Circumcision is not a requirement for any occupation, with the possible exception of Rabbi, Mohel, or their Moslem equivalents. There are however a number of occupations where being circumcised can make one's working life more comfortable or significantly reduce the risk of genital problems due to working conditions. The following are examples of such occupations.
Steel workers; Glass blowers and Ship's engine room staff all work in an environment which is excessively hot and causes them to perspire more than usual. The extra moisture under the foreskin, together with the heat, encourages the growth of fungal infections and harmful bacteria, leading to balanitis.
Chefs and other kitchen workers also come into this category but with the added complication that the itching foreskin leads to touching it with hands which should be kept clean for food handling.
Metalworking machinists and Ship's engine room staff get quantities of mineral oils on their hands. When hands go into pockets or rub at the crotch, oil gets transferred to the trousers and eventually soaks through to the underwear and hence to the foreskin. When mineral oil gets under the foreskin it sets up irritations which lead to more touching and more oil being deposited. The oils under the foreskin are not washed away as quickly as those on the hands or a bared glans. Mineral oils have been implicated in dermatitis and skin cancers.
Explorers, Astronauts and others spending extended periods in remote locations away from proper medical care usually wish to take every possible prophylactic precaution to ensure that a medical emergency does not arise where it cannot be coped with. Whilst foreskin problems may be the least of their worries, many will consider it is probably better to lose a normal prepuce at a suitable time under optimum conditions in their home country rather than find that the operation has become necessary when the foreskin is inflamed, the time is inconvenient, conditions are primitive and medical aid is not readily available.
Actors and musicians work under bright lights which create considerable heat, particularly for film and TV. They also have to work in very close proximity to one another and under the gaze of an audience (or TV camera). Under these conditions it is possible that they will find it harder to keep the area under their foreskin relatively dry and free of segma, the unpleasant odour of which can be off-putting for fellow actors/musicians. Furthermore it is not possible to obtain relief from any irritation whilst on stage.
Except where a circumcision is performed solely to cure an immediate medical problem, adults undergoing circumcision expect a particularly good cosmetic result. In order that they can themselves understand the importance of the cosmetic aspect, any doctor offering elective adult circumcision ought himself to be circumcised.
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