187:E295-E295.
    • 2. Fleiss PM, Hodges FM, Van Howe RS. Immunological functions of the human prepuc. Sex Transm. Infect. 1998;74:364-367.
    • 3. Jargin SV. Child Abuse, Autism and Excessive Alcohol Consumption. J Addiction Prevention. 2017;5(2):4.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Canadian Medical Association Journal: 187 (10)
CMAJ
Vol. 187, Issue 10
14 Jul 2015
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author

Podcast

Subscribe to podcast
Download MP3

Article tools

Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
To sign up for email alerts or to access your current email alerts, enter your email address below:
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on CMAJ.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Podcast: new interest in circumcision
(Your Name) has sent you a message from CMAJ
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the CMAJ web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Podcast: new interest in circumcision
Lauren Vogel
CMAJ Jul 2015, 187 (10) E295; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.109-5076

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
‍ Request Permissions
Share
Podcast: new interest in circumcision
Lauren Vogel
CMAJ Jul 2015, 187 (10) E295; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.109-5076
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Footnotes
  • Figures & Tables
  • Responses
  • Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Unpacking “long COVID”
  • Canada’s long road to a vaccine injury compensation program
  • Health advocates want help handling online harassment
Show more News

Similar Articles

Collections

  • Topics
    • Public health
    • Humanitarian medicine
    • General surgery

Content

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Collections
  • Sections
  • Blog
  • Podcasts
  • Alerts
  • RSS
  • Early releases

Information for

  • Advertisers
  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • CMA Members
  • Media
  • Reprint requests
  • Subscribers

About

  • General Information
  • Journal staff
  • Editorial Board
  • Governance Council
  • Journal Oversight
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright and Permissions

Copyright 2021, Joule Inc. or its licensors. All rights reserved. ISSN 1488-2329 (e) 0820-3946 (p)

All editorial matter in CMAJ represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Canadian Medical Association or its subsidiaries.

To receive any of the resources on this site in an accessible format, please contact us at cmajgroup@cmaj.ca.

Powered by HighWire