Do not use soap for 2-3 days after the procedure – it will cause burning. After the dressing is off, apply petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or any other clean gooey salve to the inside of your son's diaper so that his penis does not stick to the diaper. Do this for 7 days.
Even after the dressing is no longer needed, put a dab of petroleum jelly on the penis or on the front of the diaper for 3 to 5 days. This can help your baby avoid pain from rubbing and sticking to the diaper. Most of the time it takes between 7 to 10 days for a penis to heal.
After your son's circumcision is done, petroleum jelly or gauze impregnated with petroleum jelly is usually applied. The gauze can be removed after 24 hours. To do this, apply Vaseline to the gauze with a diaper change, then at the next diaper change take the gauze off.
Normal Circumcision Healing
The scab at the incision line comes off in 7 to 10 days. If a Plastibell (plastic ring) was used, it should fall off by 14 days. 10 days is the average. While it can't fall off too early, pulling it off can cause bleeding.
Clean the circumcision site with warm water and a cotton ball once or twice a day. Apply Vaseline for several days. This helps keep the area clean and keeps the wound site from adhering to the diaper.
It usually takes at least 10 days for your penis to heal after circumcision. You'll probably be advised to take at least 1 week off work to recover.
Wash the area daily with warm water and pat it dry. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the area with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and gauze bandage if it weeps or rubs against clothing. Change the bandage every day.
Recovery and Outlook
Recovery from circumcision takes about eight to 10 days. While the penis heals, it may look swollen and red.
If a gauze was used and doesn't fall off on its own, remove it after 48 hours. Begin retracting (pulling back) the foreskin between 4 to 10 days after the circumcision (see instructions in next section).
The tip may be sore, and the penis itself may look red and swollen. You may see a yellow crust on the tip as well. This is normal and should go away on its own in a few days. It will take a week to 10 days for your son's penis to heal completely.
If you need to remove gauze from the penis, use warm water to soak the gauze and gently loosen it. The doctor may have used a Plastibell device to do the circumcision. If so, your baby will have a plastic ring around the head of the penis. The ring should fall off by itself in 10 to 12 days.
Newly circumcised men are counseled to abstain from sex for at least six weeks, as the unhealed wound provides a route for transmission of HIV; however, data from the three trials indicate that some men ignore this recommendation.
Eventually, the foreskin should be retracted far enough during urination to see the meatus (the hole where the urine comes from). This prevents urine from building up beneath the foreskin and possibly causing an infection.
Removal of too much preputial skin may lead to an unsatisfactory cosmetic and functional result. Patients with a congenital anomaly known as 'buried penis' are particularly susceptible to this.
Clean the penis by gently blotting or squeezing warm water from a washcloth or cotton ball onto the penis. Do not use soap, lotion, powder or diaper wipes to clean the penis because they may cause stinging or irritation. Reapply a new piece of gauze with pure petroleum jelly.
Pat the cut (incision) dry. You may also take short baths if you wish. Avoid strenuous activities, such as bicycle riding, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, for 4 weeks or until your doctor says it is okay. You can return to work and normal activities, including driving, when you are comfortable doing them.
Present. Rates vary widely, from over 90% in Israel and many Muslim-majority countries, 86.3% in South Korea, to 80% in the United States, to 58% in Australia, to 45% in South Africa, to 20.7% in the United Kingdom, to under 1% in Japan and Honduras.
However they vary widely in outcome. The present study shows in a large cohort of men, based on self-assessment, that the foreskin has erogenous sensitivity. It is shown that the foreskin is more sensitive than the uncircumcised glans mucosa, which means that after circumcision genital sensitivity is lost.
You don't need to pull it back for cleaning. If your child does pull back the foreskin in the bath or shower, that's fine – but it's not needed. Once your child goes through puberty and can easily pull back the foreskin, it's good for your child to do this in the bath or shower for cleaning.
Circumcision does not increase the size of the penis. Only cases of narrowing of the foreskin, which can cause infection of the penis, increase the risk of cancer and make sex difficult, should have this procedure.
The NMC group included 72 patients (29.0%) who were circumcised during the newborn period; the non-NMC group included 176 patients (71.0%) who were circumcised after the newborn period. There was no significant difference in height, weight, and second to fourth digit ratio between both groups (Table 3).
Trends in circumcision
Most boys born in Australia around 1950 were circumcised. Since then, there has been a big move away from circumcision. Now less than 20% of Australian boys are circumcised. The only major western country where circumcision is very common is the United States.
Globally, one-third of males aged 15 and above are circumcised but male circumcision is almost universal in countries where the Muslim and Jewish faith are commonplace, according to the most accurate estimate among the world's 237 countries.
It's important to keep the tip of your penis clean. The area should be kept dry for 48 hours after the operation. After this, take warm baths or showers once or twice a day. Don't use bubble bath or scented soaps, as these may irritate your healing wound.