Penile surgery with full thickness skin graft : University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

What to expect following surgery

You will return from surgery with a dressing to the penis which will keep your graft wound clean and dry. It is normal to be discharged home with this dressing in place.

You may be sent home with a urinary catheter in order to keep the wound dry and promote healing.

You will receive a date to return to clinic 7-10 days after surgery for the graft dressing to be removed by the Clinical Nurse Practitioner (CNP).

When you attend clinic the CNP will review the graft and then apply a new dressing which will remain in place for a further week. This will either be removed at a further outpatient clinic appointment the following week or by your local practice/ district nurse.

Two weeks following the surgery, if the graft site is fully healed you will no longer require further dressings, but you will be given specific advice regarding this by either the CNP or your district/ practice nurse. Once the graft has healed the urinary catheter can be removed (usually approximately two weeks).

Your donor site (the area where the skin graft was taken from) will require a dry dressing in hospital. This may be removed prior to discharge, or you may wish to remove it yourself 72 hours after your surgery.

When you go home it is important to keep the dressing dry so you must not bath or shower until you are advised to do so by the CNP.

What to expect when you get home

Bleeding: You should not experience any major bleeding. If there is a slight ooze of blood through the dressing, this can be stopped by applying pressure to the area using a clean piece of gauze to press firmly onto the area for about 10mins. If bleeding does not stop, seek medical advice.

Pain: You are likely to experience some discomfort or pain following your operation. Please take your painkillers regularly as prescribed on the packet. Do not exceed the stated dose. This discomfort/ pain will improve over time but may take a few weeks to disappear.

Returning to work: You will usually require two weeks off work. If you require a sick certificate, please ask the medical team before you leave hospital.

Follow up appointment: An outpatient appointment is required 7-10 days after surgery to see the Clinical Nurse Practitioner (CNP). You will be reviewed again in clinic at 6-8 weeks after the surgery by the surgeon.

Aftercare: To minimise complications you must not do any heavy lifting (nothing heavier than a full kettle of water) for two weeks.

You must not have sex for six weeks following surgery.

If you experience any of the following, please contact the Clinical Nurse Practitioner or your medical team via the numbers overleaf. Out of hours, please contact your GP or nearest Accident & Emergency Department.