Circumcision

[bobrus]

I unbandaged tonight and i think i had a panic attack. I knew what to expect but still felt really light headed. Also its really sticky still. Is it ok to put vaseline on it then bath tomorrow? I have ointment and i cant pull the skin back comfortably enough to place it on the suture lines.

[nfor]

Not all consultants advice Vaseline. In my country is never used. If you use warm showers without using soap you might be more able to apply any cream or medication that was prescribed for you. You will now start getting more frequent erections the longer you take without any form of sexual activity. Try taking this opportunity to apply cream when you get erections. It might sting a little and you might have blood or serious stains in your underwear, but this is a part of your recovery.

[Cipher]

It depends on what you hope for the vaseline to accomplish.

It is not going to speed up the healing process. Vaseline is generally applied on a gauze that is put on the penis head when you have to go to work, walk around in pants etc, in order to reduce the friction caused between your penis and your underwear. So don't just apply vaseline on the incision part as that won't help in any way. If you need to walk around in underwear and you are uncomfortable doing so without, put medical vaseline (no fragrances etc) on a gauze and put that on your penis head to reduce the friction. You can put neosporin on it if you have it available, but also don't overdo it, twice a day is enough.

If you circumcision is fresh I would not recommend taking baths for the first week. Take a shower and don't keep your penis in the water for too long. But soaking your penis fresh after the op in water for prolonged times might be bad for the incision part as well as the stitches.

Short salt baths (cup) or chamomile tea soaking is fine, usually no more than for 3 minutes though. But until your incision has healed up and most of your stitches dissolved I wouldn't take a bath, shower instead.

[bobrus in reply to Cipher]

Thanks for your reply! I've just been letting it out in tight underwear putting up with the bumps etc. I put the ointment on now when i pee as this is when it comfortably retracts and only showers. Had a bath once (last night) after 48 hours pre op to get bandage off. Are nightly showers enough for cleanliness? I've seen how others have 3-4 salt baths a day?

[Cipher in reply to bobrus]

Generally you should rinse your penis after every urination, as that frequency also help the penis to keep clean of any fluids caused by healing. Salt baths or chamomile tea baths 3-5 times a day are fine, but keep to the duration and don't go too overboard. By bath I mean dipping your penis in a cup with salt or chamomile tea, not a full on bath in a bath tub. The more the days go on, the less you will need to clean it multiple times a day.

[bobrus in reply to Cipher]

Im not sure if i could be washing 3-5 times when i was told to place ointment on my suture line 4 times a day? I do this after every urination for ease of pulling the shaft back. Wouldn't the salt dips counter the ointment which i assume is the same to keep the suture clean?

[Cipher in reply to bobrus]

Depends on the ointment that you use, if you have been instructed by the doctor to put the ointment on your incision that many times (which I personally find odd but I am NOT a doctor so mine is just an opinion) you can do it in this order : toilet -> salt dip -> put ointment on after your penis dries after the dip.

The salt baths and chamomile tea baths dry pretty quickly so you can put it on in a matter of minutes after wards. You don't have to clean the incision part every time you urinate, just the glans (rinse it under warm water) but do the salt/chamomile bath at least 3 times a day, where the incision part is submerged as well for a little while.

[bobrus in reply to Cipher]

I feel worried i might be under cleaning. I felt more tightness in nocturnal erections last night maybe from no vaseline before bed. Im going to try pee, epsom salt dip, ointment. Pee and ointment. Pee, epsom salt dip and ointment. Then shower and ointment. Would that be a good cleaning regime?

[Cipher in reply to bobrus]

tightness could be from swelling going down slowly and you getting more of a "regular" erection. the vaseline itself shouldn't be affecting the feeling "tightness". Cleaning your penis three times a day is perfectly fine. As long as your incision part is exposed to air and not hidden under swollen skin, once or twice is even enough. The salt baths are more for helping with the healing and dissolving dried blood more than cleaning the penis. As long as you give it a little rinse under running water its perfectly alright.