BXO and Phimosis

[Bburn]

I have posted on this forum previously with regards to my life long Phimosis that had not caused me any issues. I had my Urologist referral 4 weeks ago due to some inflammation of the glans and confirmed that I have BXO. I am booked in for a circumcision which doesn't really bother me too much as I have read lots of stories about circumcision on here which has really helped. My question is did circumcision help with any people that suffered with BXO and cure your symptoms.

[MrMan84]

hey!

Yes- I had circumcision for this reason and it has so far cured it. It’s been 2 years. There’s always a risk of recurrence but for me personally, it has helped.

Best of luck to you

[Bburn in reply to MrMan84]

Thank you so much for your reply, the only thing I'm a bit worried about is what my glans will look like after 40 years with phimosis, but I'm just hoping that after then circumcision over time my glans will return to normal/healthier looking.

[MrMan84 in reply to Bburn]

So, in my case the glans got better because the lichen sclerosis cleared, so red patches receded etc. But the skin damage didn’t fully reverse so it never looked quite the same as it once did.

That said, your skin changes anyway after circumcision.

I have got used to it and it has just never come up with any woman I’ve ever been with so kinda not an issue

Overall health comes first.

[Bburn in reply to MrMan84]

Are you glad you had the procedure done, and how long until you felt like the whole situation was back to normal

[MrMan84 in reply to Bburn]

For me personally yes I’m glad I got it done because the alternative was to worry about BXO progression forever. I’m healthier so I’m happy.

That said, it took around 3-6 months for everything to get better and there’s a new ‘normal’. I don’t want to give the wrong impression- it’s more than fine, but sex and particularly masturbation doesn’t feel the same and the skin doesn’t look quite the same.

But I still enjoy sex and I’m happier and healthier having got it done overall.

[Bburn in reply to MrMan84]

Thank you very much for your reply, I suppose the main thing is that you have stopped the progression and hopefully any issues later in life, which is the way I'm looking at it. Also you can clean the glans properly which is also healthier which is what I'm looking forward to, being able to keep the glans clean healthier and cleaner. Looking forward to the new look to be honest, probably this time in next year I'll be hitting myself wondering why I didn't get my issues sorted years ago.

[MrMan84 in reply to Bburn]

That’s how I ended up feeling. I prefer the look without foreskin and once it’s done, it’s done and you can get on with life.

Wish you the very best with it.

[Bburn in reply to MrMan84]

Thank you so much.

[Phimosism in reply to Bburn]

just for your piece of mind - I had my operation at 36 (39 now) - best decision of my life - did it due to life long phimosis

[Bburn in reply to Phimosism]

Thank you for your response, it really helps, I'm on the journey to recovery now and can't wait until I'm fully healed.

[Phimosism in reply to Bburn]

Yes that’s great news mate - the difficult bit is done - now just bite it and watch loads of tele and basically hibernate for a couple of weeks and you will come out of it a new person

! All the best

[Bburn in reply to Phimosism]

Thank you, I've had to have a catheter put in, which is the worst bit. Other than that I'm ok.

[Yogs1]

Yes I had it done too for that reason, was given a steroid cream afterwards to put on the glans.

[Bburn in reply to Yogs1]

Can I just ask, did you glans return to normal after the procedure and are you happy that you had the procedure

[Yogs1 in reply to Bburn]

I’m happy I had it done as the foreskin tightness was getting too much. Other than I have no symptoms. There is discolouration on the glans where I am applying the cream. So increased tightness was my only issue caused by BXO

[Bburn in reply to Yogs1]

How long are you having to keep applying the cream for, and have you been told that it will eventually return to a normal colour

[Arclight1979]

Heya, good luck with the circ, bro. I didn't have BXO, but I had areas of my glands covered by adhesions that I was really worried would be packed with smegma and gunk, maybe even permanent damage to the skin, and I had phimosis. Circumcision was the only way to cure both. I was really worried about how my glands would look after adhesion removal, but healing went well. I am so pleased I had the operation - it's gotten bigger, is easier to clean, sex feels better, no smegma or gunk, etc.

