Hi everyone, I'm new here but came across this website/forum recently and was intrigued because it seems to be both instructive and helpful. I'm not sure if this is a USA or UK website (perhaps I should have looked more closely?) but whatever the fact, issues remain largely the same.
I'm English. Many years ago when I was a six year old boy living in Kloof, South Africa, I suffered frightening and very painful genital abuse in a children's home where I and my twin brother were sent when our parents had to be away in Johannesburg for several weeks.
The end result was a badly injured foreskin of limited use to me. Failed attempts to keep myself erect meant I had to 'start again' when fathering my three children. But at least what I had left of my foreskin kept my glans protected and of some pleasure to my wife
Eventually, following a frightening incidence of paraphimosis during sexual intercourse, I had to be circumcised shortly after; thankfully with a local anaesthetic.
But now I'm left with increasing loss of sensitivity to a permanently exposed glans (head of penis) as each month and year goes by. Is there ANY way I can retrieve the sensitivity I once had before I was circumcised?
Do the testicles and/or scrotum have any influence? I think not.
I can send a photo if needed.
Christopher
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Islaywhisky
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Thank you very much for your welcome to HealthUnlocked.
This will be a lengthy post giving necessary details of the abuse I suffered in the setting it occurred.
When my twin brother and I were about five to six years old in Kloof, South Africa, Dad had to be taken to Johannesburg for an operation on one of his legs and Mother went with him, taking Tony, our younger brother, with them. This was pre-apartheid, and South Africa was a safe and wonderful place to be, even in the last months of WW2. I was very happy there. We had a nanny, our beloved Harriet, a black girl ('grown-up' to us, of course) who loved us as if we were her own. But caring for us night and day single-handed while our parents were away was not practicable. This left us needing care. We were put into a children's home for about two weeks.
On our first night in this place, one of the other children knelt on his bed and told us, "You won't ever see your Mummy and Daddy again - not ever, ever, ever!" My mind went into a spin, shocked and uncomprehending. I tried to settle down on the thin mattress, so unlike my real bed at home, with his words filling my head.
The next morning I woke up and was mortified to discover I had doubly fouled my bed. It was the same the following morning and the next... and so on. I feared waking up each morning with a soaking wet bed and the sensation of dried faeces cracking apart between my buttocks. "No, noo," I pleaded, burying my head in my pillow. I was deeply ashamed. I was bad.
Initially I was dealt with in a detached, matter-of-fact manner: showered, dressed and left to live each day with all the other children. But I felt imprisoned. I still recall the high walls surrounding the tiny playground.
Finally, one carer lost her patience with me. I was dragged to the showers and in an act of unconscionable violence she took the opportunity to punish me 'appropriately'. Grabbing a floor brush, she scrubbed me, back and front. My mouth opened in a choking, soundless scream, as mind-numbing, stabbing pain buckled my legs to the sight of blood washing away in the water at my feet. My memory of anything that ensued after that terrible morning is lost - except this:
We were eventually taken back home... and to this day I remember in vivid detail the moment I saw my mother standing, waiting at the front door. I ran down the long path, crying out in joy, "Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!" And fell into her open arms, sobbing uncontrollably, released from that little boy's lies and the terror I had lived through.
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By 'treatment' I assume you mean my consequent need to be circumcised as an adult. Please clarify if I'm wrong. I take totally unrelated medication. To my knowledge there is no medicine available to treat loss of penile sensitivity post circumcision. Again, please correct me if I'm wrong. I was circumcised in March 2001.
I believe that these forums are indeed 'international', and you'll quite often find questions and answers from members in various countries.
Maybe I'm being rather dense, but I'm not clear what you mean by 'starting again' when fathering your children?
May I ask how old you were when you were circumcised and how many years ago was the procedure undertaken?
Am I right in assuming that you can still climax, but that it takes you ever longer to reach your orgasm and ejaculate?
