Pictures of post-vasectomy bruising and swelling on day 3

PJ’s pictures were shown to Dr. Edward Karpman and pronounced normal.

Timeline

• Day 1. 3:30 pm Vasectomy Surgery, 4:30 pm – Home in bed with an ice pack on genitals, took Tylenol with Codeine right away, then every 4 hours.
• Day 2. Stayed in bed all day with ice packs on and off (only up to go to the bathroom). Took regular Tylenol every 4 hours or more. Noticed a small bruise at the base of the penis right side. Took Tylenol with Codeine at bedtime. Bruising spread a bit more.
• Day 3. Stayed in a recliner all day with an ice pack on and off. Less Tylenol. 11:00 am First post-surgery masturbation felt good, very little pain, normal volume. Went to a meeting in the evening (3 hours) then back home to ice pack > bed. 2:00 pm. Took the first set of pictures.

Contributor’s question

I have experienced some bruising at the lower shaft of my penis starting about 40 hours after the surgery. I was told I would have some bruising, but I was alarmed at the location. It is not near the incisions. Is this normal?

The photographs were taken about 72 hours after the procedure. Please let me know if I should be concerned or should go see my urologist.

Dr. Karpman’s reply

The following answer was kindly provided by Dr. Edward Karpman of California Vasectomy Reversal:

“Ecchymosis, or bruising, can result from any type of surgical procedure. It results from damage to little blood vessels that run under the skin surface. Sometimes the bruising can spread along tissue planes and occur distant from the actual surgery site.

Another reason you might have bruising around the base of the shaft of the penis is because that is where the surgeon did the local anesthetic or spermatic cord block. This is done higher on the spermatic cord near the base of the penis. This is accomplished by placing a needle through the skin into the spermatic cord and can cause bruising as well.

Overall the degree of bruising seen in the pictures is not very severe, especially since it does not seem to be associated with any significant swelling. The bruise should begin changing colors, similar to a ‘black eye’, and resolve completely within a week.”

Many thanks to our contributor for submitting these pictures and allowing us to use them.