Touchy subject:

If circumcision controversial topic, you can only imagine how controversial foreskin restoration is. Even those who are opposed to circumcision and could never imagine circumcising their children would tell me "its done, just live with it, put up with it, that's the way it is." But who says I have to live with it? At some point I decided to research if circumcision was reversible. Maybe I could do something about it, be more comfortable, feel more whole, and maybe even have more enjoyment.

Finding out about circumcision:

I was quite young when I found out about foreskin and circumcision. My family was nudist, and we had other nudist families over at our house and vice-versa. It doesn't take long to notice when someone else has something different on their body. I asked my parents about it, and they told me that some boys have foreskin and some don't, but didn't tell me how they get that way at first. I felt a little jealous that my friend had foreskin and I didn't, although the only thing I thought it made different was peeing (since he pulled his foreskin back to pee). A few years later I remember the head of my penis becoming irritated and almost raw when I started participating in sports from the constant rubbing on my underwear, and complaining about it to that same friend, who said he never had that issue because of his foreskin. That's also when I found out about circumcision. I was not happy about it. Why would you cut off something that made it so the head of your penis didn't hurt when running around a soccer field?

Puberty:

The thing about circumcising an infant's penis, is that there is no way to tell how that penis will develop during puberty, and how much skin to take off taking that into account. While my high-and tight-circumcision seemed like the "ideal" circumcision pre-puberty, when puberty hit, it turned too tight. I would wake up in pain from nocturnal erections, barely ever able to sleep through the night. I finally complained to my mom about it, and she brought me to see a urologist, who prescribed a steroid cream and told me how to gently stretch the skin on my shaft so my circumcision wouldn't be so tight. After a few months of stretching and applying steroid cream, I no longer had painful erections. I decided to keep stretching some so I would be high-and-loose instead of high-and-tight (This was also right about the point where my family got an internet connection, and I had learned a little bit about circumcision techniques and styles). I joined an online message board of men who were not happy being circumcised, but was never really active on it at the time.

College:

Moving out of the house, away from my parents, for the first time meant I was free to question everything, and did question everything. Having more privacy as well, meant logging back onto that message board of men who were unhappy being circumcised. At the time, I was actively "intactivist" but hadn't yet discovered foreskin restoration. When I saw a post about it, I thought it would be a pricey surgical procedure that would leave more scarring on my penis than the circumcision already left, but I clicked on it anyways. I read that it was non-surgical and just used tissue expansion of your existing shaft and inner foreskin to "grow" a new foreskin. I dug out my old bottle of probably expired steroid cream, and started to restore my foreskin.

Early attempts:

One of the methods that people on the message board were recommending was called "T-Tape" which involved using medical tape, which would be attached to elastic tied further down your leg to put tension on the skin. I tried it. With cheap medical tape from walmart. It did not go well. The adhesive was nearly impossible to get off of my skin, and removing the tape was one of the most painful experiences I had up to that point. I tried just doing the same tension exercises my urologist had taught me when I was 13, but eventually stopped doing anything. I did gain some loose skin on my shaft, which did provide some improvement, especially with masturbation, but I felt like the progress was too slow and I lost interest in it.

Getting serious:

During my Junior year, my girlfriend and I somehow got on the topic of circumcision, and I brought up my opposition to it, and mentioned that I had tried to restore my foreskin before. She didn't know how that worked, so we googled it. That's when I discovered that there were purpose made devices that made restoring way easier, and required no adhesive whatsoever. She convinced me to spend the $70 to order one, and I started up again in earnest.

It still takes a long time:

It took me three years to achieve glans coverage with my restored foreskin, without the aid of a lampshade-shaped device called a "Your Skin Cone" that I purchased about a year into restoring.

I still kept at it for a little over a year after I had full glans coverage, as there is no frenulum in a restored foreskin to keep it pulled up over the glans like there is in an intact penis. The "extra" foreskin made inadvertent foreskin retraction much less frequent. It still happens from time to time, but its rare.

The results:

Don't worry, no photos (or sorry no photos if you were hoping for some). I live in a different city now, and my new doctor has no idea I was ever circumcised in the first place. It looks natural, unless you really know what you're looking for. The relief from the constant rubbing of the glans on the fabric of my underwear is worth it alone, but sexual enjoyment has improved quite a bit as well. Before restoring, sex was goal-based. I had sex to get to orgasm. After restoration, sex is all about the journey that leads to orgasm. My girlfriend (who is now my wife) also has said that sex is much more comfortable and enjoyable for her. The increased sensitivity hasn't caused premature ejaculation or anything like that, in fact, being that sex is no longer "goal oriented" if anything I last longer. Masturbation is where the biggest change is noticed, and I'm kinda jealous of all of my intact friends that got to experience this during their hormonal teen years. As a nudist, I also feel more confident in my body, and I personally feel that it looks far more natural and masculine to have a foreskin than not.

Is it for you?

It can be. If you're happy with your circumcised penis, or at least not unhappy with it, then foreskin restoration is probably a lot more work than its worth for you. But if you're unhappy with being circumcised, I highly recommend you look into foreskin restoration. I'm glad I did. Don't let anyone talk you out of it if you want to do it, though. Its your choice to make.

#foreskinrestoration #autonomy #circumcision