From my own experience, the glans does lose some sensitivity after this operation as it is constantly being stimulated by clothing, etc. For some men, that can of course be a bonus, especially if they've previously suffered from premature ejaculation.
I'm afraid I don't know of anything that will restore penile sensitivity. I guess most of us enjoy having our scrotum/testicles played with during foreplay/intercourse.
I would suggest that as this is clearly an issue for you that perhaps you visit your GP with a view to being referred to a specialist in sexual medicine?
By 'starting again' I was referring to my need to produce an erection rigid enough to penetrate my wife in the act of sexual intercourse and STAY erect within her long enough to reach climax. As you know, my foreskin was injured from the abuse I suffered as a boy. Its elasticity was severely compromised by ihe scars left behind. I often had to masturbate, sometimes with my wife's help, before I could penetrate her successfully.
I was middle-aged when the surgery to remove my foreskin to place in March 2001.
You're right that I can still climax and ejaculate, but it takes a learning curve to master without a foreskin.
You are also circumcised. How and when did the surgery take place? As a baby perhaps? Please let me know, I'm very interested.
A newly circumcised penis in adulthood with its permanently exposed glans is subject to extreme sensitivity when stimulated by the merest touch of clothing,. But the sensation is more than anything like hitting our humerus (funny bone) - very uncomfortable.
Should you and I be happy that we now feel less and less glans sensation as every year passes by? You say: "For some men, that can of course be a bonus, especially if they've previously suffered from premature ejaculation." This is essentially a myth. A man with a fully functioning foreskin can stay erect and wait until his partner is 'ready'.
You say: "I guess most of us enjoy having our scrotum/testicles played with during foreplay/intercourse." This is true, but is it true enough?
My GP would possibly refer me to a urologist or a councillor I think. She is the best doctor I have ever been registered with as an adult, so I do thank you for your input, Peter.
To answer your question, I had the procedure done when I was 31 and I'm now 63. I'm not married neither have I ever lived with anyone nor have I any children, so my circumstances are very different to yours.
I was deeply saddened to read of your experiences in SA in the response you posted in reply to Kittu20. It must have been an absolute nightmare for you, and I can only begin to imagine the sense of relief and security you felt when you were finally reunited with your Mother.
I do wish you well and hope you can the answers you need.
It's not the first time foreskin 'restoration' has been suggested to me. I put the word in quotes because the actual foreskin with all its fine-touch nerve endings can never be restored, as I'm sure you know. Had I been circumcised as an infant - as tragically so many USA boys still are - I would never have experienced the pleasure of a foreskin. And what I didn't have I couldn't miss.
Therefore for men like these, using their penis shaft-skin to stretch and cover their exposed, dried-out insensitive glans must often be a welcome endeavour. But a hard work endeavour it really is.
However, for me, who once had a vestige of the pleasure a real foreskin can give, 'restoration' can only be a compromise I would rather not endure.
I will access the links you offered, after I send this reply - and respond in my next post.
It’s still your best option. Having a full time covers causes the glans to shed its extra layers of tissue, thus restoring it to full sensitivity and original appearance and texture. The gliding effect can also be restored.
The second of your two links - 'Foreskin is Better' - impressed me most because the man who lost his foreskin was circumcised as an adult and therefore KNEW what he had lost - just like me.
That said, I still cannot encompass the notion of 'restoration'. But - and a big but - is the following recent news item from Mail Online:
Not so with any intact penis. The inner foreskin with its myriad fine-touch nerve endings, reacts in tandem with the soft and very sensitive surface of the glans which is designed as an internal organ, covered and protected by the foreskin when the penis is flaccid and keeping the surface of the glans and inner mucosa moist and supple. When the penis is erect in the act of sexual intercourse the foreskin slides back and forth over the glans upon each thrust and semi-withdrawal within the vagina, giving exquisite pleasure to both partners. I know. I've been there, read the book and got the t-shirt.
