Circumcision is a safe procedure when performed by a competent practitioner, using sterile instruments and carried out in a suitable medical facility. Our clinic is set within a GP surgery which is registered and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), meeting the clinical standards required to carry out surgical procedures.

Dr Aziz is an NHS practising GP with over 15 years of clinical experience. He has a specialist interest in minor surgery and has been providing this service as a GP for over 10 years. He has completed comprehensive circumcision training under the supervision of a UK based Consultant Plastic Surgeon. He is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). He is a member of the Association of Surgeons in Primary Care (ASPC).

Complications following circumcision are very rare although no surgical procedure is completely free of risk.

Neonatal male circumcision has a very low rate of adverse events. Minor complications most commonly involve bleeding, infection or an imperfect amount of foreskin removal. Your child may experience some pain whilst the local anaesthetic is administered and also after the procedure, once the anaesthetic effect has worn off.

There is a small risk of insufficient or excessive skin removal or a poor cosmetic outcome. Occasionally the post procedure appearance may suggest residual skin. This is more evident if the child has a prominent pubic fat pad which usually self resolves as the child grows. 

Late complications can include meatal stenosis, skin adhesions and bridges, urethra-cutaneous fistula, inclusion cysts and scarring. Major complications following circumcision are extremely infrequent. 

Some parents may be concerned that male circumcision will diminish male and possibly female sexual enjoyment and satisfaction later in life. Multiple recent studies have shown no evidence of this.

A contraindication is a specific medical reason for not using a particular treatment or carrying out a particular procedure. Contraindications to male circumcision include:

• Lack of informed parental consent
• Acute illness including fever, vomiting etc.
• Prematurity – corrected gestational age <37 weeks 
• Weight below 2.5kg
• Bleeding disorders including haemophilia, Von Willebrand disease (VWD), thrombocytopenia, congenital clotting factor deficiency & vitamin K deficiency. A family history of bleeding disorders will require an assessment by a paediatric blood specialist before circumcision can be performed. 
• Hypospadias/Epispadias – This is a congenital defect where the opening of the urine tube is not located at the tip of the penis. This is only noticed after the foreskin in retracted & head of the penis exposed.
• Chordee – This is a congenital defect where the penis is abnormally curved, usually downwards.
• Webbed penis – This is a congenital defect in which the skin of the scrotum is attached abnormally high on the underside of the penis. 
• Severe buried penis – This is a congenital or acquired condition where the penis is partially or completely buried within the pubic fat pad. The penis is usually of normal length and function.
• Children with specific medical conditions, including heart and kidney conditions, may be able to undergo circumcision. We will require a letter from their hospital specialist confirming that circumcision may be carried out. 
• Other rare contra-indications include micro-penis, penoscrotal transposition, hooded/incomplete foreskin, large hydrocele, ambiguous genitalia and bilateral undescended testes.  

Your child will be examined by the doctor to confirm there are no contraindications before the circumcision is performed. 

Please contact the clinic or speak with your own GP if you are unsure about any of the above.

Circumcision can be performed at any time after birth as long as the baby is over 37 weeks corrected gestational age, weighs more than 2.5kg, is generally healthy and there are no contraindications. This is in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

We encourage parents to perform circumcision as soon as possible after birth. The procedure is simpler with a significantly shorter recovery period and reduced risk of complications. We can perform circumcision from one week old until 12 months of age. 

The British Medical Association (BMA) & General Medical Council (GMC) both recommend that consent for circumcision should be sought from both parents.

If the child has only one parent, that person can provide consent. Evidence will need to be provided to confirm this. We will also require the parent to sign a declaration confirming they are a single parent with sole parental responsibility.

If one parent is unable to attend, we will need to obtain their written consent email or letter AND will require to see their photographic ID. This will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.

If parents disagree on having their child circumcised, we will not be able to perform the procedure.

On the day of the appointment:

• Both parents need to attend with photographic ID (passport / driving licence).
• Please bring:
  • Child’s Red Book, birth certificate and hospital discharge paperwork if available. 
  • A bottle of milk (formula or breastmilk) and a dummy if your child takes one. 
  • Nappies, wipes and a spare set of clothes.
  • New large tub of Vaseline.  
  • Bottle of paracetamol (Calpol).

At the BCC we carry out circumcisions using the Plastibell (Ring) method. This is one of the most commonly used circumcision techniques worldwide and is considered to be one of the safest methods of male circumcision. Under local anaesthesia, the procedure is virtually pain free. 

It is a scalpel free and suture free procedure. The technique allows a perfectly even surgical line as the final cut is made by the ligature tied around the ring rather than a freehand excision.  

The procedure involves administration of local anaesthetic into the base of the penis. 

The foreskin is retracted to expose the head of the penis. 

An incision is made in the top of the foreskin (dorsal slit). 

The Plastibell is placed over the head of the penis and the foreskin is pulled over the ring.  

The foreskin is tied to the ring using a ligature. The excess foreskin is carefully trimmed away.

The circumcision procedure will take approximately 15 minutes, although you are likely to be in clinic for approximately one hour.