Photo: Getty Images
A 57-year-old Australian man nearly had to have the tip of his penis amputated after had its circulation cut off by unkempt pubic hair.
According to Urology Case Reports, the man went to visit his family doctor due to "extreme pain and swelling around his groin area."
Unfortunately for the unnamed man, the physician neglected to pull back the foreskin on his penis which would have revealed the issue.
He was given some steroids to help with the pain but unfortunately it only got worse.
The man was then taken to a nearby hospital where he was diagnosed with "hair tourniquet syndrome" which is when hair ends up being tightly wound around an appendage and cuts off circulation.
According to the Urology Case Reports article, the man's pubic hairs had "matted together" and formed "a tight ring" around the tip of his penis. The doctors described the man as "unkempt" who suffered from multiple other health conditions and medical experts believe that the issue was caused by poor hygiene.
The man was told at the hospital that surgery would be required it an attempt to save his penis, and he fled the hospital from fear. However, he returned a few days later for a surgery to reattach his urethra and install a permanent catheter. Apparently the man disobeyed the doctors advice for recovery, so he had to come back for a second surgery after the flesh on his penis deteriorated.
Dr. Rich Viney, a urologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, told the Daily Mail, "This is an interesting but fortunately very rare condition... The reality is that this could’ve been avoided if the patient were to be undertaking suitable penile hygiene and washing beneath his foreskin regularly."