Circumcisions in Eastern Ontario: A Look at Reddoch Clinics

Typically, Canadian parents undertake a circumcision procedure for their son to fulfill cultural and religious traditions, in addition to seeking improved health outcomes for their child. Some parents circumcise their son for cosmetic and personal reasons.

Muslim Link spoke with clinic founder, Dr. Bob Reddoch about circumcision procedures and what to expect if you undertake the procedure with them. With Muslim clients as an increasingly important part of the clientele in Ottawa and other clinic locations, Reddoch Clinics chose to include Muslim media in their Ottawa communication plan, selecting Muslim Link as their communication partner.

What is the ideal age for a baby circumcision?

The best time is between 7-28 days of age, although circumcisions are done at Reddoch Clinics up to puberty. Since newborn babies are less aware, recover faster, and the risk of complications is lower, families should try their best to have circumcision done as close to this time period as possible. However, it is common for a variety of reasons that circumcision will be done at a later time.

Will the circumcision operation hurt my baby?

The Canadian expert on circumcision, Dr. Pollock, has published a study that shows our pain control process is highly effective. Many babies can sleep right through the entire under 60 second procedure. Most babies experience little or no pain at all.

What can I expect my baby to be like after the circumcision?

It is not unusual for a baby to sleep 6-8 hours after the procedure and to miss a feeding. Some babies will be irritable for a number of minutes to hours afterwards. Behaviourally, most babies are back to themselves by the next day or two.

You use the Pollock Method of Circumcision. What do other doctors use?

The Pollock Method of Circumcision is described as a 30 second, virtually painless circumcision procedure.

The gomco clamp is the most common technique used by physicians. It requires much longer to perform and involves much more tissue handling than our methods.

The plastibell technique is also used by some physicians. With this technique the baby must go home with a small plastic device tied on to his penis that allows the foreskin to desiccate over subsequent days. This is also a lengthier procedure to perform by the physician.

Do all doctors use the same anesthetic method?

No—doctors have different beliefs and practices regarding anesthetic use. We perform circumcisions using the Pollock technique, which is performed on thousands of patients every year. This method has been proven safe and effective on 50,000 patients over the last 25 years, and minimizes pain and discomfort with multiple combined anesthetic methods.

Why are doctors recommending Reddoch Clinics for their patients?

Our procedure takes only one minute (10 times quicker than most hospital circumcisions). We use extensive pain control methods like Tylenol, sugar solution (which has been shown to reduce pain perceptions),  topical freezing cream, and local anesthetic injection.

We have extremely low complication rates and no hospital administration fees are charged. Our clinic is designed to meet the needs of families for infant circumcision. Because of our focus on this procedure we are able to organize our staff and clinic operations optimally for baby circumcision.

Do I need a physician referral in order to book an appointment?

No. If you are booking for your son, it is a parental decision and we only require consent from both parents to proceed.

What complications are possible from circumcision?

Complications are rare. Occasionally, there can be bleeding from the circumcision many hours after the procedure; this is treated by putting some pressure with gauze on the penis for 2-3 minutes to close the oozing blood vessel. (This will be demonstrated to you by our staff).

Very rarely, more serious bleeding can occur which may require a visit to the hospital. Infection is also a possible complication. It is extremely rare and can be associated with redness, pus, and a foul smell from the circumcision. It is treated by putting Polysporin five times a day on the penis which usually resolves any infection within one or two days.

Are more serious complications possible? i.e trauma to the penis?

Yes, they are possible; however, to date, there have never been any serious complications among our patients or in the over 50,000 circumcisions done with the Pollock Technique.

How long does it take for the circumcision to heal completely?

Healing occurs in several stages, and most newborns show signs of healing by one week.

****************

About Dr Reddoch

Dr. Bob Reddoch is a well-known and respected emergency department physician and educator in eastern Ontario, practising for over 25 years.