Basics of foreskin restoration (2024)

Contents

  • 1 Basic principle
  • 2 How to start
  • 3 Regimen
  • 4 Foreskin coverage indexes
    • 4.1 CI - coverage index
    • 4.2 RCI - real coverage index
    • 4.3 Newest coverage index
    • 4.4 FEC - forced erect coverage
  • 5 Keeping track of progress
    • 5.1 Table
    • 5.2 Photography
  • 6 Overview of methods
  • 7 Summary of tape methods
  • 8 DIY devices
    • 8.1 Deep socket, ball bearing
    • 8.2 O rings
    • 8.3 Film canister
    • 8.4 Plastic funnel
    • 8.5 Milk bottle nipples retainer and device
    • 8.6 Trombone or tuba mouthpiece
  • 9 Commercial devices
    • 9.1 Currently available
    • 9.2 No longer in production
    • 9.3 Retainers
    • 9.4 Other products
  • 10 Comparison of devices
  • 11 Touch-up surgeries
  • 12 See also
  • 13 External links

Basic principle

Foreskin restoration is achieved by the principle of tissue expansion, which consists on applying tension to areas of tissue in order to stimulate cellular mitosis. Sustained tension over periods of time, repeated daily for a long period of time, results in permanent enlargement of the existing tissue.

Foreskin restoration uses different methods to induce tension on the existing penile skin and mucosa, in order to enlarge those areas, to obtain tissue that looks like and in some ways behaves just like a real foreskin.

Foreskin restoration cannot restore those areas that were completely removed by circumcision, such as the ridged band or the frenulum (in the cases where it was removed completely).

Foreskin restoration alleviates tight erections and restores the mobility of the skin.

How to start

Regimen

Each method and each device places different kind of stress on the penile tissue. A common principle is to avoid pain. The stronger the tension, the less time it should be applied.

Recommended reading:

Foreskin coverage indexes

There are 3 main methods use by foreskin restorers to measure the amount of foreskin they have. These indexes are at best approximations. There are two types of penises, growers and showers. The grower type changes size very substantially from flaccid to erect, while the shower type only changes size slightly, so the change from flaccid appearance to erect appearance varies.

CI - coverage index

The Coverage Index is based on the amount of foreskin coverage a penis has. It's a number between 1 an 10. It uses one set of flaccid photos and a set of erect photos. Restorers often use numbers outside the scale to describe their state, such as CI0 (someone with a very tight circumcision), or CI2.5 (between the photos in CI2 and CI3)

  • Sherriff, Paul. Coverage Index, restoringforeskin.org. Retrieved 6 January 2020.

RCI - real coverage index

The real coverage index was created as a reaction to frustration trying to measure the progress of restorers using the CI scale. Restorers typically vary the appearance of their penis depending on several factors, such as temperature, posture, underwear, etc. The real coverage index does not use a set of pictures for its scale, but it uses verbal descriptions of the way the foreskin behaves. Restorers can consider how their skin behaves most of the time, to find out what their real coverage index is.

Newest coverage index

The latest and most complete example is the ADI Coverage Index (2020). 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).

FEC - forced erect coverage

Forced erect coverage is a measurement obtained by producing an erection, forcing as much skin as possible over the glans, and comparing that number to the length of the glans. The result is a percentage, which can be negative (no coverage at all), or it can be a number smaller than 100% (some coverage), or greater than 100% (full coverage and some overhang).

Keeping track of progress

Table

Until full flaccid coverage is achieved, there won't be enough skin to cover the complete flaccid penis. Attempting to pull the skin over the glans to cover the penis completely will result in pushing the internal part of the penis (corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum) towards the inside of the body, making the penis look shorter.

Gary M. Griffin in Decircumcision: foreskin restoration, methods and circumcision practices described a table which uses this as a way of tracking progress. As more skin is grown, the covered penis will look larger, until it achieves the full flaccid length.

