View source for Foreskin restoration

{{GraphicWarning}}
[[Image:Restoration before after.JPG |thumbnail|right|300px| A human penis circumcised at birth, before and after 42 months of non-surgical restoration.]]

'''Foreskin restoration''' refers to the process of expanding the residual skin on the circumcised [[penis]] by non-surgical means in order to recreate the [[foreskin]] which was removed in [[circumcision]].<ref name="wisdom">{{REFjournal
 |last=Wisdom
 |first=Travis
 |author-link=
  |etal=no
 |title=Constructing phallic beauty: Foreskin restoration, genital cutting and circumcisionism
 |trans-title=
 |language=
 |journal=Brill
 |location=
 |date=2014
 |volume=
 |issue=
 |pages=93-134
 |url=https://www.academia.edu/7648223/Constructing_Phallic_Beauty_Foreskin_Restoration_Genital_Cutting_and_Circumcisionism?email_work_card=view-paper
 |archived=
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1163/9781848881259_007
 |accessdate=2020-08-16
}}</ref> It can also refer to the process of [[Tissue expansion| expanding existing skin]] in a penis whose foreskin is abnormally short or non-existent (see [[aposthia]]).<ref name="collier2011">{{REFjournal
 |last=Collier
 |first=Roger
 |author-link=
 |title=Whole again: the practice of foreskin restoration
 |trans-title=
 |language=
 |journal=CMAJ
 |date=2011
 |volume=183
 |issue=18
 |pages=2092-3
 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3255154/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=3255154
 |pubmedCID=22083672
 |DOI=10.1503/cmaj.109-4009
 |accessdate=
}}</ref>

Foreskin restoration can be achieved via surgical and/or non-surgical means. Men take up foreskin restoration to restore [[sensation]] to the [[glans penis]] and to restore the [[gliding action]] of the natural penis. Another reason for restoring is a desire to create the natural appearance of an intact penis with the [[foreskin]] covering the [[glans penis]]. Foreskin restoration techniques are most commonly undertaken by men who resent having been [[circumcision|circumcised]] as children, or who have sustained an injury. They are also used by intact men who simply desire a longer foreskin.

== History ==

Foreskin stretching (called "uncircumcision," or ''[[epispasm]]'') appears to have been a common practice among Hellenized Jewish men in Hellenistic and Roman societies,<ref name="Rubin">{{REFjournal
 |last=Rubin
 |first=Jody P.
 |title=Celsus's Decircumcision Operation
 |journal=Urology
 |volume=16
 |issue=1
 |pages=121-124
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/rubin/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=6994325
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1016/0090-4295(80)90354-4
 |date=1980-07
 |accessdate=
}}</ref> from at least as early as the 2nd century {{#tip-text:BCE|Before Common Era, an alternative to BC}}.<ref>{{REFbook
 |last=Glick
 |first=Leonard
 |author-link=Leonard B. Glick
 |year=2005
 |title=Marked in Your Flesh
 |url=
 |editor=
 |edition=
 |volume=
 |chapter="This Is My Covenant", Circumcision in the World of Temple Judaism
 |page=31
 |location=New York, New York
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |isbn=0-19-517674-X
 |quote=Foreskin stretching (called "uncircumcision," or epispasm) appears to have been a common practice among Hellenized Jewish men...
 |accessdate=2011-09-23
 |note=
}}</ref>

Key features of Hellenistic culture were athletic exercises in gymnasia and athletic performances in public arenas, where men appeared in the nude. While the penis sheathed in an intact foreskin was normal and acceptable, ancient Greeks and their Hellenistic successors considered the circumcised penis to be offensive, as it was perceived as a vulgar imitation of erection, unfit for public display. The ancient Greeks and their Hellenistic successors considered the "ideal prepuce" to be long, tapered, and "well-proportioned." Removing it was considered mutilation. Men with short foreskins, a condition known as ''lypodermos'', would wear a leather cord called a ''kynodesme'' to prevent its accidental exposure.<ref>{{REFjournal
 |last=Hodges
 |first=Frederick M.
 |author-link=Frederick M. Hodges
 |title=The Ideal Prepuce in Ancient Greece and Rome: Male Genital Aesthetics and Their Relation to Lipodermos, Circumcision, Foreskin Restoration, and the Kynodesme
 |journal=Bulletin of the History of Medicine
 |date=2001-09
 |note=Fall 2001
 |volume=75
 |issue=3
 |pages=375-405
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/history/hodges2/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=11568485
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |accessdate=2019-09-30
}}</ref>