After circumcision, however, my glans and surrounding mucosa is now permanently externalised, exposed to the air and the constant abrasion of clothing. These areas dried out, causing layers of keratin to build, and have given my glans a dry, leathery appearance and nothing more than pressure-touch sensitivity - nature's attempt to simulate the protection of a foreskin.
I ask again. does anyone know of a method or solution that will somehow simulate a foreskin? And I don't mean foreskin 'restoration' which is no more than using weights or pulling devices to stretch shaft skin over the glans.
It's a tall order, I know; so "pigs might fly" might be the only response I get.
Christopher
I dont think it really matters whether you have or don't have the foreskin, because the sexual ecstasy sensation is much inside and not on the glans only .
You've said this before, and it's your use of the word 'inside' which has confused me. By 'inside' do you mean a mental and emotional sensation of passion, bliss and joy? In other words, ecstasy? It's been said it’s like floating in water on your back while someone performs oral sex and at same time exploring other pleasure zones, such as the prostate gland or the perineum. Is that what you mean by 'inside'?
BUT, even oral sex for a man - or just masturbation - needs a foreskin for ultimate pleasure, let alone sexual intercourse! Don't you see? By ignoring the foreskin and its outstanding benefits, you give fuel to those who believe all males should be circumcised.
I have a question and please be truthful: are you intact or circumcised?
Christopher
I mean pleasure is not only in glans , ultimate pleasure generates inside the shaft . There is no need that all males need to be circumcised .But whoever needs to be done need not be afraid .That's what I wanted to mean .I am not sure how foreskin helps in oral ? Well anything there is a pleasure for which instinct and mind also has a role .
I can best answer much of what you have said, including how the foreskin helps in oral sex, by quoting an article by an American woman. It's lengthy but fascinating and very well written:
"Now I look at the cut penis and see it as something disfigured, injured: I see what I thought was normal before for what it really is. I see the cracked and pitted skin of the glans, where my partner's is smooth and silken to the touch. I see the strange rings of discolouration from scarring and unnatural exposure to the elements, where my partner's is gracefully coloured, culminating in a glans that looks flush and rosy like a baby's soft cheek.
I love being sexual with an intact penis. I love the different options it affords in the way of play... it's like an entire new world to explore and enjoy to our heart's content. I love the way it moves in my mouth during oral sex, the way I can pull it up over the glans and back down with my lips.
Cut penises do not afford the same variety of sensations, teasing tricks, or pleasurable movement.
I love the fluid feel of the foreskin gliding during intercourse, the way it eases penetration and makes lube a totally unnecessary substance.
I love the way his glans is softer and more gentle. At first, I thought he just wasn't getting fully erect and felt insecure... and then I read more and learned that the protected, sheathed glans is really just supposed to be softer and less rigid than the scarred and unnaturally roughened cut penis.
And then I realized how much better it felt: in my cut partners, the glans felt too hard, like it was ramming into my vagina. The intact glans feels like it gracefully melds with my internal shape, complementing it instead of assaulting it.
More than anything, I love the difference in responses between him and my other, cut partners. All I have to do is gently touch my tongue to his frenulum, and that evokes a huge shiver of pleasure, or lightly hook my finger under the foreskin to produce a powerful moan.
To me, sexual intimacy with this intact man has been a more sensitive, intense, intricate experience than with any of my cut partners. They were all very skilled in bed... but the difference in sensation that they required is very noticeable. They needed more aggressive oral or manual stimulation to near or reach orgasm. I felt like a jackhammer.
With this partner, the slowest, most gentle strokes can produce incredible pleasure, since the natural nerve endings of the inner foreskin provide its own intense stimulation. I find it to be a beautiful experience, just watching and admiring how the foreskin acts for his pleasure.
And I realized more than anything that that piece of skin is his birthright. The pleasure that he receives from his foreskin belongs to him as much as his sense of taste and touch... and nobody, no doctor or parent in the world has the right to take that from him, or from any other male, unnecessarily."
