What Is A Partial Circumcision?
A partial circumcision is when a part of your genitals are not completely cut off. You might have had one or two fingers removed from both hands, but it was not fully amputated. The procedure is usually done during childhood, and the child’s parents do not want to cause pain if they ever decide to get married. Some doctors will perform a partial circumcision on newborn babies, so they don’t need to undergo any surgery later.
Some children with a very small clitoris may go through the whole procedure without having their genitalia completely removed. They are called “partial” because they only remove some of the tissue. Other children have very tiny penises, which means that even though there is no actual cutting involved, the doctor still needs to make sure that everything fits properly inside them before proceeding further.
These children are known as “loose” circumcision.
The reason why a child might have a partial circumcision is because they were born with something that did not fit into the standard definition of male or female anatomy. For example, a boy might have testicles, but his body didn’t develop testosterone production until puberty. So he doesn’t have any testes yet, but he does have other glands that produce hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
These children are usually raised as girls, because they do not grow a penile erection until later in their lives.
Other children are born with a very small clitoris, which is actually the most common type of congenital anomaly in newborn female babies. Some might call this a “micropenis.” In either case, the child might have some male parts, but that doesn’t mean that they identify as a man.
Having a partial circumcision as an adult is not common, but it does happen. During this procedure, the doctor removes only the excess tissue from the genitals. This means that all of the baby’s parts are still inside their body.
Many doctors will perform this procedure even if the child has a small clitoris. But other medical practitioners do not perform any procedures to help children who have these types of birth defects.
What Is Circumcision?
The word “circumcision” comes from the Latin words “circumsicere,” which means to cut around. In the past, people did circumcisions as a religious ritual or as a way of marking someone as being a member of an elite group. Nowadays, it is mainly performed for medical reasons.
If you are an adult man who has not undergone a partial circumcision, you have what’s known as a “foreskin.” This is a fold of skin that covers the glans of the penile erection. Over the years, some people have said that removing this extra layer of skin can make things like masturbation and sexual activity more pleasurable for men.
Others believe it’s just a matter of hygiene, because it can be hard to keep the area clean with such a large amount of skin covering it.
The procedures for a circumcision can vary, depending on the age of the patient and the reason the procedure is being done in the first place. In some cases, surgery may be necessary if there is an underlying medical condition that requires it. For younger babies, it’s common for a doctor or midwife to use a special clamp to pull the skin taught before cutting around the circumference of the glans.
This type of procedure is sometimes known as a “Gomco” circumcision. It’s relatively safe and highly effective at preventing the loss of blood-flow to the glans, which can lead to complications.
If there is a medical condition that requires a circumcision, it may be necessary to perform a “high” or “low” version. A high circumcision goes from the belly-button all the way down to the top of the genitals. A low circumcision only goes partway and leaves a “mini-foreskin” covering the glans.
Your physician will explain the pros and cons of each procedure before performing the surgery.
Reasons For Circumcision
Some people believe that a partial circumcision makes it easier to keep the genitals clean, which can help prevent the spread of illnesses like HIV. But many studies have shown that removing any amount of the penile skin makes it more susceptible to inflammation and infection, so cleaning is still very important if you have a circumcision.
Other reasons why an adult might want a circumcision is for aesthetic reasons or to correct issues with the way urine exits the body. A person born with what’s known as a “high-hanging” or “inverted” glans may choose to have it removed so that it looks more like a regular one. If urine exits the body in an improper manner, such as spraying in several directions, then a circumcision can sometimes help to correct this problem.
But the most common reason why people have circumcisions is for religious or cultural purposes. For instance, some Islam sects require male members to be circumcised, partially because of beliefs surrounding cleanliness. Other religions view the uncircumcised as being “impure.” Even in some secular cultures, circumcision is a common practice for newborns.
It’s believed that this helps them to “become men” once they’ve had the surgery.
Sources & references used in this article:
Only skin deep: limitations of public health understanding of male circumcision in South Africa by B Sithole, L Mbhele, H Van Rooyen… – SAMJ: South African …, 2009 – scielo.org.za
Voluntary medical male circumcision: a cross-sectional study comparing circumcision self-report and physical examination findings in Lesotho by AG Thomas, BR Tran, M Cranston, MC Brown… – PloS one, 2011 – journals.plos.org
Association of cervical cancer with circumcision of sexual partner by JE Dunn Jr, P Buell – Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1959 – academic.oup.com
A cut above the rest: traditional male circumcision and HIV risk among Xhosa men in Cape Town, South Africa by B Maughan-Brown, AS Venkataramani… – JAIDS Journal of …, 2011 – journals.lww.com
