Circumcision, the removal of foreskin, is a very common practice in Islamic and Jewish cultures. Foreskin is the tissue around the glans of penis in boys. The Jewish father of a newborn son appoints a mohel for the procedure if he is not trained in it. The Jewish mohel is a person trained in performing the circumcision procedure. Traditionally, a mohel uses a knife for performing this act. These days, mohels are also using clamps for the benefit that it is fast and safe to use. In Jewish law, women are never allowed to act as mohel if male mohel is available. Sometimes they use female mohel, or mohalot. Mohels also draw some blood from the foreskin during this act as a part of ritual.
 

Circumcision in adult men is mostly done for therapeutic purpose. In African countries circumcision is being performed in adults for prevention of sexual diseases. Normally, the foreskin is a loose tissue over glans penis. Phimosis is a condition in children and adult men, where the foreskin becomes too tight to retract and circumcision is done to cure it. Adult men without circumcision are considered to be at higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Some adult men are advised circumcision to avoid recurrent urinary tract infections as well.
 

Female partners of circumcised adults enjoy the benefit of less chances of cervical cancer. Circumcision is endowed with benefits of less infection of the urinary tract. Since the foreskin is prone to infections, uncircumcised children and adult men are more exposed to those diseases. In adult men, the chances of cancer are also reduced by circumcision. So, one of the major benefits of circumcision is to prevent penile cancer in men.
 

Adult circumcised men reduce sexual infection to their sexual partners as well. Among other benefits of circumcision is the ease of maintaining hygiene of private parts by children and men. Some adult men with circumcision complain of reduced sexual sensitivity as the foreskin is a sexually sensitive tissue. People without foreskin experience less pleasure in sex. Foreskin protects the meatus or urethral opening and cutting the foreskin exposes the meatus to friction and infections.

According to American Academy of Pediatrics, the benefits of circumcision overweigh the risks. Prevention of balanitis (inflammation of glans) and balanoposthitis (inflammation of glans and foreskin) are two chief benefits of circumcision. It is always better to perform circumcision by surgeons rather mohels in older children and adults.