Keep us posted on progress.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

I'm currently getting a little bit of smega and also have some adhesions, which my Urologist said isn't an issue, it's easily resolved. I bath/shower daily to make sure I clean my glans the best I can, I have my pre op in a couple of weeks then hopefully the procedure will be in September. I am so looking forward to getting the issue resolved, at 42 years old, I'm not concerned about the procedure or any pain with the recovery, it doesn't last forever, I'm staying positive about the whole thing, this forum is a god send.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

From one 40-year-old man to another, welcome to the mid-life circ bros club. The recovery doesn't last forever. I'm 4.5 months in now, and while the first few weeks were tough, it all eases up and new normal sets in soon enough.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Cheers for your reply, im expecting the first few weeks to be tough, but because of this forum I kind of know what to expect even though everyone heals at different rates. I'm taking at least 3 weeks off work.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

Yes! 3 weeks is definitely recommended. Get a comfy cushion to sit on, air it as much as possible, etc. You get the gist. Here for help if you need it.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Hi there, you've been putting some brilliant advice on here. Well my procedure is finally happening tomorrow, just received a phone call to ask if I can attend as they've had a cancellation. I'm just after some advice if you can recommend I need to order in preparation for my recover, do I need to have some dressings in to re-cover the wound area, any creams. Just any advice will help.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

Hi mate, good luck with the operation tomorrow. Following the operation, they should give you some gauze and painkillers. I never used the gauze, but I did use the painkillers. For now, I'd stock up on paracetamol and ibuprofen, and get a small pot of plain vaseline or petroleum jelly. Follow the doc's instructions for how long to keep the bandage on and what to do when it falls off. I basically spent the first two weeks with it hanging out to let the air get to it. For example, I was told to keep the bandage on for 3 days max and if it fell off before that to leave it off. Then to cover the head and scar with thick Vaseline for the next five days and air it as much as possible. I was also told to not bathe or get the wound wet - follow the doc's advice here.

Other than that, after a week or so you'll want to start getting up and about, that's when I started using sterile swabs and surgical pants - the swabs to wrap my tool (after popping on some Vaseline so the swabs didn't stick) and the surgical pants to hold the bandages in place. These worked for me and got me back out and about.

Sterile swabs - shorturl.at/Ln3b5

Surgical pants - shorturl.at/X8BoM

I also bought a load of wound wipes for later in the healing process - around week 6 - to keep the chap clean - being careful not to knock any scabs off or irritate the wound.

Wound wipes - shorturl.at/7O2EK

Other than that... it just takes time. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Try not to worry or panic, watch out for signs of infection, post questions, vent here... a lot of us have been through it and we know what you're going through. I'm happy to give you my mobile number privately if you want a direct line to someone. You got this, bud. Rooting for you.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Brilliant, thank you so much for the advice, it really has helped. I'll get on amazon tonight and get some bits ordered. And thank you so much for offering to give me your number, I might take you up on the offer. Thank you once again, in a weird I'm looking forward to getting it done and getting on the road to recovery. How long did you have to wait until you could shower or bath. I don't like going a day without showering.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

Don't mention it, mate. Offer of mob number is there... a few guys here gave me theirs and just welcomed all my questions, want to pay that forward if I can. I waited a couple of weeks before I started showering properly... I mainly flannel washed all the rest of my body over the sink and left my chap alone. Then I started showering and just let water run off my body onto my chap until sensitivity and proper healing had happened. Also... if you have a hair dryer, use that on a cool and gentle setting to dry your chap when you get to that stage. Just allow yourself time to let the operation sink in once it's happened. It does take time.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Thank you so much. I'll probably update you after the procedure.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

Please do, and good luck.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Thanks for the good luck message, this time tomorrow I'll be on the road to recovery.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

And we're all here for support while you're on the treadmill, mate.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Morning Arclight, so had my procedure done late yesterday. Surgeon said I was a difficult procedure due to how bad my adhesions were and my urethal opening being so small. I've had to have a catheter put in as they had to perform some dilatation. Catheters are not the best, got to keep it in for a week whilst my opening heals. But, I suppose I'm on the road to recovery now.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

Good morning, mate. Sounds like you've been through it. Rest up and hope you're okay. X

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Thank you. It was a bit of a shock when I came round and the surgeon told me they had to fit a catheter, counting down the days until I have it out.

