Men Who Are Regrowing Their Foreskin Are Sharing Their Stories, And It's Starting A Very Important Conversation Around Circumcision

A few months ago, I fell down a Reddit rabbit hole after finding an online community of circumcised men who are restoring their foreskin. The practice is called foreskin restoration, and it is the process of regrowing or reconstructing the foreskin of a circumcised penis by stretching the penile skin over time or through reconstructive surgery.

But, before you read the responses from the questionnaire, there's some background information and terminology you should know so you can better understand what they're saying.

There are various non-surgical techniques and devices people use when restoring their foreskin. None of these techniques yields quick results, though. They must be done on a regular basis over a long period of time, often years, to get desired results. Many people do a combination of these techniques as well. Here are some of the most popular examples of restoration:

1. Manual Tugging Methods. These are various techniques in which someone uses nothing but their own hands to tug the skin on their shaft and near the glans in order to stretch it over time.

2. T-Tape Methods. These are methods where tape — often some sort of medical-grade tape — is wrapped around the penis in a specific way that tugs the penile skin down to stretch it.

3. Inflation Methods (Air Pumps). These are methods where someone uses one device to grip the penile skin while using another device to pump air into the skin and stretch it.

4. Retainers, Packers, Grippers, and Tuggers. These are various devices that go over the head of the penis. Part of the device is placed on the head of the penis, and then the skin is pulled over the device. Then another part of the device is placed over the pulled-down skin, so that this skin is trapped and gripped between the devices and remains pulled down at all times. Some of these devices come in different weights to further stretch the skin down if wanted.

The last thing you should know is the Foreskin Coverage Index. It's a scale that measures the amount of foreskin covering a penis. The scale goes from CI-1 to CI-10 (CI-1 being no coverage and CI-10 being full coverage, even when erect).

After posting my questionnaire on Reddit, I received over 130 responses from people who have been restoring their foreskin. They shared what the process is actually like, their reasons for doing it, and their thoughts on circumcision. Here are some of their most insightful submissions:

Note: All bodies and stories are valid, and these people are speaking from their own experiences:

When did you start restoring your foreskin, and how long did it take to restore it? Are you still in the process of restoring it? Tell us what methods you used and about any pain or discomfort in the process.

1. "I started restoring a little over a year ago. I am still restoring. I primarily use T-taping, which is wrapping medical stretch tape around the targeted skin, and clipping a sheet-securing clip to the tape, with the other end wrapped around my body and clipped onto my waistband. This stretches the skin continuously through the day. I also use manual methods while I’m relaxing (watching a movie or what have you), in which I use my fingers to gently stretch my skin. Early on, I would use too much tension while T-taping. This would cause minor skin abrasions. Once I lessened tension, not only did the abrasions stop, but progress picked up."

—22, White, Bisexual, Atheist, Tampa Bay, FL

2. "Still in restoration process, started one year ago. Using the TLC tugger (pictured below), which is uncomfortable at times but mostly fine."

—34, Caucasian, Straight, Utah

3. "I started at 38, still not fully restored. Started with manual methods, later added Stealth Retainer with tension strap and CAR-1 inflation device (alternating)."

—40, White, Gay, Agnostic, Nevada, USA

4. "I was 16 years old at the beginning, and I'm still restoring using inflation and tugger. No pain or discomfort during the years of restoration."

—38, White, Gay, Atlanta, GA

5. "Off and on for a few years in my early 20s, followed by a long hiatus. Got back into it again about one year ago. Still in the process. I went from a CI-1 to CI-3. Started with T-tape. Have done some manual tugging, but now mostly I use silicone packers. Had some occasional skin irritation with T-tape due to the tape coming undone, and some muscle tension when too much tension was applied. Had some skin 'fatigue' when packer was used for too long."

—35, White, Straight, Atheist, USA

Q: What made you want to restore your foreskin?

1. "I was educated on the functions of the foreskin, and what circumcision removed. I was perturbed because it explained so many things that I never knew were not normal. My erections were so tight that they would sometimes rip open and bleed and my sexual appetite sometimes seemed impossible to satiate."

—31, USA

2. "After my mother admitted that my circumcision was entirely cosmetic, I decided that, while there was nothing I could do to undo the lost sensation (I suffered nerve damage during my circumcision that is irreversible, even with restoration), I can at least undo the cosmetic damage."

—40, White, Gay, Agnostic, Nevada, USA

3. "I recently had a son, and unexpectedly, the sight of his intact penis was very upsetting (I was circumcised at age 12, because of recurring UTIs, which were a result of my parents not teaching me how to look after my body). From my research, it’s common for circumcised fathers to mentally struggle with the difference. I visited my doctor to understand more, and when he told me about the concept of foreskin restoration, I knew it needed to be done."

