Adult Circumcision

WHAT IS IT?

Adult Circumcision is very common minor surgical procedure designed to remove the foreskin, ie the portion of skin that surrounds the glans at the tip of the penis. This procedure has been practiced for thousands of years for religious, cosmetic, and medical reasons. Nowadays, most circumcisions are done for medical indications here.

Indications:

  • non retractable foreskin (phimosis)
  • foreskin stuck behind the glans (paraphimosis)
  • recurrent balanoposthitis
  • Zoon’s balanitis
  • Balantis Xerotica Obliterens
  • other skin lesions

Advantages?

  • Circumcision has been shown to serve a preventive role in the transmission of some sexually transmitted diseases.
  • It reduces by 50% the risk of transmitting the AIDS virus in men, without changing the risk in women
  • In addition, it decreases human papillomavirus (HPV) infections of the penis by 30%.

How is the intervention performed?

The procedure is performed under sterile conditions to prevent infection after the intervention. You will be awake and conscious during the surgery. Once comfortably positioned on your back, a local antiseptic and sterile drape will be applied to the genital area. Anesthesia is induced by a penile block.

This involves the administration of a local anesthetic to the skin around the base of the penis. This is usually the most unpleasant part of the surgery but last only 10 seconds or so.

The incision on the foreskin is then marked with a skin marker, and more local anesthetic is applied to the area where the incision will be made. Then, a circular excision of the skin is performed with a scalpel and we then proceed to the excision of the preputial mucosa. Hemostasis is achieved using electrocautery. The wound is then closed with a series of resorbable stitches.

Polysporin ointment is then applied to the incision to finish off the procedure. A circumcision usually takes 30 minutes to complete and there is generally no need for any recovery period at the office. You will be able to leave the office quickly by your own means. Loose clothing is likely to be more comfortable. Although you may wish to be accompanied it is not obligatory. You may take a shower 24hrs after. It is frequent to observe some bloody oozing from the incision in the first 48hrs and also normal for the penis to present some degree of swelling and/or bruising after, but this usually gradually resolves within 2 weeks. There is no effect on urination and you should be able to urinate normally right away.

A follow-up is scheduled 2 months after surgery.

Is it painful ?

Pain varies from one individual to the next but in general, will last less than a few days. The pain can be more important in the first 24-48 hrs but will quickly and gradually subside. It can be controlled with extra-strength Tylenol or a mild narcotic prescribed by your urologist.

Some individuals actually don’t even use any. In almost all cases, the healing is done in 8 to 10 days without any complications. The skin of the glans exposed eventually becomes ” keratinized ” (covered with a kind of dry skin). It takes about one month for the circumcised person to get used to this new sensation.

What do I need to do before the intervention?

There is no special preparation necessary prior to the procedure. Shaving of the genital area is optional. Although the operation lasts approximately 30 minutes, you have to make yourself available for 45 minutes to 1 hour at the clinic. You may want to be accompanied but this is not absolutely necessary. Please arrive on time for your appointment. Any anticoagulants (blood thinners) should be discontinued prior to the surgery as per your urologist’s recommendations and any allergies noted. Written consent is mandatory.

What are the risks of Adult Circumcision?

Like any surgery, complications are possible but are usually infrequent and occur in the early days. They are usually minor and well treated;

• infection
• bleeding
• skin retraction or abnormal scarring
• urethral trauma (extremely rare)

After the surgery ?

Post-circumcision Recommendations for Adults

Use extra-strength Tylenol or the mild narcotic as prescribed by your urologist for pain control.

Polysporin© ointment (not cream) should be applied to the incision twice a day for 7days. The sutures will start to dissolve 7-10 days after and gradually fall out on their own.

Showers can be taken 24hrs after the procedure. You may wish to take 10-minute baths starting in the 2nd week in order to help dissolve the absorbable sutures.

Avoid physical activity for one week.

Avoid sexual activity for 3-4 weeks.

An appointment will be scheduled two (2) months after surgery.

Contact us if you have any doubts about the wound, experience fever/chills, abnormal bleeding, or increasing pain.

 

Contact-us

Phone

819-825-3800
fax: 819-825-3810
 
 

Address

1660, 3E AV, VAL-D’OR, Québec J9P 1W1

 

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Services available by appointment only.
Possibility of evening appointments.

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