Circumcision FAQs: What to expect after my child's circumcision

After an infant circumcision expect some spotting of blood in your child's diaper for the first several days. The day of the circumcision your baby may be fussy, may sleep more and may eat poorly. There will be some swelling and the penis may be slightly black and blue for several days. Infant circumcisions take about two weeks to heal completely regardless of the method.

FAQ's GOMCO clamp circumcisions

How much bleeding is normal after a circumcision? Some mild spotting of blood in the diaper is normal. Expect a quarter sized spot of blood with each diaper change. Actively dripping blood and/or soaking a diaper with blood is abnormal and we should be notified immediately.
There is a small area on the bottom side of the penis below his opening that is grayish black- is this normal? Yes- often times the area that is immediately below the opening on the bottom of the penis needs to be cauterized using silver nitrate. This is the spot where the foreskin is attached to the head of the penis and often bleeds during a circumciison. It will appear as a grayish/black area that will then look like a wet scab after several days. Continue to apply vaseline to this area. It will not leave any scars and will heal fully in a couple of weeks.

FAQ's PlastiBell circumcisions

How long can the ring stay on? If the ring is still on there in 10 days we would like you to make an appointment to see us to make sure that everything is healing well. Occasionally the ring needs to be removed in the office by our providers.
What if the ring is hanging on by small amount of skin? Leave the ring in place and it will eventually fall off. By pulling off the ring you may cause significant bleeding.
What if the ring has slid back behind the head of my child's penis? This is not an emergency as long he is wetting diapers. We would like to see him within 24-48 hours to check him out so call the office during regular business hours.
What if the plastic ring falls off early? This is not a problem as long as there is no bleeding. The ring sometimes falls off within 2-3 days after the circumcision. After the ring is off please apply petroleum jelly to the penis with diaper changes.
Is it okay that the penis looks red and swollen after the ring has fallen off? This is usually okay. There is a minimal risk of infection with a PlastiBell circumcision. Often the penis is red and swollen after a circumcision of this method because the skin that is compressed by the string is ischemic (no blood supply) and causes some inflammation. However, if the penis looks very angy red and the inflammation is spreading down the penis please contact us to make sure that this is not infected.