A man who cut out his penis piercing with a razor blade was horrified when it became infected and the skin started to die.

The 26-year-old had to have all the skin removed from his manhood after it became rotten.

The patient, from Suriname, South America, said he had put several 'nodules' into his penis 10 years ago as an act of teenage rebellion.

These are small pieces of plastic, glass or metal that are usually implanted by men who like how they look or feel – or to increase pleasure for their sexual partner.

A man who cut out his penis piercing with a razor blade was horrified when it became infected and the skin started to die

He explained he had removed most of the nodules over the years, but the last one – around one centimetre in diameter – was still under his foreskin and started to hurt during sex.

He noticed the skin of his penis had swollen around the nodule, and after a month, he decided to take matters into his own hands, said doctors describing the case in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

Using a razor blade, he cut out the last nodule at home – but was forced to go to hospital when it wouldn’t heal a few days later.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics but the wound deteriorated - becoming so infected he was referred to another hospital in Suriname's capital, Paramaribo, for further treatment.

There, he told medics he was having difficulty urinating and his penis was swollen.

When they examined it, they found the majority was covered with black plaques where the skin had become rotten and died – and they reported a ‘foul odour’.

Shocked, they also noticed a lymph node in his left groin was enlarged due to the horrific infection.

The patient was immediately admitted to hospital and a catheter was inserted.

The 26-year-old had to have all the skin removed from his manhood after it became rotten - but two months later he reported it had healed and he had no problems during sex (file photo)

This is a thin tube put into the urethra to pass urine and keep it away from the infected wound.

Under local anaesthetic, doctors performed surgery to remove the dead skin from the shaft of his penis – cutting away his entire foreskin.

They sent swabs from his wounds to the laboratory to be tested, which revealed he was riddled with E.Coli and Staphylococcus bacteria, known to cause severe infections.

After the catheter was removed, he was discharged – and two weeks later tests showed the wound was no longer covered in bacteria.

Next, he was referred to a plastic surgeon for a skin graft on his penis, but refused it, instead opting to wait and see how the he skin would heal on its own.

After two months, he saw doctors for a check-up and reported it had healed well, and he wasn't having any problems during sex.

In light of his case, doctors recommend penis nodules are removed by medically trained personnel.