A Doctor's Circumcision Experience

Hi there,

I am a doctor who was cut for cosmetic reasons last year and have been following this blog closely. I've noticed that there are a few guys asking questions about avoiding night time erections etc and was wondering if perhaps some medical opinion might be useful? There is a lot of misinformation out there! Obviously it’s just a generic guide and shouldn’t be taken as individualised medical advice!

Bandages
- Most doctors will apply a VERY tight dressing immediately after they finish cutting which will stay in place usually for about 24hrs before being changed (often at a follow up appointment)
- The very tight bandage should not be left longer than 24hrs to avoid pressure areas or blisters developing on the head (glans)
- A looser bandage (still tight but not so tight as to be uncomfortable) should be applied each day for a couple of weeks
- Keep your penis pointing upwards towards your belly button, held in place by tightly fitted boxers
- The upright position and the bandaging helps to keep swelling at bay - less swelling helps to minimise scarring in the long run
- Keep it wrapped each day as long as is practical, but certainly for the first couple of weeks, be careful to leave the tip of the head poking out to allow easy urination!

Pain relief:- Most guys have very little pain after their cut. I know I had hardly any noticeable pain, at most some mild discomfort from the tight bandage for the first 24hrs
- Non drug measures such as rest, tight boxers and a bag of frozen vegetables (20 mins on, 20 mins off) should go a long way to keeping you comfortable
- Simple pain killers taken regularly are better than waiting until you are sore and trying to “catch up” with painkillers at that stage
- Paracetamol taken four times a day (whether you are sore of not) for the first three or four days should be all the most guys should need to keep any pain at bay
- Stronger painkillers like Panadeine Forte (or Co-Codamol for readers in the UK!) can be used instead of regular paracetamol if the simple stuff is not enough (although you will need a prescription for these)
- Anti-inflammatory pain killers like Ibuprofen (Nurofen) or Diclofenac (Voltaren/Voltarol) should be avoided for at least 3 or four days post-op as they increase bleeding risk

Erections:- You get between 3 and 10 erections during a sound night’s sleep so understandably most guys are pretty apprehensive about stitches bursting, pain, bleeding etc
- Lying on your side may help to minimise them, or at least minimise the stretching of the skin when they do happen, especially with a high/tight cut as many guys choose
- If it does start to get painful then that is often enough to get rid of the erection
- Getting up and walking on the spot can also help to “steal” blood away from the penis and help reduce your erection

Medicines to stop erections- Phenylepherine can be helpful in keeping erections at bay
- Sudafed-PE Sinus Relief Night and Day contains both Paracetamol and Phenylepherine in one - so deals with both pain and erections in one drug!
- Like any drug always read the label and if you are not sure - ask the pharmacist or your GP

Creams and Ointments- Kenacomb ointment applied to the scar every day for at least 2 weeks will help prevent infection and reduce inflammation
- Dermatix ointment may also be effective at reducing scarring in the longer term (although it’s expensive!)
- You don’t need to routinely take antibiotics after a cut unless the doctor doing your cut tells you otherwise

Stitches- Different doctors will use different wound closure methods: Sutures (stitches) which may be dissolving or non-absorbable are the most common
- There is evidence that dissolving (absorbable) sutures can cause tunnelling if left in place too long
- If you take the stitches out too early and the whole thing falls apart then it may not be possible to re-stitch!
- It is normal for the odd gap to appear in the scar line with stitches working their way through the skin etc due to stretching - this is not generally a problem in the long run as the wound heals
- I would be very wary of following the advice of anyone other than the doctor who put in the stitches so don’t go pulling them out on day 10 just because some guy on the internet said so!
- Why? Because after 10 days of wound healing the wound is only about 10-15% as strong as normal skin so pulling stitches out too early and then getting an erection….. could be bad news
- By 6 weeks the wound will still only be at about 40-50% of its pre-cut strenght so be gentle with masturbation and sex for at least 8 weeks (use lots of lube and abstain as long as you can!)

Hope that helps!
Andy (a real doctor, honest!)