The restorer then should measure his full extended flaccid penis without any coverage, and use that measure as a baseline. Then, periodically pull the skin over the glans to cover the full penis and measure the length. When this measurement coincides with the baseline measurement, full flaccid coverage has been achieved.

Photography

Photographs should be taken periodically. Once restoration is undergoing, the penis may look different depending on temperature, clothing, position, etc, so it is important to seek similar conditions for the photographic record. For consistency, it is recommended to take the photographs under similar conditions (same time of the day, 30 minutes after a warm shower, same place, camera in same location, similar light conditions).

Overview of methods

  • Manual tugging
  • Taping
  • Retainers
  • O rings
  • Weights
  • Tugging
  • Dual tension
  • Inflation
  • Reverse taping

Summary of tape methods

DIY devices

Many variations of these methods can be used with devices made from common household items that can be purchased at the supermarket, the pharmacy, the hardware store or the auto part. Sockets, o rings, film canisters, milk bottle nipples, tuba mouth pieces, round bearings, plastic funnels, medical tape, aquarium silicone are some of the items used by restorers to make their own devices, which depending on the configuration can work with inflation, as a tugger (with a strap or elastic), as weights, as retainers, etc.

Deep socket, ball bearing

These can be used as weights, generally with medical tape.

O rings

Plumbing o rings from the hardware store can be used. Some foreskin restoration vendors also offer their own o rings. Commonly used sizes (based on the inner diameter, I.D.) are 3/4", 13/16", 7/8" and 15/16".

Film canister

The plastic canister where 135 photographic film comes.

Plastic funnel

Milk bottle nipples retainer and device

Trombone or tuba mouthpiece

Commercial devices

The lists of the following devices (in alphabetical order) do not claim to be complete. More content will be added gradually.

Currently available

  • Cat II
  • Dile insert
  • DTR
  • Foreskin natural restorer
  • Hyperrestore
  • Mantor Restorer
  • MP
  • PUD
  • Supercanister
  • TLC-X

No longer in production

  • Easy stretch
  • Foreballs
  • MySkin clamp (Forerestore)
  • Recap
  • Second skin
  • Tug ahoy

Retainers

  • DTR offers a retainer. They also offer o-rings, which can be used for retaining as well.
  • Hyperrestore offers the off-duty retaining cone.
  • Manhood
  • MP users often use the first part of the device without the weight, as their retainer.
  • TLC Tugger offers YourSkin cone.

Other products

  • CIRCUMserum
  • SenSlip

Comparison of devices

Touch-up surgeries

Some surgeries can be performed to correct some defects caused by circumcision or to improve the appearance of the restored foreskin.

  • Penoscrotal webbing repair
  • V plasty
  • Purse string suture
  • Reconstruction of the frenulum
  • Circumcision scar removal

See also

  • Surgical foreskin restoration
  • Foregen - an initiative to use regenerative medicine to recreate the foreskin.
  • Foreskin restoration
  • Category:Film about foreskin restoration
  • Literature about foreskin restoration
  • Mitosis
  • Restoration
  • Tissue expansion

External links

Basics of foreskin restoration (2024)

FAQs

Basics of foreskin restoration? ›

Foreskin restoration is a process that reverses a circumcision. You won't get your old foreskin back. But you can stretch penile skin over time to create a new foreskin or surgically attach skin from another area of your body to your penis.

How can I restore my foreskin naturally? ›

Nonsurgical foreskin restoration may involve stretching and pulling the skin of the penis so that it grows and eventually covers the glans. A person may be able to achieve this by using tape, attaching weights to the skin, balloons, or manually stretching the skin using their hands to create tension.

Is pulling back foreskin necessary? ›

Retraction of the foreskin should not be forced. This may cause pain and bleeding and can lead to scarring and adhesions (where skin is stuck to skin). As your son begins to toilet train, teach him how to retract his foreskin, this will get him used to this necessary step during urination.

