There are a number of methods used to cover large denuded areas of body, but none is simpler than the use of circumcised prepuce. In any hospital having an active maternity service, one may obtain all the foreskins necessary. These foreskins are usually discarded, but with simple preservation techniques, they can be stored, grown, stretched and used to cover large-area wounds such as those found on large-area burns victims. What is the current alternative to using 'foreskin' grafts ? Once obtained from the infant, how long are they viable? How can something so small be used to cover a large denuded area? What arguments do opposition groups have to the use of baby foreskin for this practice?
Apparantly if the forskin is grown in the labratory after 21 days it is big enought to cover 3 basketball fields
ReplyDeletePart B
ReplyDeleteSize is not everything! Before considering whether culture from foreskin is better than anything we need to think of why the baby was circumcised at all. There are really no medical reasons to circumcise a newborn (RACP position statement 2002). Personal parents ideas or religious beliefs are not reason to effectively assault a boy without his consent. A much better option with recent good results and an Australian development is that of spray on skin developed by Dr Fiona Wood in Perth. This involves growing the patients own skin cells in culture and making a spray of them. This process takes only ten days to get enough to treat burns. Using the patients own skin also means there are no problems with immune reactions as would happen with tissue from a baby's foreskin. Dr Wood was made Australian of the year in 2005 for this development.
Beasley S, Darlow B, Craig J, et al. Position statement on circumcision. Sydney: Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 2004.
Fiona Wood, C3 co-founder, named Australian of the Year. Graeme O'Neill. Australian Biotechnology. 27th January 2005 accessed http://www.biotechnews.com.au/article/3441/fiona_wood_c3_co-founder_named_australian_year 28th May 2009.
Skin grafting of fore skin is a type of medical grafting involving the transplantation of skin from a baby boys penis.
ReplyDeleteSkin grafting is often used to treat:
• extensive wounding/trauma
• Burns
• Infections
• Extensive skin loss
• venous ulcers, pressure ulcers or diabetic ulcers
• surgeries that need skin grafts to heal
• cosmetic reasons
• skin cancer surgery
The current alternatives for the use of foreskin grafts is Artificial Skin or extensive medical treatments and painful procedures. Artificial Skin is a product which can be used for temporary or permanent replacement of damaged skin. It is most commonly used for burn victims.
The fore skin is permanently viable. When skin is harmed, proteins and growth factors are activated to start a normal restoration process. Apligraf/foreskin is a living skin graft created from newborns during circumcision. Doctors combine living tissue, proteins and skin cells called kerstinocytes. Apligraf helps to stimulate the healing process of the body. Apligraf has proven successful for patients. The skin patch is applied to a 15-20 surgical procedure. The skin is attached by staples, stitches or surgical band aids. After 5 days the foreskin fuses with the patients skin. One of the first and only human skin construction with FDA approval is Apligraf. 50 percent more wounds heal with it than with compression alone. The most accepted theory of why foreskin even works in the first place is because new born skin cells can morph into any kind of skin cell, adult skin cells perform a specific function.
A lot of people disagree with circumcision of the baby's private parts fore skin. Many people consider it to be torturing them. But it is not like they are taking the fore skin for bad reasons. Sure, the baby does cry when it happens; but there is no lifelong pain afterwards and it isn't like the baby can remember it. It is also saving some one's life and decreasing the risk from your child from getting infections.
Risks for the surgery are
• Bleeding
• infection
• the graft not healing
• scarring
• lost skin sensation
• chronic pain (very rare)
• uneven skin surface
• skin discolouration
(Part B)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kieran (May 28, 2009 3:47 AM)
that circumcision is a bad idea. Many people think that it is an unnecessary act of cruelty. People think that because it is part of some religions it is right to do this to children. However, now that skin grafts can be grown from foreskins there is presents a moral dilemma for poor families, particularly, in developing countries who need the money to survive. Also, if the circumcision is not undertaken by a professional it can lean to mutilation and in the worst case death.