The sight of circumcised genitals at public baths or gymnasia would inspire laughter and ridicule. Jewish men who wished to gain acceptance in the larger social world gave themselves a presentable appearance by pulling the remaining foreskin forward as far as possible, and keeping it under enough tension to encourage permanent stretching toward its original length. Using a fibular pin or a cord, they pierced the front of the remaining foreskin, drew it forward, and fixed it in place; sometimes they would attach a weight to maintain tension. Over time the foreskin stretched and restored at least some of the appearance of an intact organ.<ref>{{REFbook
 |last=Glick
 |first=Leonard
 |author-link=Leonard B. Glick
 |year=2005
 |title=Marked in Your Flesh
 |url=
 |editor=
 |edition=
 |volume=
 |chapter="This Is My Covenant", Circumcision in the World of Temple Judaism
 |page=31
 |location=New York, New York
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |isbn=0-19-517674-X
 |quote=...some, eager for acceptance in the larger social world, gave themselves a presentable appearance by pulling the remaining foreskin forward...
 |accessdate=2011-09-23
 |note=
}}</ref> Up until the 2th century, [[Jewish circumcision]] involved only partial foreskin removal. Rabbis of the 2th century mandated peri’ah, or the complete ablation of the foreskin in order to prevent Jewish men from engaging in foreskin restoration.<ref>{{REFbook
 |last=Glick
 |first=Leonard
 |author-link=Leonard B. Glick
 |year=2005
 |title=Marked in Your Flesh
 |url=
 |editor=
 |edition=
 |volume=
 |chapter="This Is My Covenant", Circumcision in the World of Temple Judaism
 |page=31
 |location=New York, New York
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |isbn=0-19-517674-X
 |quote=For obvious reasons this was anathema to the rabbis: tantamount to rejection of Judaism and defiance of rabbinic authority.
 |accessdate=2011-09-23
 |note=
}}</ref>

During World War II, some European Jews sought out underground foreskin restoration operations as a way to escape Nazi persecution.<ref name="Tushmet">{{REFjournal
 |last=Tushmet
 |first=Leonard
 |title=Uncircumcision
 |journal=Medical Times
 |volume=93
 |issue=6
 |pages=588-593
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/tushmet1/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=1965
 |accessdate=
}}</ref>

The practice of foreskin restoration was revived in the late twentieth century using modern materials and techniques. In 1982 a group called Brothers United for Future Foreskins ([[BUFF]]) was formed, which publicized the use of tape in non-surgical restoration methods. Later in 1991, another group called UNCircumcising Information and Resources Centers ([[UNCIRC]]) was formed.<ref name="Bigelow - uncirc">{{REFjournal
 |last=Bigelow
 |first=Jim
 |author-link=Jim Bigelow
 |title=Uncircumcising: undoing the effects of an ancient practice in a modern world
 |journal=Mothering
 |volume=Summer
 |issue=
 |pages=121-124
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/bigelow1/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=1994
 |accessdate=
}}</ref>

The National Organization of Restoring Men ([[NORM]]) was founded in 1989 in San Francisco, as a non-profit support group for men restoring the appearance of a foreskin. It was originally known as RECAP, an acronym for the phrase Recover A Penis. In 1994 UNCIRC was incorporated into this group.<ref name="NORM history">{{REFweb
 | quote=
 | url=http://www.norm.org/history.html
 | title=NORM - History
 | last=Griffiths
 | first=R. Wayne
 | publisher=
 | work=
 | date=2006
 | accessdate=2019-09-30
}}</ref> Since its founding, several NORM chapters have been founded throughout the United States, as well as internationally in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany.

== Nonsurgical techniques ==

[[Image:Foreskin restoration diagram.jpg ‎|thumbnail|right|550px| A series of steps for non-surgical foreskin restoration. ]]

Nonsurgical foreskin restoration is the most commonly used method of foreskin restoration. It is accomplished through [[tissue expansion]] and involves pulling on the remnants of the foreskin. Both the skin of the penile shaft and the mucosal inner lining of the foreskin, if any remains after circumcision, may be expanded. The skin is pulled forward over the glans, and tension is applied manually, by using weights or elastic straps. In the latter two cases a device must be attached to the skin; surgical tape is often used.

