Foreskin restoration: Difference between revisions

Foreskin restoration can be achieved via surgical and/or non-surgical means. Men take up foreskin restoration to restore [[Dekeratinization| 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]]. [[Jim Bigelow]] (1995) listed aesthetics, sensitivity of the glans, sexual stimulation and sexual function of a restored foreskin, and sense of wholeness as reasons that men give for desiring foreskin restoration.<ref>{{REFbook

}}</ref> They are also used by [[intact]] men who simply desire a longer [[foreskin]] and by [[regret men]].

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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 a short [[foreskin]], a condition known as ''lypodermos'', would wear a leather cord called a ''kynodesme'' to prevent its accidental exposure.<ref>{{REFjournal

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

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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 [[mucosa]]l 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.

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 by [[tissue expansion]] 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

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 restored foreskin.

When the [[glans penis]] is habitually covered by the regrown foreskin, the increase in protection, plus moisture and oil from [[transudation]] provided by the new [[foreskin]] will result in [[Keratinization#De-keratinization_treatment| de-keratinization]] of the [[glans penis]] and increase in sensation.

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

|title=A technique for foreskin reconstruction and some preliminary results

}}</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 [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metis-experiences-at-residential-school 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

|url=http://www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com/issue/2006/06_30/3_patients_practice01_12.html

 

 

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

The process of foreskin restoration seeks to regenerate some of the tissue removed by circumcision by [[Tissue expansion| 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>{{TaylorJR LockwoodAP TaylorAJ 1996}}</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 [[circumcision]].  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

# ''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.

}}</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.

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}}</ref><ref name="Boyle">{{BoyleGJ GoldmanR SvobodaJS FernandezE 2002}}</ref> Watson & Golden (2017) recommend non-surgical foreskin restoration as a treatment for negative feelings in many adult men about their involuntary infant [[circumcision]].<ref name="watson2017">{{REFjournal

[[Foreskin regeneration]] is only theoretical as of 2024. No foreskin has ever been regenerated. There is no assurance that foreskin regeneration would actually be successful, if attempted.

[[Foregen]] had announced its desire to conduct trials on human volunteers in April 2023, but it has not yet happened.<ref>{{REFweb

<youtube>v=qWIyipxe2uE</youtube>

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* [http://www.cirp.org/pages/restore.html CIRP Foreskin restoration for circumcised males]

* {{{REFweb