New Zealand Man Wakes from Surgery, Learns He's Been Fully Circumcised Against His Wishes

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of a surgical room.Photo:Getty

Getty

A New Zealand man who sought medical treatment for a skin condition on his penis said he woke up fully circumcised against his wishes.

The unnamed man was seeking treatment for balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO), which theNational Library of Medicineexplains are “white inflammatory patches…In males, the affected areas usually involve the foreskin and penile glans.”

“The treatment iscircumcision. Topical steroid use first may help reduce the inflammatory burden before surgical intervention.”

Prior to surgery, the man, who is in his 50s, was told thatcircumcision— either full or partial — could be warranted once the procedure was underway, according to a report in theNew Zealand Herald.

But he was only willing to have the partial procedure and did not consent to a “full” circumcision during the September 2021 surgery, the outlet says.

Stock image of tools commonly used during surgery.Getty

“[I told the surgeon] directly to his face that I hadn’t come in for a full circumcision,” the patient said, according to the outlet, which adds that the surgeon who performed the procedure was a different surgeon from the one who initially consulted with the patient.

Although the surgeon says he didn’t recall the patient saying this, an anesthesiologist in attendance confirmed that the patient verbally objected to a fullcircumcision— although the surgeon who performed the circumcision wasn’t present at the time.

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TheNew Zealand Heraldreports that the patient was bandaged and didn’t realize he’d been fully circumcised until days after he was discharged.

The outlet adds that although the man did sign a consent form, he misunderstood the terminology that was used.

As a result of the circumcision, the outlet says the man “suffered adverse symptoms such as physical irritation, discomfort, and ‘a significant reduction in sexual contact with his partner due to increased sensitivity on the penis.’ “

source: people.com