Penile Adhesions
Gentle Circumcision
After circumcision, you might find skin growing around the head of your penis, connecting to remaining foreskin. This experience can be unsightly and painful. This connection is a penile adhesion, which Gentle Circumcision specializes in treating.
The team of doctors at GC can remove the adhesion and any excess tissue. This procedure will both improve the appearance of your penis and relieve discomfort. Call Gentle Circumcision today to learn more or book an appointment online.
Adhesion Q & A
What is circumcision adhesion?
A penile adhesion is a piece of skin or tissue that can form between your penis and a scar left after your circumcision. Adhesions join the glans, or head of your penis, to that scar, and can cause discomfort or pain when you get an erection.
Circumcisions done by qualified professionals are quite low risk and rarely lead to any complications. However, if the circumcision is inexpert, it can trigger the development of an adhesion. For example, adhesions can occur when the doctor does not completely remove the foreskin.
This extra foreskin can occasionally reattach to the head of the penis. This requires separating the unwanted connective tissue or removing the excess foreskin, or both. Adhesions are particularly common in some babies, where their penis seems to vanish as the child gains weight. This condition requires a different approach to treatment.
What types of penile adhesions are there?
Granular adhesions
Glanular adhesions can occur after circumcision. These happen when skin of the circumcision scar reconnects and obscures the base of the glans called the coronal margin. This skin looks like a rim and overhangs a groove that separates the glans and the shaft of your penis.
Foreskin bridging
Penile skin bridges are thicker glandular adhesions that can be permanent. This type of adhesion often requires surgical treatment.
Cicatrix
Cicatrix is a type of adhesion that might develop after a circumcision heals. New connective tissue can tightly bind the remaining foreskin to the head of the penis.
How is an adhesion or skin bridge treated?
If your baby has a glanular adhesion, applying petroleum jelly will keep it soft, allowing natural separation.
Cicatrix and penile skin bridges require different treatment approaches. Cicatrix adhesions usually respond well to treatment with a corticosteroid medication like betamethasone. The medicine helps soften the cicatrix adhesion, making it easier to pull the skin away from the penis.
Skin bridges, which are thicker and more challenging, often need surgical separation.
To learn more about adhesions, call Gentle Circumcision, or schedule an appointment online today. 310-559-8000