[[Image:Tlctugger applied.jpg|thumbnail|left|150px| TLCTugger device applied to a circumcised penis for non-surgical foreskin restoration.]]

An example of a device using elastic straps is the T-Tape method, which was developed in the 1990s with the idea of enabling restoration to take place more rapidly. Many specialized [http://intactwiki.org/wiki/Category:Foreskin_restoration_devices restoration devices] (like the [[TLC-X|TLC Tugger]] shown in the picture) that grip the skin with or without tape are also commercially available. Tension from these devices may be applied by weights or elastic straps, by pushing the skin forward on the penis, or by a combination of these methods.

The amount of tension produced by any method must be adjusted to avoid injury, pain or discomfort, and provides a limit on the rate at which new tissue can be grown. There is a risk of damaging tissues if excessive tension is used, or if tension is applied for too long. Websites about foreskin restoration vary in their recommendations, from suggesting a regimen of moderate amounts of tension applied for several hours a day,<ref name="NORM regimen">{{REFweb
 | quote=
 | url=http://www.norm.org/regimen.html
 | title=NORM - Recommended Restoration Regimen
 | last=Griffiths
 | first=R. Wayne
 | publisher=
 | work=
 | date=
 | accessdate=2006-08-27
}}</ref> to recommending periods of higher tension applied for only a few minutes per day.<ref name="FRC manual">{{REFweb
 | quote=
 | url=http://foreskinrestorationchat.info/manualtugging.html
 | title=Foreskin Restoration Chat Manual Restoration Method and Guide
 | last=
 | first=
 | publisher=
 | work=
 | date=
 | accessdate=2006-08-27
}}</ref><ref name="Doug's site">{{REFweb
 | quote=
 | url=http://pages.suddenlink.net/manual_methods/
 | title=Manual Methods of Foreskin Restoration
 | last=
 | first=
 | publisher=
 | work=
 | date=
 | accessdate=2007-07-19
}}</ref>

Applying tension to tissue has long been known to stimulate [[mitosis]], and research shows that expanded human tissues have the attributes of the original tissue.<ref name="Cordes">{{REFjournal
 |last=Cordes
 |first=Stephanie
 |last2=Calhoun
 |first2=Karen H.
 |last3=Quinn
 |first3=Francis B.
 |title=Tissue Expanders
 |journal=University of Texas Medical Branch Department of Otolaryngology Grand Rounds
 |volume=
 |issue=
 |pages=
 |url=http://www.utmb.edu/otoref/Grnds/tissue-expand.html
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=1997-10-15
 |accessdate=
}}</ref> Unlike conventional skin expansion techniques, however, the process of nonsurgical foreskin restoration may take several years to complete. The time required depends on the amount of skin available to expand, the amount of skin desired in the end, and the regimen of stretching methods used. Patience and dedication are needed; support groups exist to help with these (see External links section). The act of stretching the skin is often described informally as "tugging" in these groups, especially those on the Internet.

Intact men who would like to have a longer foreskin may use these same techniques of [[tissue expansion]] to lengthen a short [[foreskin]]. Benefits include improved protection of the [[glans penis]], improved [[gliding action]], and improved physical appearance.

See [[Basics of foreskin restoration]]

== Surgical techniques ==

Surgical techniques of foreskin restoration are  historical. They are seldom, if ever, used today because they have not given good results.

Surgical methods of foreskin restoration, sometimes known as foreskin reconstruction, usually involve a method of grafting skin onto the distal portion of the penile shaft. The grafted skin is typically taken from the scrotum, which contains the same smooth muscle (known as [[dartos|dartos fascia]]) as does the skin of the penis. One method involves a four stage procedure in which the shaft is buried in the scrotum for a period of time.<ref name="Greer">{{REFjournal
 |last=Greer
 |first=Donald M.
 |last2=Mohl
 |first2=Paul C.
 |last3=Sheley
 |first3=Kathy A.
 |title=A technique for foreskin reconstruction and some preliminary results
 |journal=The Journal of Sex Research
 |volume=18
 |issue=4
 |pages=324-330
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/greer1/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1080/00224498209551158
 |date=1982
 |accessdate=
}}</ref> Such techniques are costly, and have the potential to produce unsatisfactory results or serious complications related to the skin graft.

