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I had circumcision two months ago. How long will it take for the swelling to subside?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I had circumcision done two months ago and I still have swelling around my penis. I did a CBC (complete blood count) and urine test last week, and all were normal. The doctor last month said that all the incisions have healed. There is no discharge, but I have minor discomfort due to the swelling. Will swelling last this long? How long will it take for the swelling to disappear? Should I be concerned? Will night erections affect healing?

Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The healing looks fine (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity). The swelling is mostly due to an extra skin that is bunching up in a non-erect position. When you have an erection, it might be less prominent. If all excess skin were removed, sometimes there would be pain during erection due to the stretching of the skin. I think things will be fine in about another month. Night erections will not affect healing.

I hope I have resolved your queries. Do get back if you have any further queries.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

Thank you for your quick response.

I am attaching another photo. I took it while I had an erection. I want to make sure whether this looks normal. There is a specific area that hurts when I touch it. I am assuming this should not be a concern and is it normal to have swelling on the tip? Are you saying that the extra skin swelling all around will drop down in another month? Is this normal to see in patients? Please help.

Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I do understand your concern.

Thanks for asking again.

There is a small swelling at the tip near the urethral opening, which looks like a blisters (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity). Either this or the remaining two sutures may be painful. The sutures usually drop off by two to three weeks. In your case, they are still seen. If they are painful, you can consult your doctor to remove them. Regarding blisters, sometimes the tender skin over the glans takes time to adjust, after circumcision. So, you can wait for a few more days for it to resolve. Often after circumcision, the lower aspect of the suture line is more swollen than the rest and takes more time to become normal. This may be related to a delay in new blood vessel formation. We usually see things becoming fine in about a month. But in your case, this is taking longer time. You can wait for a few more days. Also, do not expect results similar to circumcisions done in childhood.

Regards.

Once more, thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

We value the high level of confidence you have in us!

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

When I was cleaning the area one and a half months back, I experienced a burning sensation around the bottom of the swelling. During those couple of days, I noticed the swelling increase lightly. It has been over a month and a half now and still the swelling has not subsided. I am worried that this will never heal. Also, my tip has some light swelling which has not changed in the past eight weeks. My erection did not hurt last month, but now when I get erections, I have some discomfort due to the dryness and redness. I saw my doctor last week, but he did not say much. I am attaching photos of how it looks now.

It would be great if you could answer the following questions since I feel stressed.

  1. Is it normal to see this type of swelling?
  2. Is it normal to still have swelling around the tip?
  3. Based on the healing seen from my current photos is it normal to see such swelling for three months?
  4. I started having a burning sensation on the skin which comes on and off after I clean the area. I am assuming this is just from the irritation that I caused.
  5. When I elevate my penis after getting out of the shower, the glands and region of the swelling look white or tanned like it has almost healed and I see a slight decrease in swelling. Is this a good sign?
  6. Does having swelling for this long cause any long-term complications and should I be worried about it?
  7. My glands look dry and slightly red or cracked. Is applying sensitive lotion to this area safe and will it help in healing?

Kindly help.

Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

First, your surgery has turned out well. We should not expect a near-perfect result. Now for your queries, my inference is as follows:

  1. As I said before, expect some bumps here and there. Also, there may be some extra skin that bunches up when not erect.
  2. There is some swelling at the tip, which is not normal. But it may also not be something to worry about. Probably it is a tender area reacting to the environment as it is now exposed. Similarly, about the dryness of the skin over the glans, I suggest you apply a moisturizing cream like Lanolin alcohol and Paraffin (Nivea).
  3. If there is burning along the suture line, you can apply topical steroid cream (mild one like Mometasone) once a day for a week and see.
  4. I do not foresee any long-term issues with this. For the dried and cracked skin, you can apply moisturizing cream. Stop worrying too much about this. I have seen some really bad results.

Regards.

Once more, thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

We value the high level of confidence you have in us!

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

I just wanted to give you an update and I am trying not to worry too much about this. If you can help me answer the questions below it will be greatly appreciated.

  1. I saw a dermatologist last week and I was told to apply a moisturizer. I have been using Waxelene for 10 days (an alternative to Vaseline). I noticed some improvement, but the redness looks the same which can be likely due to dry or red skin caused due to irritation while walking and showering. What can be done?
  2. By applying Waxelene is it still beneficial or is it delaying my balanitis issue? The reason behind the surgery was to enable my glands to breathe. I do not know what should be done further since the burning sensation and redness persist even after applying the moisturizer.
  3. Is applying moisturizer delaying the healing and the swelling ring?
  4. If I apply the moisturizer or not, either way, would it help heal my issue? (Kindly see the photographs of how it looked before applying moisturizer and how it looks now).
  5. Why are my glands towards the end semi-dark purple or red? Is this normal?

