Penis scar

To my shock after masterbating (masturbating) in the shower 7 months ago I saw that I actually tore a piece of skin off the left side of the shaft of my penis (about the size of a middle finger nail), connecting to the base of the head. Yes, I went a little aggressive with but I've done worse. Anyway, during my healing process, I ripped the scab while just rolling over in bed. I let it heal some more, now putting lotion on it and keeping it hydrated when i could no longer fight the urge to jerk off again. Big mistake. I re-opened wound again and began to "wait it out" again. I have been taking very careful and close attention to it the past 3 months and have not seen much improvement to the now scar (which has a little "trench" like cut running through the middle of the scar).  I read in a post back in Sept '01 that vitaim e can help which I've been using but the lack of healing really worries me that it may never fully heal. Do scars fully heal eventually even if they've been re-opened several times? Are there any other remedies I can personally do to help heal faster? If not, what surgical procedures (if any) to correct this scarring problem? (I can only avoid the ladies for so long!)

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Don't worry--the penis heals well and will certainly heal completely if you leave the area alone long enough.  Just keep the area moisturized (vaseline, etc.) and minimize rubbing.  Don't dislodge the scab until it comes off itself.  You won't need surgery, I'm confident.

You can apply Vitamin E.  I don't know how much it will help, but it may speed things up a bit.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[akbar_khan]

A related discussion, Scar on penis skin was started.