About Me

Introduction

I assume it is obvious from the rest of the blog that I am circumcised (have been for a long time).
I also like that I am circumcised, and I wish to add my opinion to the circumcision debate.

I actually wanted to be circumcised, so I cannot comment on how people who did not agree to have their foreskin removed might feel about it. I always thought that physically it was an improvement, and most of the objections were mainly cultural.

I was born in a country that did not practice circumcision, and it was rare to get cut unless you had some medical condition that could not be treated otherwise. Some people were so deeply against circumcision that they did not even want it for a valid medical reason, and would rather live with recurring pain and suffering from a non-retractable foreskin that got periodically inflamed.

I did however read about it even as a child, although it took me some time to realize what it meant. In the age of the Internet it is somewhat hard for me to comprehend when Americans tell that they did not know what circumcision was, and that they themselves were circumcised until they went to college. If I could find out what it was at a young age, living in a society where almost nobody was circumcised, from reading only stuff that was printed on actual paper it is hard to fathom that someone can be so ignorant that they don't know about such things even in the age of the Internet.

In spite of the general attitude of the local society towards circumcision I soon realized that I wanted it. I did not have any particular complaint against my foreskin but I have never derived any great pleasure from it either. It was just a piece of skin that I had to pull back so it was not in the way if I wanted to play with my glans.  I certainly did not like having to deal with smegma and drops of urine decomposing under my foreskin (yuck).

At one point I did try to wear my foreskin pulled back, but it kept sliding forward.

I knew that it was possible to have it permanently removed which at first sounded unappealing -- perhaps because of societal norms. But as I learned more about it I became quite fascinated by the entire phenomenon of circumcision as well as its health benefits. I knew that it was a common practice in some developed countries such as the USA and also in undeveloped countries with poor access to hygiene. I have tried to read everything about it that I could find.

I was also aware that circumcision was used in some places as a rite of passage into manhood. Perhaps I should have been horrified, like most people would be, that this was usually done without anesthetics, but instead I could not stop wondering what it would be like to actually feel the blade slicing away my foreskin. I just had to know.

So it seems that the decision had already been made whether I consciously though about it or not, I was going to get a circumcision, and deal with what others may think about it later.

Getting a Circumcision the Old Fashioned Way

Some details shall remain unsaid, but I was cut three times.

Be careful what you wish for. The first time I was cut in an old fashioned way, foreskin pulled forward and sliced off quickly without anesthetics. This does hurt but not nearly as badly as many would believe. It also bleeds spectacularly. Still, this is how it was done for millennia. It was merely unusual for someone like me living in a relatively developed country.

This may sound crazy to some, but that is because circumcision is considered to be a medical procedure. Tattoos and piercings (some of which are far more painful and invasive than a circumcision) are typically done without anesthetics even in developed countries.

I personally see circumcision as belonging to both worlds, the health benefits clearly brand it as a medical procedure, but humans have been practicing circumcision for thousands of years, long before the invention of modern medicine. Health benefits were rarely a consideration as circumcision typically served as a rite of passage in the transition to adulthood.

In case you are wondering: No, I do NOT enjoy pain. Having my foreskin removed without anesthetics was just something that I felt I had to experience first hand. After all I really wanted to know everything there was to know about circumcision and many cultures regard pain as an essential part of the experience. It did give me a deeper appreciation of what it means to be human. Besides, going through such an experience of your own volition and without loosing your composure does give you a certain sense of self respect.

You must also realize that having your foreskin severed without anesthetics in essentially one blow is not the same as getting a modern free hand circumcision consisting of hundreds of small cuts over a half an hour period. By the time your brain registers that it hurts the worst is over, and you may be staring at a piece of skin that used to be part of your dick.

For a more detailed description of how it feels like to have your foreskin cut off without anesthetics see the post entitled Circumcision Pain, Masculinity and Spirituality.

It  took until I was fully healed up for it to really sink in that I was finally circumcised. Even thinking about it made me happy.

The operation resulted in a fairly high (scar line away from the glans) and loose circumcision style, I still had quite a lot of inner foreskin left and a very prominent circumcision scar.

Still the improvements were undeniable.

Getting Circumcision Revision Surgeries

Unfortunately the remaining inner skin could still slide over the rim of my glans when really flaccid, especially while I was sitting, which felt awkward. It also caused some chafing as hair could get trapped under the skin and irritate the area, or cause small injuries.

Eventually it got annoying enough that I started to consider getting revision surgery. I wanted to have most of the remaining inner skin removed to make sure that there was no skin that can slide forward over my glans. After all a proper circumcision should leave the glans completely uncovered all the time.

My first revision, in spite of being completely painless, was a disappointment. The doctors who performed it did not know much about circumcision, and did not care much about patient's preferences, and still left me with way too much skin -- I was really wondering afterwards what the hell has just happened, I just had surgery yet nothing has been accomplished. Also the stitching and the resulting scar showed a lack of care.