—31, Caucasian, Bisexual, Melbourne, Australia 

4. "I had a 'turkey neck' and found out it was due to a bad circumcision ('turkey neck,' medically known as penoscrotal webbing, refers to the appearance of skin that connects the penis to the scrotum, which is sometimes a result of too much skin being removed during circumcision). Originally, I just wanted to correct the penoscrotal webbing, but then I started to see further benefits."

—25, White, Straight, USA

5. "My first boyfriend was not circumcised. I saw a difference in the way his intact penis looked and functioned compared to mine. He didn’t need lube to masturbate. I did. When he topped, there was a lot less friction because his foreskin would roll back and forth and provide natural lubrication compared to when I topped him where there was no skin to roll back and forth. It made me very upset to see how differently my penis worked. It’s led me to feeling like I’ve been violated."

—26, White, Gay, USA

6. "After experiencing sex with my first girlfriend at 18, I wondered if something was wrong with me due to the underwhelming sensation and lack of feeling fulfilled. I started restoring four years later. To be specific, during sex, I had almost no control over my orgasm, and it was not pleasurable in the slightest. I contemplated suicide because of how sexually stunted I felt, thinking I'd never have a 'healthy' sex life in any relationship."

—25, Straight, Georgia

Q: What changes have you noticed since you've restored or started restoring your foreskin? How has sexual activity changed?

1. "My penis no longer rips open and bleeds (my erections were so tight that they would sometimes rip open and bleed). I am currently at a CI-3 and look forward to completing my journey, even if it may take years."

—31, USA

2. "Erections are no longer painfully tight, and pain in my circumcision scar has reduced now that it isn't constantly under tension. When I was a newborn, my mother requested that my circumcision 'looked good,' which the doctor interpreted as ultra low and ultra tight, so relieving how tight it is has made a huge difference. Also, while I haven't gained the ability to orgasm and probably never will (I suffered nerve damage during my circumcision that is irreversible), I've at least gained the ability to ejaculate without resorting to extreme measures."

—40, White, Gay, Agnostic, Nevada, USA

3. "My climaxes are now whole-body climaxes. My wife can now give me a handjob to climax. My wife finds intercourse a lot more comfortable and pleasurable."

—73, Caucasian, Straight, Atheist, East Coast, USA

4. "I now have just enough slack to roll over the head slightly. Sex has gotten better. I don’t need to use as much lube."

—26, White, Gay, USA

5. "I can say my penis no longer constantly hurts from chafing my pants 24/7. I'm in a significantly better mood than I used to be, and I am even developing a semblance of self-love now."

—23, Caucasian, Heterosexual, Canada

6. "Since the tip is covered, I get way fewer out-of-the-blue erections."

—25, White, Bisexual, Atheist, Seattle

7. "Masturbation is so much more enjoyable for me! I feel more of my body being a part of climax versus just a small release in my groin area."

—35, White, Gay, USA

What is your opinion on circumcisions performed on babies? If your parents/guardians chose to have you circumcised, do you hold any resentment toward them?

1. "I absolutely hold resentment as they took me back to the hospital to have it done later (I was circumcised one year after birth because my parents were too tired at birth to keep signing forms). In my opinion, they quite literally paid for someone to negatively impact my sexual life in crucial formative years of my growing into an adult. This has trickled into relationships, even changing how I interact with others."

—25, Straight, Georgia

2. "Firmly against it unless medically necessary. I don't hold any resentment per se, but I think it does make me think a lot about the passive standards in society for circumcision. It's not really actively discussed or rationalized beyond some arbitrary, outdated cultural concerns."

—28, Caucasian, Gay, Australia

3. "I hold less resentment to my parents as I do to the American medical community. In my opinion, there is a lack of ethical responsibility and a deeply hypocritical attitude held by doctors who perform circumcisions. These are the same doctors who are taught to respect patient consent and dignity, yet they inflict harm on the most vulnerable of patients. As someone with some research background, I find that the medical benefits found in studies touted by professionals are deeply flawed. They are riddled with American medical bias."

—25, White, Bisexual, Atheist, Seattle

Is there anything else you'd like to share about circumcision, foreskin restoration, or your experiences with them?

1. "Restoration is definitely not something you just 'try out.' It is like working toward a six-pack. It can take years of commitment. Taking off a device every time you have to use the bathroom WILL be a death-by-a-thousand-cuts situation if you don’t want this. The pain if your device is on too tight while you’re out in public and need to find a private location to adjust is inevitable. Are you OK with that? Do your research and read reviews of devices. The costs can add up if you don’t land on a device that works for you in your first go."

—31, White, Gay, Los Angeles

2. "I was in denial of needing to restore for years after reading about it. It's quite difficult to admit something was done to you that, in my mind, yielded no net positive."

—25, Straight, Georgia

3. "I know that foreskin restoration is a fringe, wild, and very bizarre thing to undergo. If I heard about it today, I wouldn’t do it. That said, it helped me cope with the feeling that an important part of me was taken. It also helped me with feelings of inadequacy and the anxiety that my body was modified without my consent. I am glad I did it. It has made my sex life and mental health significantly better to have a foreskin."