So, Diptasu, do you now understand why a circumcised penis is a crippled penis? And why I am looking for something - anything - that can help me restore even a residue of the pleasure I once enjoyed with a foreskin; but which doesn't involve so-called foreskin 'restoration'?
There is no pleasure in a permanently exposed glans after the act of circumcision. Even the shaft of an erect penis has more sensitivity - plus the penile frenulum if it was not also cut away during the surgery.
You have not answered my question about whether you are intact or circumcised. Please do so.
I am having troubles, due to medication, where my foreskin has tightened so much that I can't draw it all the way back over the glans. I found this, useful, site searching for "Adult circumcision" and I'm glad I found it. the sensitivity of the glans is high and I wouldn't want it exposed to clothing Etc, permanently. I really ought to talk to my doctor and see if there are any other options, rather than the knife. I hope, Islaywhisky, that you find a way to put your problems into good shape again, by whatever means.
Firstly, thank you for your kind wishes, Breff. Today I can at least achieve an erection first - and ejaculate after considerable hard work.
Secondly, other options for a very tight foreskin ARE available. Topical steroids (a cream, gel or ointment that contains corticosteroids) are sometimes prescribed to treat a tight foreskin. They can help soften the skin of the foreskin, making it easier to retract.
These were given to me, but sadly the scar tissue on my injured foreskin prevented a successful outcome. Topical ointments cannot work wonders on a non-elastic foreskin caused by an injury. In my case paraphimosis occured and meant a consequent circumcision.
Islaywhyskey I've been following your comments on this thread and I couldn't agree more with you. Circumcision is the same as genital mutilation, the foreskin is very much important to a man's sexual health.
I'm South African and my issue is more on the right to know about the disadvantages of circumcision and letting men take an informed decision when advise about circumcision. South Africa is currently running the biggest circumcision campaign in the world due to the high HIV prevalence over here, but there's no mention in any of the campaign material about the disadvantages of removing foreskin. I wrote an email to the department of health pointing this out, initially they ignored me but after I confronted their spokesperson on a radio show running the same campaign the department called me privately and said highlighting the disadvantages would discourage men from circumcising!
I'm 38 and was circumcised in 2013 after undergoing a penile fracture operation. I remember well that I asked the Dr who performed the operation if there are any disadvantages in circumcision and he said no there's absolutely not and he went on and on explaining how millions of men around the world are circumcised and how old the practice of circumcision is.
If only I had known about the loss of sensitivity and the other benefits I would lose from cutting my foreskin before the surgery, I wouldn't have allowed him to mutilate me. I've noticed the loss of sensitive and change in color of my glans since, I'm also taking longer to ejaculate and reach orgasm !
Please let me know if you find a solution to restoring sensitivity (manhood).
Bobby, well done for speaking out on that radio programme - and of course it would discourage men from circumcision, as indeed it should!
The surgeon who circumcised you SHOULD have told you how much he regretted cutting off your foreskin, explaining how far GREATER are the millions of males - boys and men - left intact in this wide world of ours!
By the way, I love South Africa. I lived there in a town called Kloof for about six years with my two brothers and our parents.
Yea.. use a penis health creme called Man1 Man Oil. It contains a protein called acetyl L carnitine that will naturally repair the nerve endings that were damaged during circumcision. This will bring back a lot of lost feeling in a short amount of time.. safely. It is an awesome product. Check it out.
I was also circumcised as an adult (45)due to a medical issue that I had tried to resolve with no luck.
I have to agree that sensitivity is almost gone completely. Forget oral, what’s the point. Penetration barely registers anything.
I believe those who say it’s not or very different had circ and birth and don’t know what they have missed!!
I don’t bother with sex often at all any more. I can masturbate but have to squeeze hard on the lip of the head to feel anything.
I was listening to a podcast a while back about this issue (in Australia) and a guy phoned in with the same issues we have and said he is getting sensation back by wearing a Condom all day.