British Columbia resident Paul Tinari was held down and circumcised at eight years old, in what he stated was "a routine form of punishment" for [[masturbation]] at residential schools.  Following a lawsuit, Tinari's surgical foreskin restoration was covered by the British Columbia Ministry of Health.  The plastic surgeon who performed the restoration was the first in Canada to have done such an operation, and used a technique similar to that described above.<ref name="Tyee article">{{REFjournal
 |last=Euringer
 |first=Amanda
 |title=BC Health Pays to Restore Man's Foreskin
 |journal=The Tyee
 |volume=
 |issue=
 |pages=
 |url=http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/07/25/Circumcision/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=2006-07-25
 |accessdate=
}}</ref><ref name="NRM article">{{REFjournal
 |last=Laliberté
 |first=Jennifer
 |title=BC man's foreskin op a success
 |journal=National Review of Medicine
 |volume=3
 |issue=12
 |pages=
 |url=http://www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com/issue/2006/06_30/3_patients_practice01_12.html
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=2006-06-30
 |accessdate=
}}</ref>

See [[Surgical foreskin restoration]]

== Results ==

Results of surgical foreskin restoration are much faster, but are often described as unsatisfactory, and most restoration groups advise against them.

Results of non-surgical methods vary widely, and depend on such factors as the amount of skin present at the start of the restoration, degree of commitment, technique, and the individual's body. Foreskin restoration successfully restores sensitivity to [[glans penis]] and restores the [[gliding action]]. Certain parts of the natural foreskin cannot be reformed. In particular, the [[ridged band]], a nerve-bearing tissue structure extending around the penis just inside the tip of the foreskin,<ref name="Taylor interview">{{REFweb
 | quote=
 | url=http://www.intact.ca/taylor.html
 | title=Interview with John Taylor
 | last=Taylor
 | first=John R.
 | publisher=
 | work=
 | date=1997-02-04
 | accessdate=2007-08-26
}}</ref><ref name=Joy-frenar>{{REFbook
 |last=Bigelow
 |first=Jim
 |author-link=Jim Bigelow
 |year=
 |title=The Joy of Uncircumcising!
 |url=
 |editor=
 |edition=
 |volume=
 |chapter=
 |page=13
 |location=
 |publisher=
 |isbn=096304821X
 |quote=
 |accessdate=
 |note=
}}</ref> which helps to contract the tip of the foreskin so that it remains positioned over the glans, cannot be recreated. Restored foreskins can appear much looser at the tip and some men report difficulty in keeping the glans covered. Surgical "touch-up" procedures exist to reduce the orifice of the restored foreskin, recreating the tightening function of the band of muscle fibers near the tip of the foreskin, though they have not proven successful in every case.<ref name=Joy-touchup>{{REFbook
 |last=Bigelow
 |first=Jim
 |author-link=Jim Bigelow
 |year=
 |title=The Joy of Uncircumcising!
 |url=
 |editor=
 |edition=1998
 |volume=
 |chapter=
 |pages=188-192
 |location=
 |publisher=
 |isbn=096304821X
 |quote=
 |accessdate=
 |note=
}}</ref> A loose effect can also be alleviated by creating increased length, but requires a longer commitment to the restoration program.  In addition, several websites claim that the use of O-rings during the restoration program can train the skin to maintain a puckered shape.

As the shaft skin expands and gets longer the circumcision scar will travel down toward the tip and eventually turn under and be concealed inside the foreskin.

== Physical aspects ==

The natural foreskin has three principal components, in addition to blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue:  [[skin]], which is exposed exteriorely; [[mucous membrane]], which is the inside surface in contact with the [[glans penis]] when the [[penis]] is flaccid; and a layer of [[Dartos| muscle]] fibers under the foreskin.  The [[ridged band]] is just inside the tip of the [[foreskin]].

Generally, the skin grows more readily in response to stretching than does the mucous membrane.  The ring of muscle which normally holds the foreskin closed is completely removed in the majority of circumcisions and cannot be regrown, so the covering resulting from stretching techniques is usually looser than that of a natural foreskin.  According to some observers it is difficult to distinguish a restored foreskin from a natural foreskin because restoration produces a "nearly normal-appearing prepuce."<ref name="Goodwin">{{REFjournal
 |last=Goodwin
 |first=Willard E.
 |title=Uncircumcision: A Technique For Plastic Reconstruction of a Prepuce After Circumcision
 |journal=J Urol
 |volume=144
 |issue=5
 |pages=1203-1205
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/goodwin1/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=2231896
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=1990
 |accessdate=
}}</ref>

