Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin - the fold of skin that covers the tip of the penis. The best time for circumcision is when the child is newly born. In the newborn, circumcision is a minor operation that takes little time. There may be a small amount of bleeding. There is also some risk of infection, and the remote possibility of damage to the penis.
Circumcision causes some pain, unless it is performed with an anesthetic.
Despite this fact, some doctors are reluctant to use anesthetic because of the risks associated with its use. If circumcision is postponed until later childhood, a general anesthetic will be necessary, and the risks are greater than if the procedure had been done on the newborn child. Circumcision is not performed for medical reasons. For thousands of years, it's been done in various societies for religious and social reasons. Over the years, various health claims have been advanced to justify circumcision.