He reckons put condom on, and cut the tip off so you can urinate etc. change as often as you want but leave one in place. Sleep with no or loose undies on.
I keep meaning to try this but forget about it. Your post reminded me.
I’m sure someone will say it doesn’t work or is unhealthy but I’ll leave the decision up to you.
Spooky, I have never tried using a permanent condom in the manner you describe, but it's likely to be of no more help than the age-old attempt to simulate a foreskin by stretching penis shaft skin over the glans, using attached weights.
However, there IS a product called Foregen which claims to be able to actually regenerate a real foreskin! It's still work-in-progress, but imagine the pleasure it will give unwillingly circumcised males! Here's the link -
It’s nothing like stretching the foreskin. That takes years until you get some coverage whereas the condom covers it instantly. I’ve never heard of that product but fail to see how you can grow skin that is not there. I don’t believe it. Lol. Oh well good luck to you
Spookie, that chap is telling the truth. The exposed glans develops extra layers of tissue which insulate it. A full time cover causes those layers to shed. That why men restore their foreskins.
There is most definitely a way to regain much of the sensitivity loss you’ve suffered. It’s called foreskin restoration. You can learn about the process by entering the term in your search engine. Briefly, it involves the process of skin expansion by the application of tension. It’s a do-it-yourself project which might take from two to five years of diligent effort, mostly passive, during your waking hours. There are excellent devices avail commercially to fascilitate the process.
In 16 years, your glans has added new layers of tissues which have deadened its sensitivity. Within a matter of a few weeks of being covered, those layers will shed to reveal a much smoother and more colorful surface as you once had. Sadly, the nerves within the foreskin and the ridged band are gone, but you can restore muc of what you lost.
Thank you for your post Jim. However, the method you describe repeats a comment I made to Spooky above -
"...the age-old attempt to simulate a foreskin by stretching penis shaft skin over the glans, using attached weights."
'Foreskin restoration' is a misnomer. Once a foreskin is excised under a surgeon's scalpel its exquisite true function can never be restored, as you rightly point out. Unfortunately, being circumcised as an adult may leave a man with memories of the way he had been with an intact penis and all its nature-given inestimable benefits. I will regret my crippled penis for ever and a day.
You can nitpick if it pleases you, but the current term used to describe the process is foreskin restoration. That term has been in use since about 1983, and it’s the universal word used by thousands of men who have participated.
I'm 20 y.o. originally from China. I use to have constant problems, so I did stretching of my foreskin. I always have a long foreskin plus overhang (yes, it looks like anteater with a V-shape end), but I agree with a lot of what you say. It never work properly before, but now my gf often gives me oral and she wanks me until my cock is fully erect, it is so easy. I feel ecstacy when she puts it in my mouth and slides my foreskin up and down over my glans head. That only happen thanks to the stretching. The glans is very moist and both it and my inner foreskin are so sensitive. I can totally cover my glans head and slide the skin right back behind the ridge to fully expose it. Also, she like to play 'peekaboo' with it, due to the colour/shape difference of foreskin and glans.
I'm so sorry to hear about the abuse in your childhood and the damage they did cause to your foreskin and you now feel so little sensations after it was cut off for medical reasons. You also think your glans is too dry, and so you said that often you need to wank before sex. I think you may be right that you can't restore the lost nerves.
BUT I do agree with jimfromcalif that it's possible to do foreskin restoration. So similar to the stretching that I did before! Yes, it's not perfect. You may not get 100%, but 90-95% with the restoration is a lot better than 0% now, and I heard you will get back so much sensation and moist-ness, too. You can follow jimfromcalif ideas and do some stretching and even though your glans head is dry, it is still there and also ready to improve soon, be much more moist, much better sex, with the stretching in foreskin restoration. So why not go for it?? Also pls always remember that men don't all have either a long foreskin or no foreskin - there is so much variations in the world and there are so many differences. But I think that jimfromcalif has the best solution for your situation...