—25, White, Bisexual, Atheist, Seattle

To learn about safety risks of practicing foreskin restoration, I spoke with Dr. Sven Gunther, a plastic surgeon who specializes in reconstructive and gender affirming procedures, including foreskin reconstruction.

"If you put it [stretching, pulling devices] too tight, then you can cause things like nerve damage, skin necrosis, you know, damage to the skin, rashes, you know, painful scarring, hypertrophic scarring, keloid scarring, things like that are all really possible for that," Dr. Gunther said.

I also asked him why some circumcised people might have painful or even bleeding erections. He explained that most of the people he's operated on have had circumcisions as children, and usually have some leftover foreskin. However, for those that have extremely short or extremely removed foreskins, there can be cases where the foreskin is really tight and, "if they have a strong dynamic erection, then, you know, that can make a restriction, basically, of the penis in the erection."

On how circumcision can impact someone's sexual pleasure, he said, "So there are nerves that are in the foreskin itself. So when a circumcision happens, those nerves would be permanently removed. So some erogenous zones on some people also are, like, their frenulum, which is the area on the ventral or underside of the glands of the penis. So if that is removed, that could potentially also remove those nerves as well." He continued, "Another thing that can happen is with the sort of chronic exposure of the glands of the penis or the head of the penis to clothing, the environment, friction, all of that stuff, it can get what's called hyperkeratosis, which is like basically, like, a callus on the penis, on the glands of the penis, which is, you know, one of the erogenous zones. So that can decrease sensation."

Dr. Gunther performs about one to two foreskin reconstruction surgeries a month and did the procedure for the first time about one year ago. Here's his breakdown of how the procedure works: "So there's sort of two versions of the surgery that I offer. One is the simple reconstruction. One is a complex reconstruction. For this simple reconstruction, I am recruiting basically the foreskin that the patient already has, and then a little bit of the shaft skin to bring that forward. Now, what kind of happens from that is that the shaft skin that I recruit is basically restretched out, so I sort of make an auto-stretcher, so that during erections and things like that, the patient's able to basically auto-stretch out the shaft skin that I sort of recruited to give more tissue. So immediately after — things in the flaccid state — the penis does look a little bit shorter."

Then he explained the second procedure he offers. "Now, for those that really do not have a lot of tissue or don't have very stretchy or compliant skin, I do offer what's called a complex reconstruction, and with that one, I use a pedicled flap from the scrotum and move skin to the shaft of the penis near the base of the penis. This allows me then to recruit that skin that I use, to use that to pull the shaft skin more over the glands of the penis to get coverage," he detailed. "I can do that flap, and I can come back and do a second flap from the other side as well. So that can give me quite a bit of tissue, kind of from that."

He also told me that foreskin reconstruction surgery is considered elective and cosmetic, so it's not covered by insurance. He explained that the cost of the procedure depends on the type of surgery performed, which is discussed at the consultation.

Dr. Gunther's foreskin reconstruction is an outpatient surgery, and he sends patients home with a Foley catheter to use for three to five days in case there's swelling that makes urinating difficult. Swelling starts to go down after three days, and he also gives the patients anti-erection medications for evening erections during the first two weeks of recovery, so that there isn't a lot of tension on the incision lines. "In four to six weeks, if everything is healing well. I let them get back to regular activities," he said. "So, vigorous exercise, they can try masturbation, penetrative intercourse if it feels okay. I kind of tell people, 'Listen to your body.' Everyone heals a little bit different, but in that four to six weeks time, you should get back to your regular activities."

Dr. Gunther also expressed that he likes it when patients have already been practicing some sort of foreskin restoration for a while. "I typically do like patients to have done some sort of stretching for a certain period of time. Sort of the ideal patient is someone who's done some stretching, has gotten some skin and reached a plateau and can't get any further," he said. "If they stretched out and they got me extra tissue, that extra tissue I can use to get the more aesthetic result."

Dr. Gunther's surgery has evolved over the past year, and he says he tells every patient, "I'm getting better and better with every single one that I'm doing, and I'm still sort of learning things." He continued, "I kind of tell people it's not exactly an experimental surgery, but it's an evolving surgery. Obviously, my first one actually was successful, which is pretty cool, and they have been successful since. But I am getting better at them. I'm getting more tissue. I'm getting better coverages, and it just continues to improve. So I kind of look forward to each one to kind of continue to get better."

Excluding cases where it's medically necessary, he said there aren't really any functional, hygienic, or medical benefits to circumcision. "If you have a skin flap or skin fold, you know you have to keep that clean whether you have a circumcision or not," Dr. Gunther shared. He added that foreskin is "just another area to clean" on the body.

Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. 

I know it's a lot of information to take in if you're new to the topics. If you're circumcised and want to share your thoughts on your circumcision or restoration, tell us in the comments or use the anonymous form below: