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Topical Pain Relief for Circumcision

Circumcision is a procedure usually performed up to two days after a baby is born or on rare occasions when a child is older. The 10- to 12-minute procedure removes the foreskin of the penis. The procedure is performed by strapping the newborn infant down with Velcro to a device called a circumcision board. The penis is coated in betadyne and draped with a surgical cloth. The pediatrician then removes the foreskin. According to statistics, approximately 65 percent of all newborn males receive a circumcision before coming home from the hospital (Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, 2009).

  1. Use of Pain Relievers

    • For generations, people believed that pain relief during a circumcision was neither necessary nor advised. Pain relief was not deemed necessary because doctors believed that infants were incapable of feeling pain. Pain relief was not advised due to an infant being so small and unable to handle the medication and potential side effects. However, as of 2009, it is recommended that before a circumcision is performed, an anesthetic topical solution should be applied to ease the pain. Studies in the Circumcision Reference Library have shown that infants can feel just as much pain as adults and that some type of pain relief should be used in circumcision (Benini, Johnson, Faucher, et al., 2005).

    Topical Anesthetic

    • EMLA is the topical anesthetic used most commonly in circumcisions. The Circumcision Library suggests that EMLA is quite effective in combating some of the pain that accompanies this procedure (Benini, Johnson, Faucher, et al., 2005). EMLA is also available under the generic names prilocaine and lidocaine. It should typically be applied approximately one hour before the circumcision to ensure the penis is numbed.

    Other Topical Creams

    • As of 2009, similar topical anesthetics are being tested to determine their effectiveness at numbing pain associated with circumcision. However, it is uncertain if any will prove as effective as EMLA (Benini, Johnson, Faucher, et al., 2005).

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