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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.