Hi Chen - and thank you or your kindly and understanding reply.
I suggested to Jim that 'substitution' would be a better word than 'restoration'. I explained why - and will explain further. Here's the dictionary of 'substitution'...
"The action of replacing something with another thing."
'Another thing' = 'something different'. It's THAT difference which I hope for.
As you know, my injured foreskin led me to peremptory circumcision by my doctor when she examined my penis and immediately referred me to a urologist for a desperately unwanted circumcision on my behalf. (That's another story.)
Push-and-shove, I am one of the hundreds (thousands?) of men across this world of ours subjected to genital modification against their will.
BUT there just may be a future promise for us all. It's called Foregen. See this link below!
You are welcome. I am a Chinese studying in the UK, so pls forgive me if I don't understand British culture very well. Several of my friends in China have been circumcise, which they choose themselves as adults.
Personally, I am glad that my stretching work well. It was a big problem before. Also my foreskin is much longer now than before, and I love it bcos it is great for sex and oral bcos it slide back and forward perfectly over my glans head. The head and my inner foreskin are also moist and very sensitive and personally I love the feeling. I also do some 'wanking' sometime.
As you explain, your foreskin had been damage badly. So the urologist recommend that you have circumcise to make the problem less. Tbh, if I had the same problem with my foreskin, I would have gotten circumcise too. The only reason I don't go for circumcise already is bcos the stretching solved my problem.
My cousin and my best friend in China also tried stretching but it doesn't work for them, and they never saw their glans head so they choose to circumcise. I take shower with my best friend after gym, his head is alway uncover now, it looks good and very tidy operation. I was surprise by how good it look. Also he choose laser circumcision, so no visible cut line.
Do you keep your Frenulum, or was it cut off when you circumcise? My cousin keep it but my best friend choose to cut it off. Both prefer circumcise to solve their medical problems and I know that many Chinese girls like it too.
But I don't understand that you say: "desperately unwanted circumcision" and "subjected to genital modification against their will". But I think, you have free choice and you can say no? Bcos it is your body, not theirs. Or is British law that you must obey the urologist/other medic staff or you face punishments? Sorry, but very confuse on this point!
I don't have the time at the moment to reply at length. So this will be a fairly brief response from me.
1. Please keep in mind that you no longer have a foreskin nor an inner foreskin in its nature-given state. All you have is stretched SHAFT skin covering your glans
2. Laser circumcision carries a risk of infection.
3. Fortunately I was allowed to keep my frenulum - but no thanks to one of the attending nurses who insisted it should be removed or I wouldn't be 'properly' circumcised. The surgeon asked me. I said "Please NO." And that was that!
4. Yes, I had free choice. But I had suffered an incident of paraphimosis after sex with my wife, and this led me to visiting my doctor. She referred me to a urologist to be circumcised, as I think I've already explained.
But I did not WANT it Do you understand?
I now think of you as a friend of mine and wish we could meet up sometime to properly discuss these issues at length. Not possible I fear.
I was circumsised few years ago for medical reasons. I was going to get only partial removal of foreskin, but just before the operation I met the surgeon and he recommended full circumsision. I was not prepared to make that kind of decision but then approved full removal. Operation was easy and I felt no pain.
After 5 to 6 weeks of healing process I tried masturbation. I was shocked to realise that I couldn't get any pleasure anymore, it just felt bad and agonising. I can get erection and also ejaculate, but there's no pleasure or joy in it, only negative feelings. I have been with several women after the operation and was dissatisfied with everyone. Also woman that was really erotic and passionate and who I loved very much. I just can't think of being many years with someone who gives me such bad feelings. I am very desperate about this situation.
