A black man who has had the world’s third successful penis transplant operation is to have his new organ tattooed because the dono...
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The 40-year-old is only the third patient to undergo the procedure on April 21 of this year at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town.
He lost his organ after a botched traditional circumcision.
Now he will be able to have sex and urinate standing up within the next six months – for the first time in seventeen years.
Professor Andre van der Merwe said: ‘The patient is black, and the donor was white. We have very few donors for this transplant procedure. But that is the only issue left.
‘He is certainly one of the happiest patients we have seen in our ward. The penis is working well, he can get erections already.
‘The patient is expected to regain all urinary and reproductive functions of the organ within six months of the transplant.
The man had been in relationships before, but whenever the question of sex arose, he bailed out. That will no longer be a problem.
Team member Dr Alexander Zuhlke explained the tattooing can be applied in the case of penis transplants – just like it is for nipples after a mastectomy, for instance.
But it should be performed by a tattooist specialising in medical tattooing and will require multiple visits. //
