The scar after surgery does not usually affect a man’s sexual health or self-esteem. However, the focus should be on the recovery of the organ function so that sex is practiced with quality.
The appearance of the penis is a topic that has been on the agenda among men since adolescence. In the postoperative period of penile prosthesis, the theme is also common, as the scar on the penis generates apprehension among patients.
To talk about it, we first need to clarify that healing is an individual process. Some factors, such as age, diet, immunity and hygiene impact tissue regeneration and that is why some patients will have discreet scars or not.
Fortunately, there are ways to minimize scars that can bother men.
An adequate technique for penile prosthesis implantation usually brings good results in terms of healing. Therefore, there is little care, both intraoperatively and postoperatively.
What is penile implant surgery like?
When the patient does not respond to clinical treatment, penile implant placement is indicated to correct the lack of penetrative rigidity and restore sexual function.
This problem is often associated with Peyronie’s Disease, a pathology that causes penile deformity, and both surgeries can be performed together. In these cases, in a single surgery it is possible to reconstruct the penis and, subsequently, place the prosthesis for erectile dysfunction.
The objective of the Egydio Technique is to make incisions based on geometric principles on the penis to expand the fibrosis, stretch the penile tissue and correct thinning and/or loss of size through tissue relaxation. Learn more about the Egydio’s Technique.
Once the volume of the penis is optimized, it will be possible to place a larger and with more caliber prosthesis (respecting the patient’s anatomy), which aims to give greater support and firmness to the penis. For this, the surgeon must expand the penile tissues to the limit of the nerves, vessels and urethra in the previous surgical step.
How does the healing process work?
Healing of organs and tissues is common to all wounds, whether accidental or intentional, and therefore also in the postoperative period of penile prosthesis.
The healing process is divided into three phases: inflammatory, proliferation or granulation and remodeling or maturation, as shown in the review article “Wound healing” by graduate students at the Federal University of Paraná.
The first phase begins soon after the injury, when the body releases more platelets to the region, stopping the injury, and begins to produce fibrin, a substance that binds clots. Until the third day, the white blood cells intensify the defense of the region, and it is during this period that the lesion becomes inflamed, at its worst. Soon after, the famous “scab” appears.
The proliferative phase occurs around the 4th and 15th day after injury. It is when the fibroblasts, epithelial cells essential for the production of collagen, start to regenerate the region. There is a rich vascularization, leaving the skin red and sometimes burning.
In the last phase of the process, which can take months to complete, collagen, together with other cells, forms new fibers, which come together to definitively close the lesion.
It is only when the last phase is completed that it will be possible to say whether the patient will have a scar – and what it will look like.
Is it possible to avoid scarring on the penis?
The correct use of the surgical technique has been shown to be effective not only to recover the sexual health of patients who undergo the procedure, but also to improve the appearance of the penis in terms of healing.
There are four types of incision: subcoronal, penoscrotal, infrapubic, and midline. They can be used for penile implants and each has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of healing and exposing penile structures.
The subcoronal incision associated with penile degloving is the access route that most exposes the tissues, with the aim of facilitating the treatment of fibrosis in the entire shaft of the penis. This is an incision similar to postectomy, also known as phimosis surgery.
Even men who have undergone this procedure in the past can be operated on from the same incision. An estimated 77–83 % of men in the United States have undergone circumcision.
In addition, the stitches are made with absorbable thread, which do not need to be removed postoperatively.
The result after penile prosthesis implantation, in general, determines a discreet scar. There are times when the surgery doesn’t even leave marks and cases of gross scars are very rare. As we explained above, it is a process that varies from the surgeon’s experience to the individual healing response of each patient.
In addition to the physical appearance of the genital organ, the real concern of men who will undergo the penile prosthesis postoperative period should be functionality, so that it is possible to resume their sexual life.
Be sure to talk to your urologist to solve all your doubts and align expectations about the scar after penile prosthesis.
Sharing your questions about sexual impotence or erectile dysfunction with the urologist is essential to receive proper treatment and also regain sexual health.