My first reaction was that this is norman result of full removal of foreskin. But later I have understood that this is not realistic. Impact to my life is so big that it would be noticed if all fully circumsised men would be like this. So I believe that something went wrong in surgery or in healing process. Maybe it was the stiching that ripped a little on the upper side of the penis and some important nerves could not unify anymore. Or something else, maybe something was done wrong in operation? Its hard to believe that exposure to rubbing would take away all feeling of pleasure in just little more than a month.
So, Christopher, was it that you lost all pleasure right away in circumsision or little by little in many years?
In my case, the loss of pleasure was incremental as each month passed by, for about a year. It was nature in action.
During this time, a layer of toughened tissue accumulates over the surface of the now permanently exposed glans in an attempt to simulate the protective quality of the absent foreskin. It's called keratinisation.
Manhood Canada foreskin substitute (haven't tried yet, but will soon)
"Silky smooth material covers and protects the penis like a real foreskin, allowing cells to regenerate and produce a smoother, more sensitive glans within 30 days."
There is also a product called Senslip. But if you look into any of these 'aids' to replicate a foreskin, you'll find that there's a price to pay - literally.
They wear out or stop working in short shrift, leaving you with no option but to keep buying them again - or give up and cope with your penis as it is....
There is a protein called acetyl L carnitine that repairs damaged nerve endings down there... this will restore a lot of lost feeling. You can find it in a penis health creme called Man1 Man Oil. Use it once a day for a while and things will get a lot better. You can get it online. Cheers.
Mike, thank you very much for your reply. But acetyl L carnitine is not a medical product offered by bonafide medical institutions. It's a product purported to be beneficial to us as a natural remedy, by those hoping to take our money!
I'm circumcised at age 17 because of phimosis. I too had lost a lot of sensitivity of my glans until I read somewhere about jojoba oil and shea butter. That stuff works amazingly well. I put every night and every morning some jojoba oil on my penis and rub it in. The rest I leave on my penis and put it in my boxer. I've done this a few months now. My glans is already very smooth and I regained at least 70% of sensitivity. You really have to give it a try. Jojoba oil is cheap and easily available. I'm so happy I found this method. It's so awesome. I hope you can feel this again too.
I'm sceptical about any 'natural' products offered online - or even locally in a high street shop - which purport to work wonders for us and our genitals..
I don't know where you live, but I'm in the UK and we have a National Health Service (NHS). If any of these products really worked properly, don't you think our doctors would prescribe them for us?
First of all, my sincere sympathy for your plight and the way it was incurred. Secondly, my apologies for some of the misunderstandings and interpretations that seem to have occurred on this forum leading to mis information and drawing a very personal story from you.
To begin with you need to know which components do what and can assess the best way forward for you when you understand what they do and which you have left to work with.
So, forgive me if I drop some of the correct names, but it’s easier to understand better by description.
An uncircumcised penis has the head of the penis which has very fine sensitive skin. This is covered by the foreskin which is sheer and elastic and on its inside has a mucosal layer that keeps the head of the penis moist. There is a sphincter muscle at the end which acts like a drawstring to keep it in place. Where it connects to the shaft of the penis, underneath, is the frenulum, this is loose skin which pleats when the foreskin is pulled back. (Might be oversimplified, but you get the gist).
For my part, I was circumcised at the age of 8, (now 47). I was lucky in as much as I had a good surgeon who didn’t rip everything out and my heart goes out to those in the US who seem more commonly have the frenulum gouged out with all mucosal skin whilst the shaft skin is butted up to the corona, (the ridge around the head of your penis). I was lucky in that I was left with most of my frenulum and a good inch of mucosal tissue, even though this was pulled back along the shaft and therefore dried out.
The skin does indeed thicken over time when exposed to the elements, let alone chaffed by fabrics and this does inhibit sensitivity as nerve enriched areas are more thickly coated in an epidermal layer.
Due to pain incurred when erect through skin being too tight, about 15 years ago, I did the stretching technique with T-tape, (google for explanation). It was fiddly and I’m pleased to note now that there are a host of new devices that are quick, easy, lightweight and unobtrusive.
