WARNING:

You must be 18 years of age or older to view these images. 

The images you are about to view are extremely graphic. Complications from genital cutting are common and extremely damaging.

Photographs of complications from circumcision of infant penises are shown below for educational purposes. Do not continue scrolling unless you are prepared to see such images.

IMAGES OF CIRCUMCISION COMPLICATIONS — Infants

Too Much Skin Removed

Image 1A & 1B: Infant circumcision doesn't normally use stitches like an adult circumcision does, because it relies on clamping and crushing of the foreskin and on an infant's power of healing to get the two remaining "ends" of penile skin to fuse into a scar. Here, they failed to fuse. This happens when too much skin is taken off by accident or when the amount taken off dorsally and ventrally is mismatched. This child will have virtually no penile shaft skin on the ventral side, possibly leading to bowed erections (chordee) and pain.

Blood Loss/Hemorrhaging

Image 2A & 2B: This baby required a blood transfusion from hemorrhage, and will likely need multiple corrective surgeries. 

Meatal Stenosis

Image 3A: This child was diagnosed with meatal stenosis at age seven months, and was hospitalized two weeks later with a penile infection and a kidney infection due to the stenosis. This case was severe, and it prevented the child from urinating properly. He screamed when he peed and never fully emptied his bladder, putting his bladder at risk of rupture. He needed IV antibiotics and only a tiny catheter made for 24-week preemies fit into his penis. He is still followed by urology and nephrology at the hospital and will be having surgery by the time he's three years old. He continues to have UTIs as a result of the stenosis. 

Image 3B, C, D, E: This boy was diagnosed at 3 years old with meatal stenosis. Meatal stenosis is the scarring of the urethral opening over time, which can prevent normal urination and cause pain, spraying of urine, and urinary tract infections. The urine comes down the urethra and hits a wall of scar tissue instead of exiting the urethral opening, which can cause painful pressure with urination for those affected. This case was discovered when the child was potty learning. His mother noticed that the urine stream projected up and to the right instead of down. Meatal stenosis is found almost exclusively in circumcised males, as the protective foreskin has been removed and leaves the urethral opening exposed to urine, feces, and friction from diapers and underwear. These are the before and after pictures for a surgery called a meatoplasty, which reopens the urethral opening to allow urine to flow. Meatoplasty requires general anesthesia and post-operative pain medication.

Adhesions

Images 4A, B, C: This child formed adhesions, a common complication of genital cutting, after a Plastibell circumcision. In his case, he had a full adhesion all the way around, as his body tried to correct the damage that was done. In photo 4A, you can see that the infant's skin re-adhered; the white is trapped smegma built up underneath that has no way to flush from the body, as it would from an intact penis. His skin would tear open small, painful holes for the smegma to release. He also had fevers, indicating infection. In image 4B you can see that the skin was red and raw where it was trying to heal. Image 4C shows what happened after the child had an erection that completely tore the adhesions apart. (The plan was for corrective surgery with anesthesia, but the adhesions broke before the procedure was scheduled). As you can see, the skin is raw and scar tissue will form where the healthy skin was removed. You can also see that there is a significant narrowing below the glans, at the top of the shaft. This indicates the doctor that originally performed the circumcision used a Plastibell that was too small and as a result, the child’s penile shaft has been partially degloved. 

Removal of the Foreskin

All forms of penile circumcision remove the foreskin, a valuable and protective part of the anatomy.

Complications in Male Circumcision (Book Excerpt)

While our organization strongly objects to the concept of “improving” circumcision techniques as presented by this author, the images shown are important to view to further your understanding of ways in which the harms and risks outweigh the "benefits" of infant circumcision.

There is no reason to take this risk with your precious baby. Learn more about the intact penis and the many reasons that foreskin is healthy and important.

Learn about the many wonderful functions of the foreskin and view the difference between intact and circumcised penises.