Nonsurgical foreskin restoration does not restore portions of the [[Frenulum| frenulum]] or the [[ridged band]] removed during circumcision.  Although not commonly performed, there are surgical [http://intactwiki.org/wiki/Category:Foreskin_restoration_touch-up_surgeries "touch-up" techniques] that can re-create some of the functionality of the frenulum and dartos muscle.<ref>{{REFbook
 |last=Bigelow
 |first=Jim
 |author-link=Jim Bigelow
 |year=
 |title=The Joy of Uncircumcising!
 |url=
 |work=
 |editor=
 |edition=
 |volume=
 |chapter=
 |pages=188-191
 |location=
 |publisher=
 |isbn=
 |quote=
 |accessdate=
 |note=
}}</ref>

The process of foreskin restoration seeks to regenerate some of the tissue removed by circumcision by expansion of residual tissue, as well as providing coverage of the glans.  According to research, the [[foreskin]] comprises over one-half of the skin and mucosa of the human penis.<ref>{{REFjournal
 |last=Taylor
 |first=J.R.
 |author-link=John R. Taylor
 |first2=A.P.
 |last2=Lockwood
 |first3=A.J.
 |last3=Taylor
 |title=The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision
 |journal=Brit J Urol
 |date=1996-02-01
 |volume=77
 |issue=
 |pages=291-295
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/taylor/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=8800902 
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1046/j.1464-410x.1996.85023.x
 |accessdate=
}}</ref>

By growing more penile skin, foreskin restorers recover the skin mobility that was eliminated by their circumcision. The ability to [[gliding action|glide the skin of the penis over the glans]] constitutes a mechanical component of the stimulation mechanism of the penis.

In some men, foreskin restoration may alleviate certain problems they attribute to their circumcisions.  Such problems, as reported to an anti-circumcision group by men circumcised in infancy or childhood, include prominent [[Circumcision scar|scarring]] (33%), insufficient penile skin for comfortable erection (27%), erectile curvature from uneven skin loss (16%), and pain and bleeding upon erection/manipulation (17%). The poll also asked about awareness of or involvement in foreskin restoration, and included an open comment section. Many respondents and their wives "reported that restoration resolved the unnatural dryness of the circumcised penis, which caused abrasion, pain or bleeding during intercourse, and that restoration offered unique pleasures, which enhanced sexual intimacy."<ref name="Hammond">{{REFjournal
 |last=Hammond
 |first=T.
 |author-link=Tim Hammond
 |title=A Preliminary Poll of Men Circumcised in Infancy or Childhood
 |journal=BJU Int
 |volume=83
 |issue=Suppl. 1
 |pages=85-92
 |url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/119091408/PDFSTART
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=10349419
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1046/j.1464-410x.1999.0830s1085.x
 |date=1999
 |accessdate=
}}</ref>

Some men who have undertaken foreskin restoration report a visibly smoother glans, which some of these men attribute to decreased levels of [[keratinization]] following restoration.  

<!--Several studies have suggested that the glans is equally sensitive in circumcised and uncircumcised males,<ref name="masters">{{REFbook
 |last=Masters
 |first=William H.
 |last2=Johnson
 |first2=Virginia E.
 |year=1966
 |title=Human Sexual Response
 |url=
 |editor=
 |edition=
 |volume=
 |chapter=
 |pages=189-191
 |location=Boston
 |publisher=Little, Brown & Co
 |isbn=0-316-54987-8
 |quote=
 |accessdate=
 |note=
}} (excerpt accessible [http://www.circs.org/library/masters/ here])</ref><ref name="bleustein">{{REFjournal
 |last=Bleustein
 |first=Clifford B.
 |first2=James D.
 |last2=Fogarty
 |first3=Haftan
 |last3=Eckholdt
 |first4=Joseph C.
 |last4=Arezzo
 |first5=Arnold
 |last5=Melman
 |title=Effect of neonatal circumcision on penile neurologic sensation
 |journal=Urology
 |volume=65
 |issue=4
 |pages=773-777
 |url=
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=15833526
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1016/j.urology.2004.11.007
 |date=2005-04
 |accessdate=
}}</ref><ref name = "bleustein2003">{{REFconference
 |place=Chicago, Illinois
 |title=American Urological Association 98th Annual Meeting
 |url=
 |last=Bleustein
 |first=Clifford B.
 |coauthors=Haftan Eckholdt, Joseph C. Arezzo and Arnold Melman
 |source=Effects of Circumcision on Male Penile Sensitivity
 |datefrom=2003-04-26
 |dateto=2003-05-01
 |accessdate=2019-09-29
}}</ref><ref name="payne2007">{{REFjournal
 |last=Payne
 |first=Kimberley
 |last2=Thaler
 |first2=Lea
 |last3=Kukkonen
 |first3=Tuuli
 |last4=Carrier
 |first4=Serge
 |last5=Binik
 |first5=Yitzchak
 |author5-link=Irving M. Binik
 |title=Sensation and Sexual Arousal in Circumcised and Uncircumcised Men
 |journal=J Sex Med
 |volume=4
 |issue=3
 |pages=667-674
 |url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00471.x
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00471.x
 |date=2007-05
 |accessdate=2019-09-30
}}</ref> 

The work of Masters & Johnson (1966) has been shown to have severe methodological flaws that render their conclusions inaccurate and essentially useless. The work of Bleustein (2003) and Payne (2007) is similarly flawed by methodological faults.

Although Kirby (1994) suggested that the perceived sensitivity gains of the glans reported by some men are psychological, with glans sensitivity itself being unaffected.<ref>{{REFjournal
 |last=Kirby
 |first=R.S.
 |title=The Joy of Uncircumcising! Restore your birthright and maximize sexual pleasure
 |journal=BMJ
 |date=1994-09-10
 |volume=309
 |issue=
 |page=679
 |url=http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/309/6955/679/a
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1136/bmj.309.6955.679a
 |accessdate=2019-9-29
}}</ref>--> 
Sorrells (2007) ''et al'' and Yang ''et al'' (2008) have reported empirical data that proves there is more sensation in intact males.<ref name="sorrels">{{REFjournal
 |last=Sorrells
 |first=
 |title=Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis
 |journal=BJU Int
 |volume=99
 |issue=4
 |pages=864-869
 |url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118508429/PDFSTART
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=1737884
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=2007-04
 |accessdate=
}}</ref><ref name="yang">{{REFjournal
 |last=Yang
 |first=D.M.
 |last2=Lin
 |first2=H.
 |last3=Zhang
 |first3=B.
 |last4=Guo
 |first4=W.
 |title=Circumcision affects glans penis vibration perception threshold
 |journal=Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue
 |volume=14
 |issue=4
 |pages=328-330
 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5370953_Circumcision_affects_glans_penis_vibration_perception_threshold
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=18481425
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=2008-09-14
 |accessdate=2019-09-30
}}</ref>

==Generally recognized benefits of foreskin restoration==

1. ''An end to tight and painful erections''.  Increasing the quantity of skin results in longer skin and less tension when the penis is erect.

2. ''Gliding mechanism'': the [[gliding action]] is beneficial because it facilitates [[masturbation]] and sex by reducing friction and providing a stimulating sheath that pleasurably slips back and forth over the [[glans]], thereby decreasing the need for artificial lubrication. The motion of the penile skin by the gliding action stimulates the nerves in the skin which are sensitive to motion and stretching.
 
3. ''Feeling whole'': The presence of the restored foreskin causes one to look and feel whole, complete, and normal.

4. ''Coverage of the glans'': this is beneficial because (a) it protects the glans from uncomfortably rubbing up against things, and (b) by keeping the glans moist and protected, it leads to dekeratinization, which subsequently increases sensation.

5. ''More sensation'': It is true that non-surgical foreskin restoration cannot restore the [[ridged band]] or the [[frenulum]], but a restored foreskin does have some nerves in it. Those nerves are stimulated by the gliding of the foreskin, so it is quite pleasurable to have a restored foreskin.   Some men who were circumcised as adults and subsequently restored have estimated that they got back about 80 percent of what they had lost in sensation.

6. ''Increased comfort'': The head of one's [[penis]] is protected by [[foreskin]] as nature intended.

7. ''Decreased'' [[keratinization]] of the [[glans penis]].

8. ''Esthetics'':  One's penis approaches the Greek ideal of male beauty.<ref>{{REFweb
 |url=http://acroposthion.com/ancient-greeks-and-the-foreskin/
 |title=Ancient Greeks & the Foreskin
 |trans-title=
 |language=
 |last=
 |first=
 |publisher=
 |website=Acroposthion
 |date=2017
 |accessdate=2010-10-02
 |format=
 |quote=The ancient Greeks were against the practice of circumcising their males and possessing a generous foreskin was a significantly important part of their culture.
}}</ref> The [[circumcision scar]] is now completely concealed by the longer skin which relocates the scar to the inside. As the restored foreskin gets longer and extends beyond the glans penis, the [[acroposthion]] is reformed.