It was worth me carrying this out because I had my frenulum and mucosal layer intact. I taped at the scar line and pulled skin forward and kept tension. Within weeks my mucosal layer reactivated and things did indeed get more sensitive over time. However, I did this for two years and only achieved limited results in that it was no longer painful to gain an erection as there was now enough skin.
For the sceptics who don’t believe skin grows, just go and google methods of repairing burn tissue etc. It takes a long time, but it does grow when stretched.
This might not be for you as A. it takes a very long time to achieve any results and B. if you haven’t got any mucosal tissue left or a frenulum, I don’t see the point personally. I stopped myself due to researching and looking at end results and without a sphincter, (or willing to risk the surgery to obtain one), didn’t think the result aesthetically pleasing. Some results of those who’d done it after a severe circumcision, were just downright scary!
So, when I stopped, things were exposed again and of course, the mucosal dried out and skin thickened up again.
Six years ago I was diagnosed with psoriasis on my calf. Psoriasis ironically is where the body produces too much skin, layer over layer and it gets drier and scaly and itches like mad! I was prescribed a steroidal cream to treat this. The cream basically thins the skin. I put two and two together.
Again, I did my research! I must emphasise I read everything. There are some real horror stories out there over people who have used steroidal creams on their penis too often, too much and in the worst case even masturbated with it. The results have been horrific. Some have just had sores where thin skin has perished, others have caused total inflammation and been left with so much scar tissue they’d have to masturbate with sand paper to get any feeling, (of course they haven’t, but you get the meaning).
Initially I applied it very carefully, (still do), just to the head of the penis and I left it alone for a month. I then reduced this daily, as in 30 days, then 29 , then 28 etc. It took nearly 18 months to find the sweet spot! I know apply every two weeks. (this is a .01% cream). After experimenting I find tight fitting underwear the best and I keep dressed to the side. This ensures my penis has little movement and maximum protection being held against me. I know by colouration and the overall appearance of the skin, it’s still not like an uncircumcised head, but it’s as close as can be, still looks normal and is very sensitive. If I’m ever in doubt I might damage the skin, I pin a condom to the inside of underwear and put my penis in there, and then extend to three weeks before I next apply.
The biggest downside in all of this is involuntary erections! I’ll live with it.
As I type, it's very late at night for me, but I must thank you for your lengthy and comprehensive reply.
For now, I have just one question about your use of the word 'sheer' when referring to the inner foreskin. The dictionary definition of 'sheer' in this context means transparently thin; diaphanous - in the manner of some fabrics such as sheer stockings which women might wear. (Though I was once given a birthday gift of male see-through underwear!)
This aside, the inner foreskin is the most sensitive part of a normal penis. But the word 'uncircumcised' implies that the norm is circumcision - which it isn't - the world over! Please consider using the word 'intact' instead.
By sheer I meant thin and was referring to the entire foreskin, as in silk is a sheer fabric which might be transparently thin, but not transparent.
Now forgive me, but my reference to normal was just that. I'm not about to make any circumcised person feel abnormal by referring to it any differently, particularly in an incidence were nearly all have no choice in the matter. If you wish to split hairs, I could have said normal for a circumcised penis, but why should I or anyone else? To put it frankly a penis is a penis, whether circumcised or not, and I'd refer to either as normal if they were healthy in appearance. I wouldn't feel the need to distinguish. I'm sorry if that comes over a bit strong, but there's far to much friction in the world by people defining what is normal, whether is skin colour, gender, religion and now it would seem, genitals! lol
But in essence, a circumcised penis is a crippled penis - and therefore abnormal.
In context, being healthy in appearance means nothing. Nature gives every male a foreskin for very good reasons.
As a species, we all once had tails. Our coccyx (tail bone) is its remnant. Yet every male is still born with a foreskin. Will nature eventually do the same to a penis - leaving just the remnant of a foreskin? I doubt it very much.
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