How do you pull back your foreskin for beginners? ›

Foreskin Partial Retraction - How to:
  1. Begin gentle partial retraction at 1 to 2 years of age.
  2. Gently pull the skin on the shaft of the penis backward towards the stomach.
  3. This will make the foreskin open up. You will be able to see part of the glans. ...
  4. Be gentle. Retraction should never cause pain or crying.
Dec 30, 2022

What age should you be able to pull your foreskin back? ›

Most boys' foreskins do not pull back (retract) before the age of 5, but sometimes it's not possible until they're 10 or older. The end of a boy's penis may bulge or balloon when they pee, particularly if their foreskin is tight.

What happens if you never pull back foreskin? ›

You might get an infection in your penis. You might not be able to go to the bathroom at all. If you can't pull your foreskin over the head of your penis, you need to call your doctor right away.

Will it ever be possible to regrow foreskin? ›

You won't get your old foreskin back. But you can stretch penile skin over time to create a new foreskin or surgically attach skin from another area of your body to your penis. Risks depend on the approach, but may include dissatisfaction with how your new foreskin looks.

Should my foreskin cover the head when erect? ›

In adulthood, the foreskin is normally loose enough to be fully retracted. In this case, the glans (including its root) should be fully exposed. During erection, the foreskin retracts by itself, exposing the entire glans or at least part of it.

Is it better to be circumcised or uncircumcised? ›

Potential medical benefits

Circumcised children have a slightly lower risk of urinary tract infection (UTI), though the risk of an uncircumcised child having a UTI in the first year of life is also quite low: 1%. The procedure slightly lowers risk of penile cancer, which is already a rare cancer in the U.S.

Why can't I pull my foreskin back when erect? ›

What is phimosis? Phimosis (fie-MOH-sis) is a condition of the penis that occurs in some uncircumcised adults and children. If you have phimosis, you can't pull back (retract) the foreskin (prepuce). It may look like your penis has rings around the tip.

Do smegma pearls go away? ›

Smegma pearls have a natural composition of dead cells and skin oils between the foreskin and the glans. They are benign and they spontaneously resolve over time.

Should glans be exposed all the time? ›

Over time, this foreskin will begin to separate from the glans, until the skin is able to full retract. This separation occurs slowly and naturally, and could take as long as eighteen years to separate fully. In children who are circumcised, most of the foreskin is removed, leaving the glans exposed at all times.

Do men pull back foreskin to pee? ›

Older boys and adults

Always put the foreskin back to its normal position if it has been pulled back. This may happen during sex. Or you may pull it back before sex, before you urinate, or while you clean it.

Can I do circumcision myself? ›

Male circumcision is traditionally carried out by ascribed practitioners, so self-circumcision is very rare. It is intriguing why the victims should not seek available modern health care. This article highlights another case of self-circumcision, the related causes, complications and their management.

Can the foreskin go back naturally? ›

A baby's foreskin can't be pulled back (retracted) over the head of the penis. But over the first few years of life, the foreskin gradually pulls back more easily. By the time a boy is 5 years old, his foreskin usually can be pulled all the way back.

How can I fix my foreskin at home? ›

One of the best home remedies for phimosis to cure phimosis without surgery is to gently stretch and retract the foreskin with the help of warm water and coconut oil. All you need to do is pour some lukewarm water over the penis, lubricate it with coconut oil and then try to retract the foreskin gently and gradually.

Does Vaseline help pull back foreskin? ›

What are the main treatments? A doctor can manually retract the foreskin under local or general anaesthesia. You may also be shown how to gradually retract the foreskin after a bath, using petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or some other form of lubrication. But if the problem persists, circumcision may be necessary.

What heals foreskin? ›

Depending on the type of infection, you may be able to treat foreskin injuries with antibiotics or antiviral medications. These require a prescription from your doctor. You can also use certain over-the-counter (OTC) options alongside the prescription medication to alleviate discomfort.

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