Hi, I'm a 22 year old male living in Burlington, Vermont, USA.

I'm concerned my adult circumcision for phimosis was not necessary. I had it done when I was 18 years old around December 2007. I have never been able to retract my foreskin for my whole life. I had a very tight foreskin where I could not retract at all and just expose the tip of my glans if I pulled back which was painful. I could become fully erect without pain but it would not retract and just stay over my glans. I went to my regular doctor and then to this urologist, Dr. Scott Perrapato: WWW.WWWW.WW who examined me and put me down for circumcision which I agreed to thinking it was the only thing to do.

The problem is three years later I became aware of the alternative treatments for phimosis - topical steroid cream, such as betamethasone (Which I read on medical sites has a "90% success rate" for phimosis!), stretching, preputioplasty, dorsal slit, etcetera. During my initial appointment he never once mentioned these alternatives. I also learned about the notion that doctors in the United States and some other places are ignorant about the foreskin, its importance, alternative treatment for its problems, and see circumcision as the only way to fix foreskin problems. I also, of course, learned that the foreskin is an integral part of the penis and serves many uses. This was very distressing to me to say the least so I made an appointment to see Dr. Perrapato, again. I asked him about these things and he told me that I had scar tissue and that betamethasone would not have worked. He also said that preputioplasty or dorsal slits would not have worked. I also asked him if this is the same answer that I would get if I had gone to a urologist in Europe, Japan, Australia or Canada and he said yes.

I felt confident that the right choice was made for a while but I keep reading on the Internet how circumcision is almost always unnecessary for phimosis like here: WWW.WWWW.WW
The idea that I was unnecessarily circumcised and could have done other things to cure my phimosis and keep my important foreskin is very depressing to me and as I write this I am in a very heavy sadness. If I can know that circumcision was the only thing to do and necessary I will feel IMMENSELY better.

So, my question is: was my circumcision necessary?