Circumcision and Genital Dermatoses

Abstract

IT IS WELL RECOGNIZED that the presence of a foreskin predisposes to penile carcinoma^1,2 and sexually acquired infection (including genital herpes, candidiasis, gonorrhea, syphilis, and human papillomavirus [HPV] infection),³ but the dermatology of the penis has attracted scant specific attention compared with that of the vulva.⁴ A specific clinic was started in our institution in 1993 for the assessment and research of penile dermatoses. The clinic is attended by a dermatologist (C.B.), a genitourinary physician, ie, a physician who specializes in sexually transmitted diseases (D.H.), and a urologist (M.D.). To determine whether there is an association between circumcision and penile dermatoses, we analyzed the clinical data derived from 357 patients who presented with penile skin disease.