Circumcision is surgery which involves the removal of the foreskin that covers the head of the penis (the glans). This procedure helps to rectify problems such as phimosis (a foreskin which is tight and doesn’t retract), recurring infections in your foreskin and glans, and cancer of the penis. It’s generally carried out under local anaesthetic.
30 – 60 minutes
4 weeks
This procedure removes all or part of the foreskin from the head of the penis. It can help with a range of medical issues, including a tight foreskin which won’t retract and repeated infections. It’s a relatively common and simple procedure which can be carried out under general or local anaesthetic.
This type of treatment can be effective if you’re at or near your goal weight yet still have areas of fat that you find impossible to remove.
This kind of surgery can bring a number of benefits. It’s typically performed for one of these reasons:
As with all kinds of surgery, circumcision does have risks and the potential for complications following treatment. These include:
You’ll be given either local or general anaesthetic and, after it’s taken effect, your surgeon will begin the procedure. During circumcision surgery, a circular incision is made just below the glans and the foreskin is removed, leaving the glans fully exposed. They’ll then seal off any small blood vessels and stitch the edges of skin together below the glans.
You may want to consider this procedure if you find sexual intercourse painful due to a tight foreskin that won’t retract when erect, if you have phimosis, where the foreskin is very tight and can’t be pulled back, if you have adhesions and/or scar tissue formed because of persistent infections and/or damage to the foreskin because of phimosis or if you have lesions on your foreskin or head of your penis.
You should take at least a week off work and you should avoid driving until you feel that you’re sufficiently recovered.
In the first 3 – 4 days following your circumcision surgery, you’re likely to have some discomfort and swelling around the head of your penis, but this will begin to settle as you heal. You can take painkilling medicine such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to help.
Wear clothing that’s light and loose-fitting for the initial few days after your procedure so that you’re not irritating your penis as it heals.
The dissolvable stitches will usually disappear within 2 -3 weeks.
You may have some discomfort when passing urine initially, and again this should get better as time goes on. You’ll need to avoid having sex for at least 4 weeks following your circumcision surgery.
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The healing process does vary from person to person and the type of procedure performed. Generally, though, you can expect that it will take 2 – 3 weeks for your incision sites to completely heal, although some people may find that it takes up to 6 weeks.
You can help the healing process by keeping the area dry and clean, avoiding any activity that is too strenuous, taking painkillers as required, and avoiding sex or any activity that could affect the incision site until it’s completely healed.
There are a number of things that you can do to give yourself the best opportunity to recover quickly and well. These include wearing loose underwear and clothing, keeping the area dry and clean, drinking plenty of fluids, eating a healthy, protein-rich diet to help your recovery, refraining from smoking, avoiding swimming for at least 3 weeks and refraining from sexual activity for at least 4 weeks. You should also not drive until you believe that you can fully control a vehicle.
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