Sebaceous Cyst on Penis

Thanks. Getting it done this week. It's an in room procedure so don't think I have the option of a general. Will let you know how it goes.

ah okay, dont worry about it, hope all goes well.

good luck x 

Hi,

Glad the procedure went well and its over with.

Im not sure exactly but going by my bf procedure he also had a small lump after the procedure due to dissolving stiches. It did take longer to go away maybe an extra 5 weeks but it did disappear, as for the scarring, it did look a mess at first but now the scar is about a cm long wouldnt even know it was there unless you were looking for it. Although the lump was still there it didnt interfere sexually or when he was erect.

At first after 2 weeks he was hesitant about being erect because he said it felt tight as if it might tear, first few times he was erect it didnt last long, just for fear that it was going to tear. he was also told 4-6 weeks before getting jiggy with it again, but in all honesty after about 3 and half weeks and him getting over the fear of it tearing he was fine. 

As for the pain, he was given solpadol only and antibiotics at first but phoned and requested something stronger due to sleepless nights.

Im glad its all by with for you and hope any info ive given is of any help 

Happy Recovery x 

 

Thanks for the info, was a great help! Hard to find info about procedures like this, and doctors don't seem to offer much info on the matter.

Just wish the recovering wasn't as long as it was....seems so long for such a small cyst/problem.

Yeah your right, there wasnt any info on it when he went in either, and the doctors were quite evasive when asking about personal issues etc after the op.

The recovering is a bit of a lengthy process for such a small issue but worth it in the end, i suppose recovery is different for everyone just depends on yourself. Hopefully its a speedy recovery for you, doesnt usually take as long as doctors say, think its just precautionary timescales they give.  x

 

Will keep an update for anyone else that might come across this post and have a similar issue.

So it's day 4, don't have any pain at all now. I only used the panadine forte for the first and second night (didn't really make much difference) and haven't used any pain relief since. I have a fairly good tolerance to pain, but I don't feel any at all now.

Dr said to leave the surgical dressing on until my appointment with him in 4 days time. Can see blood on the dressing it so it seems weird that I don't have to change it, but I guess that's what the antibiotics are for.

Haven't had any issues with erections and the stitches as none have occurred, probably due to the big ass surgical dressing stuck on it.

Will update again after I get the dressing taken off by the Dr next week. By then the external stitches should have completely dissolved.

Its good that you've no pain in such a short time of recovery, considering where it is.

As for the big ass dressing , it will no doubt come off on its own before your appointment, they usually give you gauze home to change if needed, it prob wont matter if its on or off as long as the wound is kept clean.

Hope all goes well! x

Yeh Dr was saying he didn't expect the dressing to stay on 24hours, and gave me a cream to apply if the dressing came off. 5 days in and the dressing is still on strong. I emailed to confirm that he wants me

to keep it on til the next appointment, he said yes, which I still find weird, I always thought that dressings needed to be replaced quite frequently. Oh well will find out in 3 more days I guess.

Thanks

Yeah it is rather weird, especially if you say you can see blood through the big ass dressing might be a bit sore when taking it off with it being on so long. 

If its loose might be best taking it off giving it a clean and applying the cream,and seeing if it looks alright, stitches etc, if its still on quite firm just leave it.x  

 

Yeh it's still fairly well stuck on there, so I might wait for the dr to take it off, I also thought it might hurt taking it off after it being on for so long. Maybe he knows a less painful way to remove it. i am kinda keen to see how it has healed, hopefully better than expected. Still kinda worried about what I have read about some internal dissolving stitches, things about them not dissolving and hanging around in there for long periods of time and being able to be felt under the skin. Hopefully all good thou.

Heres hoping he doesnt just rip it off like a plaster  im sure you'll be fine. 

Wouldnt worry too much about the dissolving stitches, although they do take a bit longer sometimes it shouldnt affect sexual encounters. Also some folks think stitches havent dissolved and its actually scar tissue, it does smooth out fairly quick though. 

Docs always say, a healthy blood flow to the affected area increases healing, so once the dressings off and it feels alright get bumping uglies with the mrs, use the 'its helping me heal quicker' excuse  (thats true btw!) 

Nothing ventured nothing gained as they say x

One week later, I went back to get dressing taken off, and DR got the top dressing off and then decided to leave the bottom layer on as it was pretty well stuck on, and felt like it was starting to pull apart the area the stitches had been holding together when he tried to remove it. He said the other dressing will come off in its own time. He said once that comes off to put a strip of some other dressing on, and once that comes off it should be fine. He thinks it is half way healed already, not sure how he came to that conclusion when he couldn't see through the dressing.