== Emotional, psychological, and psychiatric benefits ==

Foreskin restoration has been reported as having beneficial emotional results in some men,<ref name="Greer"/><ref name="Goodwin"/><ref name="Penn">{{REFjournal
 |last=Penn
 |first=Jack
 |title=Penile Reform
 |journal=British Journal of Plastic Surgery
 |volume=16
 |issue=287-8
 |pages=
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/penn1/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=14042759
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1016/S0007-1226(63)80123-X
 |date=1963
 |accessdate=2019-09-29
}}</ref><ref name="Boyle">{{REFjournal
 |last=Boyle
 |first=G.J.
 |last2=Goldman
 |first2=R.
 |author2-link=Ronald Goldman
 |last3=Svoboda
 |first3=J.S.
 |last4=Fernandez
 |first4=E.
 |title=Male Circumcision: Pain, Trauma and Psychosexual Sequelae
 |journal=Journal of Health Psychology
 |volume=7
 |issue=3
 |pages=329-343
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/boyle6/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1177/1359105302007003225
 |date=2002
 |accessdate=2019-09-29
}}</ref> and has been proposed as a treatment for negative feelings in some adult men about their involuntary infant circumcisions.<ref name="watson2017">{{REFjournal
 |last=Watson
 |first=Lindsay
 |author-link=
 |last2=Golden
 |first2=Tom
 |author2-link=
 |etal=no
 |title=Male circumcision grief: effective and ineffective therapeutic approaches
 |trans-title=
 |language=
 |journal=New Male Studies: An International Journal
 |location=
 |date=2017
 |volume=6
 |issue=2
 |pages=109-25
 |url=http://newmalestudies.com/OJS/index.php/nms/article/view/261/317
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |accessdate=2019-12-12
}}</ref>

== Foreskin Coverage Index ==

In an effort to provide men partaking in foreskin restoration a reference to the extent of their circumcision skin loss, various foreskin coverage indexes have been created. The latest and most complete example is the [https://foreskinrestoration.men/foreskin-restoration-coverage-index/ ADI Coverage Index.] The index depicts a range of penises in both the flaccid and erect state from 0 to 10, with 0 being the tightest circumcision and 10 the longest foreskin. Men undergoing foreskin restoration can chart their progress using the coverage index (CI).
 
== Literature ==

Books, websites and numerous articles have been published about foreskin restoration. See our compiled list of [[literature about foreskin restoration]].

== Regeneration of the foreskin ==

Recently there has been growing interest in regenerative medicine as a means to regenerate the human male foreskin. This option, unlike non-surgical foreskin restoration, would result in a true human male foreskin being regrown. 

In early 2010, [[Foregen]], a non-profit organization dedicated to funding a clinical trial for the purposes of regrowing the human male foreskin, had been founded.  A clinical trial had been scheduled for late 2010, but there were insufficient donations to follow through.<ref>{{REFjournal
 |last=
 |first=
 |title=Foregen
 |journal=
 |volume=
 |issue=
 |pages=
 |url=http://www.foregen.org/blog/?p=84
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=2010-09-21
 |accessdate=2010-11-28
}}</ref>

The proposed method would involve placing the patient under general anaesthesia.  The penile skin would be opened at the circumcision scar, while the scar tissue is surgically debrided.  A biomedical solution would then be applied to both ends of the wound, causing the foreskin to regenerate with the DNA in the patient's own cells.  A biodegradable scaffold would be used to offer support for the regenerating foreskin.<ref>{{REFjournal
 |last=
 |first=
 |title=Clinical Regen Trial
 |journal=
 |volume=
 |issue=
 |pages=
 |url=http://www.foregen.org/projects/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |date=2010-06-23
 |accessdate=2010-06-23
}}</ref>

In 2018, Foregen announced the creation of a "decellularized extracellular matrix–based biomaterial scaffold" for the purpose of regenerating human foreskin.<ref>{{REFjournal
 |last=Purpura
 |first=V.
 |last2=Bondioli
 |first2=E.
 |last3=Cunningham
 |first3=E.J.
 |etal=yes
 |title=The development of a decellularized extracellular matrix–based biomaterial scaffold derived from human foreskin for the purpose of foreskin reconstruction in circumcised males
 |journal=Journal of Tissue Engineering
 |date=2018
 |volume=9
 |issue=
 |pages=1-11
 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2041731418812613
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=30622692
 |pubmedCID=PMC6304708
 |DOI=10.1177/2041731418812613
 |accessdate=2019-09-25
}}</ref>

Foreskin regeneration is only theoretical as of 2020.  No foreskin has ever been regenerated.  There is no assurance that foreskin regeneration would actually be successful if attempted.

