It's best to avoid full-body bathing until the second day after surgery, but sponge baths are fine. After the second day, you can shower or bathe as normal, but don't scrub the incision site — just let the soapy warm water run over the incision and pat it dry.
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.
You should avoid getting the area wet for the first 3 days, you can then take a shower bath but do not bath for 3 weeks.
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.
Given this, it's normal to wonder if baby's circumcision wound also needs to stay dry. Luckily, it's okay for the wound to get wet—and it will when baby urinates.
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.
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.
The foreskin is removed and stitched onto the remaining skin of the penis. Stitches that dissolve are used to close the wound. They will be absorbed by the body within 7 to 10 days. The wound may take up to 3 weeks to heal.
Wearing light, loose-fitting clothing for 2 or 3 days after your operation will also help avoid irritation to your penis while it heals. You may feel some discomfort while passing urine, but contact your GP if painkillers don't help or if the pain is getting worse.
The same basic principles apply whether you have a foreskin or have been circumcised. Gently wash your penis each day. Carefully pull back and clean underneath the foreskin, as well as the tip of your penis (the glans) using only water and a very gentle soap. Don't scrub this sensitive area.
You should remain relatively inactive the first 72 hours following surgery. We do encourage walking around for a few minutes every two hours to maintain good circulation, but otherwise, no activity.
Normal Circumcision Healing
The incision starts off red and tender. The tenderness should be much less by day 3. 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.
The penis may feel very sensitive for the first 2 weeks, and dissolvable stitches may last for 2–3 weeks. It is also advisable to keep the area dry for 48 hours and avoid swimming for up to 2 weeks.
To reduce the effect of night erections pulling on the stitches during the first few days, empty your bladder before retiring and a few times during the night. Do not lie on your back, but on your side. It may be helpful to draw your knees up a bit into a more foetal position.
After the anaesthetic, your child can start eating a light diet such as sandwiches, pasta, soup or jelly. Avoid fatty or junk food.
Even though your baby's penis will likely start to feel better after 3 or 4 days, it may look worse. The penis often starts to look like it's getting better after about 7 to 10 days. This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for your child to recover.
As the circumcision heals, you will probably see a red "bloody" scab; more likely you will see a white to yellow to gray "wet scab" - this is not pus - it is a normal healing process. Do not mistakenly wipe it off - it will take the penis longer to heal if you remove it!
Avoid all forms of sexual activity for four to six weeks after surgery. Erections, in general, should be avoided; however, erections that occur while sleeping cannot be controlled and thus some pain upon waking is normal.
Remove the initial bandage.
Fill a bath or basin with warm water and salt (epsom salt or regular table salt) to promote healing. Let the water soak the bandage long enough to allow you to remove it without pieces of gauze sticking to the wound.
It may have a yellow ooze over it which is part of normal healing. Don't wipe it away. Use a Vaseline and gauze bandage every diaper change for 1-to-2 days.
At first, the incision (cut) will be red and the glans (head of the penis) will look like it has been scraped. The area may be tender, but this will lessen over the first couple of days. The penis may also have some redness and swelling and have some yellow pus on the head in particular for up to a couple of weeks.
Your child may be constipated after surgery, or they may not. If they have small, hard or painful poop, this is from the anesthesia and pain medications they received.
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.
Because the penis remains hidden there is a tendency for the shaft skin to adhere to the glans. With all adhesions you may notice a white discharge coming from the area of the adhesions. This is called smegma.
Circumcised boys, especially those with excess skin remnants, may have a marked smegma secretion and attention should be paid to clean it as in uncircumcised boys (Fig.