He said the internal anchor stitches will take at least another 5 weeks to dissolve so I will be able to feel them under the skin for a while yet. I can't feel them now thou due to the dressing staying on. Due to some of the horror stories I've read about internal stitches not dissolving I asked that they would def 100% dissolve and he said yes, but I maybe feel a small bit of scar tissue under the skin when they go. I said I didn't want to trade one lump for another and he said that if there was a small bump to massage it or "use it", it being my penis. Lol. I'm not sure how that helps but will def give it a go. Hopefully it all heals without any drama - in 5 weeks time.

He said no "contact sport" for another 3 weeks, I think he was meaning sex but wanted to sound polite.

Got erect a couple of times in the past few days, and stitches actually didn't feel like splitting and wasn't painful, so maybe they have some element of stretch to them. Dr didn't mention anything about this, he is a plastic surgeon that said he doesn't have much experience dealing with cysts on penis' so I'm not sure if he knew what sort of information would be handy or not.

Hi michael, glad it went ok . if the dressings bothering you in anyway id advise maybe going into a tepid bath to loosen it a bit, and reduce any aggro in taking it off.

The stitches do dissolve eventually but like i said, it is mistaken for scar tissue and does smooth out,if it bothers you try using bio oil to smooth it out if it takes any longer than the doctors timescales. 

Its good that youve no pain when hard, thats always a good sign and id agree it means that your healing well.

Maybe do as he says with the 'contact sport' though, just incase any problems do arise.

Chin up! 5 weeks will fly by x 

 

Haha yep I'm def going to take his advice on refraining from contact sport for another 3 weeks! I'd rather be a bit cautious and heal properly than jeopardize it in any way.

Yeah, probably for the best, Happy recovering  x

Finally the second part of the original dressing came off last night, as you mentioned about ur BFs operation, mine too looks pretty banged up at the moment also, external stitches are still visible (although dr mentioned they would have dissolved in 5 days) and incision line looks heaps crooked (dr also said this should straighten up over time). Have put the new dressing on, will see how it looks once this comes off.

Yeah, it will look worse than what it actually is just now, its still at a raw early stage. If the dissolvable stitches are still there after 10-14 days, the doctor can remove them like other stitches, although they prefer them to dissolve on there own, if its bothering you, you can have them removed.

The incision line should straighten out once swelling subsides.

Although my bfs was only about a cm incision it did look like the surgeon had been drunk when cutting in ,it wasnt straight, but once the swelling of scar tissue etc went away it did straighten out and go more skin coloured. We used bio oil to reduce the redness in the scarring and to smooth out the scar tissue and its worked a treat. x

 

2.5 weeks now. The Hypafix dressing came off the other day after being on for a week. The external stitches are gone, the incision is like over an inch long for a cyst that was smaller than 1cm. Under the incision line feels really hard must be a combination of scarring and the internal stitches still being there, and there are two bumps either end which must be the internal anchoring stitches. I'm hoping that everything is almost back to normal in another 2 weeks, if not, I will start to doubt whether it was all worth it, as the cyst wasn't all that noticeable (except to me) where as the current situation is extremely noticeable, visually and even more so to touch.

I have put another hpyafix dressing over it, which will probably last for another week, just because it was annoying when clothing rubbed against it.

How long did your BF wait before applying/massaging bio oil into the area? I should be asking the Dr these questions I guess but he was quite dismissive with any questions I had on my follow up the other week, so that has kind of put me off contacting him.

Hi michael,

dont worry, im happy to answer anything i can from our experience with it and hope it helps.

My bfs doctor was exactly the same when we were asking questions, it wasnt until i was phoning every other day to ask questions that i eventually got a lovely nurse who answered everything. She said what the doctors say are guidelines only. and not neccessarily correct.

 It always looks much worse than what it actually will be once all scar swelling etc subsides a bit. The sensitivity will also subside a bit once you start 'using it'  as the doctor says. 

We started using bio oil pretty much as soon as stitches and dressing was off. And after around 3 weeks, started 'using it' again, first time he said was a bit sensitive, but after that was fine. He was hesitant at first though because of the sensitivity and also because we were told no soldier sports for 6 weeks by the doctor. yeah right!  The nurse on the other hand said, if he thinks hes ready, go for it.

 He was told to keep the area covered and clean by the doctor but after 1-2 weeks he kept the dressing off completely as the nurse said letting the area breath a bit will aid in healing as long as its kept clean, and in all honesty, he felt and seen the benefits of having a few nude days and walking around in the buff when he could.  We started applying bio oil straight after the gauze was off completely and the stitches were out, 2-3 times a day. 

It really helped reduce the redness of the scarring and he used it for a few months and the scar is barely noticable, cant see it unless you look for it basically. 

Try not to worry, it will look a bit nasty and noticable just now because it is still raw, and still in the healing process.

