Foreskin Restoration

With technology at our fingertips, growing numbers of adults and older children are discovering the truth about what happened to them as newborns: that genital cutting (circumcision) is a painful, medically unnecessary neonatal surgery that takes away the foreskin, an integral part of the penis, and leaves scars and calloused skin in its place. Processing this information can be enormously emotional and difficult. If you are a person who was circumcised, this page is here to support you and to share the options available to you for restoring some of what was taken from you. 

Whatever you now think or feel about your circumcision, your pain, anger, sadness, and sense of loss are real, valid, and serious. Perhaps you feel mostly fine, but wish that you still had your foreskin. Perhaps you are devastated by what you are missing and are suffering deep emotional and/or physical pain. As is the case for many survivors, perhaps a complication beyond the “typical” harms of circumcision also caused further damage. Whatever your experiences and feelings are, you are not alone. Websites such as Men Do Complain and Bloodstained Men are dedicated to showing that many people are not okay with what was done to them without their consent. You do not have to suffer in silence. You do not have to be strong. You have been harmed, and your bodily and sexual autonomy violated, and you have the right to be heard. 

Circumcision is harmful in a number of ways, and some of the damage cannot be reversed. The loss of the thousands of nerve endings cannot be undone, and the erogenous tissue of the foreskin is permanently gone. However, the following three functions of the foreskin can be restored:

1. Glans coverage – The penis glans (head) is meant to be an internal organ, just like the clitoris. The foreskin exists in part to keep the glans moist and sensitive. Once exposed, the circumcised glans becomes dry and calloused, a process called keratinization. Foreskin restoration allows tissue to cover the glans once again, keeping it moist and causing the calloused layer of cells to slough off, increasing sensitivity. The glans is also protected from the rubbing of clothing, and minor bumps or pinches.

 2. Slack skin and gliding action – The foreskin provides a smooth and comfortable feeling during solo sexual activity as well as with a partner. Some people who’ve been circumcised have had so much tissue removed, erections or sexual activity can be painful and can even cause splitting and bleeding on the shaft of the penis. If a person dealing with these circumcision complications begins to restore their foreskin, it can be enough to correct such issues. The slack skin can increase comfort and decrease friction for the person and any sexual partners.

3. Natural lubrication — The glans and inner foreskin provide their own lubrication during sexual activity. With a circumcised penis, artificial lubrication often is needed to keep the person and/or a sexual partner from being irritated or injured by the dryness. Post-restoration, a moist and lubricated glans is a benefit.

Foreskin restoration involves slowly tugging or pulling on any remaining tissue around the circumference of the penis where the foreskin was removed. Over time, often the course of multiple years, tension on this tissue causes it to stretch so it can extend onto the glans and eventually cover it. Achieving a covered glans takes consistent, regular tugging, and is a lengthy process. A person can tug and stretch their foreskin manually with just their hands, or “tug” it for a period of time each day using medical tape and/or a specially-designed device. These devices use a variety of straps, hardware, silicone cones, and other materials to gently extend natural coverage. If a person prefers not to restore, but still wants their glans to be covered, devices exist for this as well.

Resources for Foreskin Restoration

Foreskin Restoration Devices

Foreskin Substitutes and Retainers

The Future of Foreskin Restoration

Surgical procedures to cover the glans already exist, but many have found the cost, poor cosmetic outcome, and low success rates to be prohibitive. A new company, Foregen, has a goal of using stem cells to re-grow the complete human foreskin, nerves and all. Foregen engages in regular fundraising and has communicated about the company’s ongoing research.