{{SEEALSO}}
* [[Circumcision]]
* [[Epispasm]]
* [[Foreskin]]
* [[Gliding action]]
* [[Penis]]
* [[Restoration]]
* [[Ridged band]]
* [[Psychological issues of male circumcision]]
* [[Basics of foreskin restoration]]
* [[Surgical foreskin restoration]]
* [[Literature about foreskin restoration]]
* [[:Category:Foreskin restoration devices]]
* [[:Category:Films about foreskin restoration]]

{{LINKS}}
* [http://www.norm.org NORM - National Organization of Restoring Men (U.S.)]
* [http://www.cirp.org/pages/restore.html CIRP Foreskin restoration for circumcised males]
* {{REFweb
 |url=https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professionals/foreskin-restoration/
 |title=Non-surgical foreskin restoration
 |last=
 |first=
 |publisher=
 |website=Doctors Opposing Circumcision
 |date=2019-02
 |accessdate=2019-09-28
 |format=
 |quote=
}}
* [http://www.norm-uk.org NORM-UK - National Organization of Restoring Men (UK)]
* {{REFjournal
 |last=Anonymous
 |first=
 |author-link=
 |etal=no
 |title=The joy of uncircumcising
 |trans-title=
 |language=
 |journal=BMJ
 |location=
 |date=1994-09-10
 |volume=309
 |issue=
 |pages=676-7
 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/anonymous1/
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1136/bmj.309.6955.676a 
 |accessdate=2019-11-26
}}

* {{REFnews
 |title=Many men bitterly regret being circumcised. A new method allows them to repair the damage.
 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-to-reverse-the-irreversible-1338650.html
 |last=Carter
 |first=Rica
 |last2=Rockhall
 |first2=Anna
 |publisher=The Independent
 |website=www.independent.co.uk
 |date=1996-06-25
 |accessdate=2020-06-23
 |quote=Foreskin restoration is a slow process of stretching the penile skin over the naked glans, and can take several years. Many men, however, report an improvement in comfort and sensitivity after only a couple of weeks.
}}

* {{REFweb
 |url=https://www.yourwholebaby.org/restoration
 |archived=
 |title=Restoration
 |trans-title=
 |language=
 |last=
 |first=
 |author-link=
 |publisher=Your Whole Baby
 |website=www.yourwholebaby.org
 |date=
 |accessdate=2020-05-20
 |format=
 |quote=
}}
* [http://www.iomfats.org/resources/restoring/media/restoring_faq.pdf My responses to a few Frequently Asked Questions about Non-Surgical Foreskin Restoration], Roy M. Payne; Fryer, Leo (2001-03)
* {{REFjournal
 |last=Brandes
 |first=S.B.
 |last2=McAninch
 |first2=J.W.
 |title=Surgical methods of restoring the prepuce: a critical review
 |journal=BJU Int
 |volume=83
 |issue=Suppl. 1
 |pages=109-113
 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1046/j.1464-410x.1999.0830s1109.x
 |quote=
 |pubmedID=10349422
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=10.1046/j.1464-410x.1999.0830s1109.x
 |date=1999
 |accessdate=2019-09-30
}}
* {{REFweb
 |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/foreskin_restoration/
 |title=REDDIT foreskin restoration sub-reddit
 |last=
 |first=
 |accessdate=2019-11-16
}}

* {{REFweb
 |url=http://wasnotmychoice.com/foreskin-restoration/
 |archived=
 |title=Foreskin Restoration
 |trans-title=
 |language=English
 |last=
 |first=
 |author-link=
 |publisher=
 |website=http://wasnotmychoice.com
 |date=
 |accessdate=2020-08-28
 |format=
 |quote=
}}

{{REF}}

[[Category:Foreskin restoration]]
[[Category:Judaism]]
[[Category:From Intactipedia]]
[[Category:From IntactWiki]]