Please help.

Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

The redness seems to have reduced but I cannot see very clearly. The purple-red color you see near the tip is due to venous blood which circulates in a nonerect penis. Usually after circumcision, the glans skin becomes a bit thick, hard, and dry. In fact, circumcision is a treatment for balanitis that has not responded to medications. I suggest you continue using organic beeswax (Waxelene) for one to two weeks. It will not interfere with healing.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the prompt reply.

  1. A few more questions came to my mind which I kindly request you to answer.

    1. I am assuming that the swelling ring (the extra skin) will reduce gradually by giving it more time. If yes, any idea how much more time it would take? I am currently in the fourth month of post-operative recovery phase.
    2. Based on my photos and swelling I am assuming that I will not have any complications like keloid scars.
    3. I have been constantly getting erections every day. I am assuming that this will not affect the healing process and will not cause any issues down the lane.
Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Glad to have you back.

Yes, with time the ring should go down a bit. You can expect most of the healing to take place within six months in total. Keloids are uncommon in Caucasians and in the penile region. This does not look like a keloid. An erection will not hamper healing.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I just wanted to give you an update (attaching photos of how it looks now). I am trying my best to stay positive till this heals and I would love to hear your thoughts on the following:

  1. Is it still normal to have some discomfort when I get a night or morning erections? Can this be because of the swelling?
  2. The tip being swollen makes me worried. I am assuming once the swelling ring goes away the tip will start to heal.
  3. My head seems to get easily irritated and causes discomfort. Can this cause any internal harm to the head?
  4. Is there any reason why the swelling has not decreased for the past two months? I do not know how much longer I can take this because I feel uncomfortable walking or wearing anything, and jockstraps do not seem to help.
Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Glad to have you back.

From the photographs (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity), the swelling at the tip seems to be stable and is not increasing. There is also no redness or signs of inflammation, and it is not causing any problems in your urine flow. So, the swelling at the tip can be neglected right now. The pain in the ring of sutures often occurs during erections till the skin stretches enough to cover the erect penis comfortably. This may take around three to six months to heal in most of the cases. These issues should not affect your mind unless you keep thinking about them. So do not worry. Things will improve.

Take care.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I just wanted to check in and have an idea why it is still taking this long for everything to get back to normal. It has been seven months since the circumcision was done, but the swelling has not shown any improvements. I am still having a discomfort and burning sensation around the swelling. Last week I felt like I was making progress till I decided to clean the area with soap which irritated the skin of my head. The swelling is still present at the tip and in the ring. I spoke with a friend who had this surgery done a couple of years back. He said it took him almost one year for the swelling to disappear. Can this be my case? Should I still keep the area dry and clean? Does everything still look in line with healing and do I just need to give it more time? I am assuming that the swelling at the tip will go down when the ring swelling starts to subside. I have attached the photographs. Please help.

Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

The operative site looks normal in the picture (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity), but the glans is a bit dry and there is some swelling at the tip of the glans around the opening. This may be due to friction with clothes. Try wearing soft cotton underwear at most times and loose-fitting clothes. You may also use a mild steroid cream over the swollen area for a week and see (Mometasone works well). The dry glans needs moisturizer cream like Lanolin alcohol and Paraffin (Nivea), and so on.

Do get back if you have any further queries.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I have been away from home for the past three months and have been sitting down naked. I do not think the steroid cream will help and I fear that it might make my skin condition worse. What else can be done to reduce the swelling at the tip? I feel like my head is swollen especially when I stand. I also started having on-and-off burning pain around the swelling ring. Why is this happening? How much longer can I expect the swelling to last? As for the dry skin, my head looks irritated which is likely from showering. Would the moisturizer make it worse? I was told by my physician to keep the area dry and clean.

Answered by Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

No, I think moisturizer will help. You might have been asked to keep the area dry must earlier after the surgery. Steroid cream does not worsen the swelling. Avoid focusing too much on the skin as it may make things worse. For the burning sensation, I suggest you ask your doctor to prescribe medications to soothe the irritated nerves (we give Amitriptyline here in starting dose of 10 mg once daily). It acts as a local anesthetic and soothes the nerves.

Thank you.

Answered byDr. Saurabh S Pandya

Medically reviewed byDr. Nithila. A

Published At June 24, 2019
Reviewed AtJuly 23, 2024

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Saurabh S Pandya
Dr. Saurabh S Pandya

Urology

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