It is a long process but it does get better  chin up! x

Thanks for that info. I went and emailed the a couple of questions (informing about the two lumps at either end, the hard and thick line under the skin and was it too early to start with the bio oil etc to try and start getting rid of the internal scar tissue) and he didn't answer any of them and just wrote "it's a long process that can take up to 12 months"?! If I had have known that at the beginning I prob wouldn't have bothered about going ahead with it. As I mentioned my cyst was quite small and was only really obvious to me, no one I had been with had ever pointed it out to me, so now with the current situation although he said no sex for 4 weeks, the reality is there's going to be no sex for up to a year or at least until all the internal stitches have disolved and the hard line under the skin has softened somewhat as its totally noticeable more so from touch then sight which would put people off. But it's done now so I'll just have to use ur advice and hope it speeds it up

Yeah you can only try, the bio oil has worked great for him, and It will be sensitive but the more you use it the easier it will be.

I know you said it was only small and barely noticable but if you'd left it and not got it removed, dont know if it would have gotten bigger or caused more problems in the future, so you were probably right to get it removed while it was small.

Doctors are hopeless sometimes, we'd all be nuns and monks if we all followed there no sex advice 

 

I'm more concerned about the lump, hardening of scar tissue under the skin than on the outside of the skin, not sure if bio oil fixes surface scars or internal scar tissue but will give it a go.

The scar tissue under the skin will be hard for a while, unfortunately that does take time , but it does go back to normal. Yeah the oil will help as it seeps into skin and under 2 layers of the skin near the raw area.

We had never thought of using it before, it was the nurse who told us to try it as like you he had same concerns. 

It didnt work miracles it was after about a week of applying, massaging and 'using it' that we started to see the difference, like i say he just kept using it as and when he could  hope it has same effect for you, keep me updated x 

 

Thanks again for the info. Despite him not answering my questions he's response did say I could book a follow up appointment if I wanted him to look at the wound, (well he hasn't seen it since the actual operation since the bandage was still on for the "follow up". I'll wait til this dressing comes off and see how it goes. I'm kinda reluctant to bother he kinda made it sound like I'm making a deal about nothing (despite me only ever emailing him once with three questions post surgery, that he never answered) but maybe at least he could say whether it's healed enough for the oil and massage etc, the only time I've had stitches before is in my thigh and that seemed to be completely healed in a week or so.

Yeah, id make an appointment to go see him once youve got the dressing off completely. As for making a deal about nothing,your not, he shouldnt be making you feel like that, afterall thats what hes there for, im sure he would be the exact same if it were his willy that went under the knife 

But our doc was the exact same, quite evasive with our questions and got the vibe that he was quite uncomfy answering some of the questions, and i fed off that so continued with the million and one questions,but these were questions he should have been more than happy to answer. I think thats why he diverted all my phone calls to the nurse, he got fed up listening to me  

 

I took the dressing off three days ago and the outside looks a lot better. Only thing is yesterday when I was at the urinal doing a pee, I must have pulled on the skin and then heard a popping noise which I think was one of the internal anchor stitches! The area was a bit painful last night and is only a light pain this morning. It's been three weeks, hope that it hasn't done any damage. Might give it a few more days and see how it goes, reluctant to contact the dr again.

Hi, im glad its looking better. Yeah sounds like one of the internal stitches may have popped open, good thing is there dissolvable, and its been 3 weeks as you say so the internal tissue will have sealed back together, but if youve still pain in a few days definetly go get it checked out. Better safe than sorry. Im unsure if you have the option to request a different doctor, if you can you should. The one you have sounds like a right a*hole  , mind you ours was too, maybe its because of the area of the body there dealing with makes them feel uncomfy, or jealous  either way, people should never feel like there bothering there doctors or wasting there time. Hope you dont have to get the doc but if pain comes back, dont hesitate to go in and see him. x

 

Yeh I think they are uncomfortable dealing with that area. He wasn't my normal dr was a referral to a plastic surgeon as regular GP said to pay the money to get a better job done. He was fine during the actual procedure but the initial consultant and everything subsequent has been very short and not very helpful. Oh well hopefully it all resolves it self and I don't have to go back. still a bit painful since the popping sound but nothing unbearable.

Yeah I'd maybe give it until after the weekend and if your still tender maybe go get it seen to. Better safe than sorry as they say. x

4 or 5 weeks later, and the scar on the outside has settled down a bit. I tried putting bio oil on it but it leaves small white bumps afterwards which I think might be fordyce spots, they go after I exfoliate a few times, but I have stopped bio oil for now. The scar under the skin is still pretty noticeable to touch, I had started massaging it every now and again, but no noticeable difference yet.

Hi, im glad the external scar has settled a bit. Does take time but at least your seeing a difference now. 

Yeah if you have fordyce spots id discontinue using the bio oil for the time being, at the same time though it could be dry/dead skin protruding after using the bio oil, as you say it goes away after exfoliating, just a thought but id stop using it for now. 

The scar under the skin will take longer, usually due to anchor stitches the tissue inside will be raised a bit for those but if you keep massaging every now and then it will smooth out eventually. 

Glad its getting better and your seeing the difference though