Penile conditions and treatments

Circumcision refers to the surgical removal of the foreskin (the fold of skin covering the head of the penis). Circumcision can be performed for a wide variety of reasons, including;

• Phimosis (tight foreskin)
• Religious or cultural reasons
• HIV prevention
• Balanitis (inflammation of the head of the penis)
• Paraphimosis
• Penile cancer (difficulty repositioning the foreskin)

A penile biopsy is carried out to investigate the potential existence of cancer in the penis and is performed by removing sample tissue from the affected area of the penis.

There are two types of penile biopsy, incisional and excisional. Incisional biopsy is where the surgeon uses a scalpel to remove a small section of the affected area. Excisional biopsy is where the whole affected area is removed.

Both procedures are relatively straightforward and patients will usually be able to return home on the same day.

A dorsal slit involves a single incision along the length of the foreskin with the intent of exposing the glans without the removal of tissue. It is most often used as a less invasive alternative to circumcision in instances where circumcision is considered impractical. Dorsal slit is most commonly used to treat paraphimosis or balanitis where attempts to reduce swelling via less invasive means have been unsuccessful.

Your recovery from a treatment for a penile condition will depend on the nature of the treatment, although any pain should subside within two weeks of the procedure. You may need to take a week off work and you should be able to return to normal physical activity within four weeks.