In our country, circumcision is the most common surgery in children. It is a common question which parents ask immediately after birth of their child.
Among Newborns, scientifically there is no cut off age defined for circumcision. Therefore, all surgeons can recommend different ages according to their experience. Usually most of the Pediatric surgeons recommend to get Circumcision of Newborn done as early as possible. You can delay it till second or third week of life, so that Jaundice may settle down and then proceed for Circumcision.
Don’t delay it more than 3 months of age as then child feels more pain and weeps.
If your child is in the age group of 6 months to 2 years, it is better to consult a pediatric surgeon and before deciding. Usually there is an excessive fat in the pubic area of these children in this age group. If circumcision is done in the presence of this excessive fat, there are chances of problems and it might be needed to do it again. Therefore, we highly recommend you to see a pediatric surgeon before deciding for circumcision in this age group.
If your child is above 2-3 years of age, still circumcision can be done, but it will be done in complete sedation (general anesthesia). Most of the parents show their concerns about general anesthesia, but it is not to worry as it is quite a safe now. There are some rumors and misconceptions in our society regarding general anesthesia which are completely wrong. So, we always insist that it is better that child should not feel pain during circumcision and in this age group, it is not possible without general anesthesia.
In children, over 12 years of age, it becomes easier to do it in local anesthesia. As now child has grown up and he understands his body and concerns. Also, at this age, he can communicate better and is not afraid of certain things. So, in this age group, we usually do it in local anesthesia.
In conclusion, if your child is just born and less than 6 months of age, get his circumcision at earlies so that he must minimal pain. If, he is 6 months to 2 years of age, consult a pediatric surgeon and then decide. If he is 3-12 ears of age, get it done in general anesthesia and you can get it done anytime, there is no emergency now. If the is more than 12 years of age, you may decide between general and local anesthesia and can get it done at any time as per your ease.