One would think that tightening up a circumcision and removing skin that is visibly bunched up is a no-brainer, but apparently there is no such thing as a task too simple to screw up.

The only way to fix things was to go under the knife a third time (as if two circumcisions weren't more than enough).

Because of the previous operations I could not be cut really low, which would have been the ideal style for a 'grower'. 

The only real option was to make my circumcision really tight by removing as much of the remaining inner skin as possible without making erections uncomfortable, thereby making the circumcision lower than before and reducing the amount of skin that could slide forward.

I was really nervous because of the unfavorable outcome of the previous revision surgery, but this time it has worked, in fact better than I have expected.

I remember looking at my freshly re-cut, about to be bandaged dick, feeling all euphoric how well it has turned out, and at the same time being in a lot of pain because for some reason all the anesthetics wore off all at once, right after the operation.

The Final Result

With all the extra skin gone and a neater scar my penis looks and feels tidy and streamlined.

 Fortunately during my second circumcision revision all the excess skin was quite thoroughly trimmed away. The result is a fairly tight, yet comfortable circumcision.

The cut line was stitched up with a lot finer thread than the last time, and with a lot more care, so the scar is thinner and less visible than the previous versions were.

All the excess skin has been removed so that it cannot slide forward and cannot cover the rim even when flaccid or shriveled up. This was a very important reason to have the revision done in the first place. In spite of what people who oppose circumcision say, leaving

more skin is not necessarily better.


A completely uncovered glans with no residual foreskin causes a lot fewer problems, it is healthier, and it even looks better.

Something one should consider BEFORE getting a circumcision

Somewhat surprisingly going to a tight cut has even increased my sensitivity in a good way. I guess it is not the number of nerve endings you have but how they are exposed to stimulation that counts.

Too see more of the results, please visit the Photo Gallery.

Miscellaneous Observations About the Effects of Circumcision

• Hygiene: Just there is no comparison. Even with the best washing practices a dick with a foreskin smells a few hours after your last shower. Smell is one thing, but the decomposing smegma and urine droplets irritate the delicate surface of  the glans, and that is if you don't have some nastier infection. After circumcision this is completely gone and the glans feels healthy.

• Hypersensitivity during the refractory period: After ejaculation men cannot get aroused immediately. Some experience hypersensitivity, that is any further stimulation of the genitals causes discomfort or even pain. When I still had my foreskin any stimulation after an ejaculation felt uncomfortable, I used to tuck my glans back inside my foreskin to avoid anything touching it. After my foreskin has been removed this hypersensitivity has gone away completely. Stimulating my glans always feels good, even when I have just ejaculated, although it takes minutes before it becomes outright pleasurable. No, I cannot get actually aroused and get another erection right away, it would be an awesome superpower though. I think the recovery time has even decreased when my circumcision was tightened up. I do not know of any controlled scientific studies on this topic, but perhaps there is at least anecdotal evidence on the Internet that I am not the only one who has experienced this.

• Understand the mechanical workings of the penis: A very loosely circumcised penis with a lot of skin movement works more or less  the same as an uncircumcised one. A tightly circumcised penis works differently because there is very little skin movement. On the plus side the glans is a lot more exposed to stimulation. A common circumcision related complaint on the Internet is that people cannot figure out how to masturbate without a foreskin. It should not be any less pleasurable but you need to learn how your body works.

• Snip the frenulum: If you are having a circumcision do yourself a favor and get your frenulum snipped at the same time. It is a lot more comfortable not to have that point of tension and the constant risk of the frenulum ripping and creating a blood bath. With low circumcision styles you probably don't have a choice because the area where the frenulum is attached to the foreskin is being removed anyway, but with an even moderately high style it is a decision that has to be made. I have personally opted for having my frenulum cut for greater comfort.

Why I Felt the Need to Talk About It

Before I have started to read about the subject on the Internet I naively thought that in countries such as the USA, where almost every male is cut as a matter of routine, people must be happy about it. I had some pretty awful medical care during the process, so I assumed people who avoid all that would be grateful. It did not occur to me at all that someone would not want to be circumcised in a society where it was the norm.

So it was a big surprise to me when I saw all the complaints coming from people who were medically fine, but they were pissed that their parents/their doctor/society had them circumcised.

I appreciate that one wants to make decisions about his own body -- after all I did. But all the propaganda equating circumcision to some sort of horrible mutilation just seems to be completely disconnected from reality.

I don't want to force my opinion on others, but in return I expect them to give me the same courtesy and don't tell me how I am supposed to feel about myself.

Just because you don't like your circumcision it does not mean I can't like mine either.

To me my circumcised penis feels natural, it is the way it should be. I don't feel that I am missing some body part or anything like that.

I am definitely happier circumcised than I was when I still had a foreskin.

I know that many disagree with me about the merits of the procedure, but my opinion is just as valid as the next guy's.