What
and why?
The purpose of this page is
not to delve specifically into the many pro/anti medical circ
studies, but instead answer questions, issues, and thoughts many
of you might have. More basic questions like... What exactly is
the foreskin? How does it move? What does is it suppose to do?
How clean is it? How does it smell? How is pleasure (sex/masturbation)
different? Cosmetically, what is the difference?
- - - - - -- - - -
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What is it and how does it move?
Lets start with what exactly
the foreskin is and how it moves. Many people in the US have this
impression that the foreskin is useless, and some sort of flap
or extension of skin... A funny thing is when I was in about 4-5th
grade we started having "sex ed" videos and whatnot
and I thought the actual head of the penis was removed. It was
to hard for me to visualize exactly what the difference between
circumcised and uncircumcised was, and of course, part of my confusion
was me thinking I was intact. Of course, later I found out I was
circumcised and that skin was removed, but I still didn't know
much about it, why I was changed, or why I didn't get a choice.
I somehow thought the scar line was where the foreskin would come
out of, kinda like some sort of perpendicular extension that would
fold over the head and be mobile while the shaft was stationary
(just like mine) or at least... something weird like that. Little
did I know, the foreskin isn't a separate part of the penis, it
is merely just part of the shaftskin.
Now what does "part of
the shaftskin" mean? When I say that, I simply mean the shaftskin
is all 1 continuous skin system. A simple way
to think of this is to imagine your forearm is the shaft of the
penis and your fisted hand the head. Now imagine you have enough
skin on your forearm to slide the skin up and over your fist...
simply enough, that is a "foreskin". There are 3 main
types of shaftskin (in order from the base), outer, ridged band,
and inner skin. We will go into those more later, but circumcision
essentially removes the entire "mid" section of skin
and some of the inner/outer skin, depending on the circumcision,
to limit mobility. Now for those of you paying close attention,
you realized something interesting you may not have known before,
by removing the mid section, the outer and inner sections must
be "stitched" together, which then will create the scar
line. Circumcision devices make the "stitching" easier
then it may sound, but the remaining skin has to be brought together
(and hopefully enough is left to accommodate erections).
Since that issue is cleared
up, to finish up "how does it move", the last thing
to mention is that the removed ridged band/prepucial ring/frenar
band or whatever you want to call it is what keeps the skin "taught"
against the shaft and head during movement... or summed up in
a single word, elastic. This section of elastic skin goes around
the penis and then connects to the underside of the head... to
the frenulum/frenum (some circed guys actually have the frenulum
left). The frenulum helps keep the skin over the head (when flaccid,
partially erect, jogging, etc) by creating a "bunch up"
of skin so when the elastic skin is over the head it is less likely
to pull back behind the glans on its own (when the elastic skin
is over the head the frenulum is actually in the "mid section").
However, more importantly, since the frenulum is connected to
the elastic band and to the head, it also helps to make the actual
gliding as smooth as possible . Hopefully that was enough to help
you understand what exactly is going on during movement. There
are some videos below so you can actually see what is going on.
On top of the above description, the elastic skin (and frenulum)
are filled with more nerves then the rest of the skin, which in
turn stimulates other areas of the skin during sliding. Which
brings us to the next topic...
More
Vids...
- - - - - -- - - -
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
How is pleasure different, and
what else does the foreskin do?
Men
So how does the removing the
skin affect pleasure and what else does the skin do? Lets look
at how "useless" the removed skin is. From above you
learned that the elastic band and frenulum are filled with extra
nerves... so unlike circed guys, the focus of pleasure is not
just on the head and immediate area behind the head, but also
on the ring and frenulum. Now some of you may be thinking, "but
when the skin is over the head, it doesn't come in to contact
with the vaginal wall so the direct contact is blocked by a layer
of skin" and you would be right, however, you are still thinking
that the head of the penis can only receive pleasure from direct
contact with the vaginal wall. I got stuck on that for a bit too,
but remember that inner skin from above? This skin is what is
touching the head, which is a mucous membrane, similar to the
vagina and is also more nerve packed then the outer skin... so
the guy's head isn't in contact with the vagina, but the guy's
own skin. Also, remember the elastic band (filled with more nerves)
is now what is receiving the direct contact and pleasure. And
that is still not it... remember how the elastic band is connected
to the frenulum? During both an outward and inward thrust the
band will create a slight pull on the frenulum which give more
pleasure. Any circed guy will tell you they receive pleasure from
pulling back on the skin, and that is part of why. The other part
is that the inner skin right below the head is actually one of
the more sensitive. Why? Because this is where the elastic skin
would move over before going over the head on an outward pull,
and also where is pull is given during an inward thrust.
Which is why you may have noticed, your lover, or you personally
(circed or not) especially like to stimulate this area during
orgasm.
Whew, after all that, you
may be thinking, wow, intact guys must orgasm much faster with
all those extra nerves! Well, maybe that would be true if sex
and masturbation were only about physical sensation, but a large
number of things influence when someone will orgasm. Including
self control, physical, emotional, and psychological components.