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

I'm sure it was. I've got my fingers crossed for you. You're in the best place to be looked after. Any questions you can get answered immediately, etc. Keep us posted on how it all goes.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

I will do, and I'll take you up on the offer of private message of your phone number. Thank you

[Arclight1979 in reply to Bburn]

You got it, mate. Having someone to vent/talk to is critical.

[Bburn in reply to Arclight1979]

Yeah I've, got it. Thank you

[Norwich1 Moderator]

As was mentioned earlier, circumcision alone may not cure your BXO. You may need topical treatment to assist in getting rid of the BXO. If the topical treatment, rarely, does not resolve the BXO you may need to have a biopsy to rule out other problems. Wishing you well in your treatment.

[Bburn in reply to Norwich1]

Thanks for your reply, who knows what will be required until after my circumcision, I just hope that it's only a cream I need to apply and no biopsy is required because that really would freak me out

[Karlos_ in reply to Norwich1]

BXO is an autoimmune disorder against the EMX1 protein. It's in the inner foreskin. Autoimmune manifestation only occurs in the wet.

If the moist environment on the glans removed (tight circumcision), and also the inner foreskin is removed (low circumcision), the success rate of treatment is over 98%.

Choose an experienced surgeon!

[Norwich1 Moderator in reply to Karlos_]

Even if a circumcision is “properly” carried out according to your definition it will not necessarily cure LS/BXO as you have pointed out. Sometimes a dermatologist is a good choice versus a urological surgeon.

[Bburn in reply to Norwich1]

Tomorrow is procedure day, just had a phone call to say they've had a cancellation so can I go in, absolutely as I want it done and start my recovery journey. Can you recommend anything I should get in to help with my recovery, ie, dressings, cream, vasaline etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[aManofKent]

Think you're well versed with the replies and what else is on this site. The only thing I'd add about the appearance is that mine was very flaky looking for a few days, maybe even a week, but then improved and has been smooth since. I also had 2 scabs on the head which I've no idea how / why they were there, but they healed quickly. Good luck.

[Bburn in reply to aManofKent]

Cheers for the comment. I'm just looking forward to the procedure and finally revealing my full glans, I'm expecting it not to look the best, but the human body is an amazing healer and I'm staying open minded about the time scale it will take for the appearance to look normal.

[JohnMorrison]

Just got done and can let you know in a month or so as I think after it heals, I'll know whether the skin that remains is stretchable, or if it is tight. The tight skin should be gone if it was done right. It can come back I read. I had a bxo ring, as in it started small and spread around till it connected where it started. That was all scar tissue under the skin and made the surface skin tight. You likely know most of this. Created a phimosis-like issue. Doctor just removed the ring and bad skin, but left the rest so in total I'm guessing 1.5" was removed and then stitched. It didn't hurt except when he burt the head of my penis accidently. I am hoping that heals ok so I don't have to bring it up. I really hope it doesn't create or cause BXO to spread there because I had the ring for a few years and it stopped spreading after it went full-circle. The top 2.5-3" from the head down was good soft skin as normal, then the ring, then some signs of stretched skin, then normal. I don't think he removed enough TBH which came from not taking my input before starting the procedure. Doctors never like taking input from us simpletons.

[PabloHu]

How is it now, three weeks in? Slowly recovering?

[Bburn in reply to PabloHu]

Thank you for asking, so tomorrow will be 3 weeks post op. Healing seems to be going very well, the sensitivity has calmed down alot now. Most of the scabs of dropped off now, I just have one left which was quite dense were I had some adhesions to the glans. The frenulum area is progressing slowly, which I know is the area that takes the longest to heal. There are still quite a few stitches left, but I know these will drop out over time. All in all, I'm happy with the outcome.

[PabloHu in reply to Bburn]

Great! Yes, the frenulum area takes quite a while. It is probably due to night time erections, the glans swells up and so there is regular tension in that area.

Good to hear you are happy with the outcome. I certainly had doubts around the three week mark, things can still look quite weird and all.

I'm 7 months post-op now and very glad I went through with it. My only regret, and I'm not the first or will be the last to say this, is that I didn't get it done much earlier!

[Bburn in reply to PabloHu]

I know what you mean, I wish I had the procedure years ago. I'm really looking forward to the final outcome and what it will all look like when it's fully healed.