So, I am too embarassed to ask the dr.(I know, I know, but......) since I feel I should know the answer since I have helped to take care of babies my whole life, but how long must you keep pushing back the skin around the cercumcission (plasti-ball method)?
The dr. checks the "look" of the circumcision. every time we are there, and made a comment at his 2 mos. check that we weren't pushing the skin back often enough and it could start growing down if we didn't, so I picked up the pace. He checked again at 4 mos. and didn't say anything about it and we haven't been back for his 6 mos. check-up yet!
My question: Is this something (pushing back the skin) we can stop doing soon, or must do 'till a certain age, or even must do for years?
Thanks!
***EDITED NOTE because some of you seemed a little unsure why he told me I must do this: He said if I did not, the skin would grow back down. It is not a health issue here (to prevent infection) as in a boy that is not circumcissed: it is a cosmetic issue. I was just wondering how long it takes the skin to "learn" not to grow back down! Also, the method used was with a Plasti-ball for those of you whom wanted to know!
WOW THIS SPARKED MANY DIFFERENT RESPONSES ALL OVER THE BOARD!-Had no idea it was soo tabu, there were so many different methods, and that it would become so opininated!
I'm still taking info and want to know what other doctors have told other moms, but here is a pretty good answer I believe:
From Mendy F.:
"First of all, being a pediatric office nurse, I first want to tell you NOT to be afraid to ask your pediatrician anything. That is the profession they picked, and so its their JOB as your doctor to answer your questions. OK, Im off my soap box.:) You should not have to push the skin back past 12-15 months. Its something you can do while you are bathing him, and/or changing him. It does not hurt, and he is not going to be scared from it.:) Hope this helps! Double check with your pediatrician, since Im just a nurse, and they(the doctors) are all so different!"
My son is 2 1/2 now and I remember still doing it occasionally (maybe just at bath time) at 10 months or so. I don't think we did it much past his first birthday, but still checked it occasionally (maybe a few times in a month).
T.,
First of all, being a pediatric office nurse, I first want to tell you NOT to be afraid to ask your pediatrician anything. That is the profession they picked, and so its their JOB as your doctor to answer your questions. OK, Im off my soap box.:) You should not have to push the skin back past 12-15 months. Its something you can do while you are bathing him, and/or changing him. It does not hurt, and he is not going to be scared from it.:) Hope this helps! Double check with your pediatrician, since Im just a nurse, and they(the doctors) are all so different!
M.
Well I can help a little. I have 3 boys and with the first two(now 4 and 8), their doctor at the time told me to push it back enough to make sure it was clean. Well everything went fine with them, no problem. But with my 3rd, now 14mths I had nothing but problems. Everytime I took him to the doctor I had to make sure it was looking good. His skin kept wanting to grow back together. There was atleast 3-4 times the doctor had to get a nurse to help hold him down so he could pull the skin back apart. I hated it because he would cry of course for a little while and it would bleed a little. Despite the fact that I had already been through this with my two other boys and I did my best by trying to keep his clean as well, his skin just trying to regrow together. Now I just make sure I pull it back at every bath and every diaper change and make sure it's clean. You should pull it back far enough to see the little lip-like lining. If it starts to look red or irritated or like there is a build up of white stuff then I would be concerned. As long as you're consistant with the cleaning everything should be good. My son hasn't had a problem since mabye he was 6 or 7 months. You just basically have to train the skin to stay where it is supposed to. Not everyone has problems but I sure did and with my 3rd boy at that. Good luck!!!!
I push it back when washing at baths - and I did that until they were old enough to do it for themselves. For some guys it never becomes an issue, some doctors cut it so close that there is nothing to push back... for the ones that it is, though, any trash can get caught in the fold of skin and start an inflammatory process that becomes painful and can cause complications.
FTR, if he hadn't been circumcised you'd still have to push it back a little when cleaning it.
S.
I think you did get a good answer from the pediatric nurse who responded. However, I want you to know this exact thing happened to me and my little boy. I don't know why this happened, but the skin STILL wants to stick back together. I pull it back every diaper change and every bathtime. I make sure it's clean. He doesn't like it, but I still do it and try to make it quick. My pediatrician called it the "corona" - when you pull it back, you should see a darker, more red ring around it. That's where you don't want skin sticking. And like your pedia. said, it's strictly cosmetic and that's it. My son is 19 months now and it's FINALLY seeming to quit sticking, but I had to pull it apart "like a bandaid" many, many times. Good luck!
I never knew that you were suppose to push back the skin after circumcision. This is news to me. I thought you only have to do that if the baby is not circumcised. Both my boys were circumcised and I've never done that! They are both fine. Don't feel bad for not knowing everything since none of us do!