If one of those areas are lacking, another can come in and help
out. This is part of why circed guys can still enjoy sex... that
along with the glans and area right below it providing a decent
amount of pleasure, especially those circed as adults. My personal
experience with this was keeping my glans covered for an extended
period of time (6 months) to see how the sensation would change,
and it definitely improved, however, I didn't find my "time
to orgasm" really changed... that was something I was worried
about, but really, it is almost like the extra sensation help
me control when I orgasmed, and when I did orgasm, that is when
I felt the most difference. Orgasms before felt good, but not
that good, heh. And it wasn't so much of a "getting to orgasm"
as it was enjoying it until I decided to... if that makes sense.
Obviously I dont have complete control, who does, just more. So
with my personal experience with this, I doubt there is much of
a difference in "normal" circ/intact guys when it comes
to "lasting long" in bed. I do remember seeing an older
study saying there was a small few minute difference, but I have
to wonder... what about the "time to orgasm" for women
with intact men (discussed below)?
As for masturbation.. if you
normally just rub the shaft, area below the head, and/or have
enough remaining shaft skin to move it a bit for pleasure... then,
well, that isn't really what I would call an orgasm. Sorry, those
techniques feel no where near as good as using lube, which I realized
even more so after keeping the head covered. Yea, using lube is
a pain to clean up, but IMO its not really worth it otherwise...
unless you are really horny. Intact guys have their own "lube"
so they can receive these "true" orgasms without any
extra work, reapplications, or messy lube cleanup. I will go in
to this "lube" more later, for now though, lets change
genders...
Women
We have only been talking
about how pleasure is different for the guy, how selfish, what
about your partner? How does making the shaft immobile affect
the pleasure for a woman? Well, bluntly... its like using a dildo.
When I say that, I'm referencing the immobility, friction, and
the need for plenty of lube. Lets start with the big one, friction.
The more friction the better right? Nope, sorry. To much friction
actually causes more rawness/soreness then more pleasure. This
is amplified by how lube is "scooped" by the edge of
the head of the penis. Wait, what? Yea, lubrication gets caught
in the "groove" behind the head and taken from where
it should be out to the open air to dry. But not only that, since
more of the shaftskin is also drawn out of the vagina, the lube
on the shaft comes in to contact with the air and dries up, which
amplifies the friction even more then the immobile shaft. In an
intact guy the penis is actually rolling in and out of itself
(see above movement video), which keeps more of the shaftskin
inside the vagina. However, the rolling will only go so far...
it doesn't stay all inside like some sort of female condom, it
just provides enough rolling to make sure it is comfortable and
to provide "padding" to make sure the friction isn't
to rough and lessen/eliminate the need for lube. Both friction
and lube are affected by the amount of mobility the shaftskin
has. Since circumcision kinda "guesses" how much skin
to remove, some circed guys will actually have enough skin to
lessen this problem... so every couple is affected differently
with sex.
Sex isn't all that people
will do though. Oral/handjobs are also easier and not so exhausting
for the woman of intact men, for a few reasons. The glans/head
is more sensitive, and the foreskin is easier to manipulate then
trying to form a fist around the penis while also using proper
lube and pressure.... stuff that an intact penis does automatically,
just move the skin. Many times women will try all sorts of different
techniques to provide enough pleasure when it shouldn't be that
difficult. Some people might be thinking, yea but doesn't the
intact penis smell, who wants that when getting so up close and
personal? This, like oral with women, isn't always an issue, especially
with proper hygiene. If it happens to be, the woman can do the
same as a man would do... tough it out, ask for a quick wash,
shower together, use your hands more instead of mouth, or do some
other technique. If you really like oral and wouldn't want to
take the chance of smell being an issue.... smell, but fun/easy,
or no smell, but more difficult.... the amount of oral your partner
wants to perform is probably about the same and still more pleasurable.
Check out the next section for more on this "cleanliness"
issue.
What
helped me realize even clearer how this whole pleasure topic affects
men and women is porn... I realize some may not believe in watching
it, but in this case it is educational, not for arrousal. Anyways,
what you will notice is how many of the circed guys seem to struggle
to climax during handjobs or masurbation, they (man or woman)
often have a stronger grip and usually stop stimulation at the
base of the head, missing the main pleasure point. During/building
up to ejaculation is usually shown by a strong slow moving grip
below the head. Sliding the hand over the head can be irritating
without enough lube, and just saliva isn't really the greatest.
The intact guys will almost always have the foreskin moved over
the head, often with the whole hand in order to do a slight squeeze
to amplify the sensation. During/building up to orgasm is shown
by either a slow moving slide of the foreskin over the head or
a faster full grip over the head. Sex itself looks similar aside
from the bunch up of shaftskin during the instroke, but in a real
world situation, the foreskin will allow for a lot more pleasurable
foreplay and the differences listed above. I would really recommend
those that doubt the pleasure and function differences to watch
a few videos.
- - - - - -- - - -
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What about cosmetic and cleanliness/care?
Sooo,even with all that has
been said, what about cleanliness and cosmetic issues? I find
these two issues somewhat annoying... why? Well, in general I
find cosmetic surgeries and the like something people shouldn't
need to do. However, what that person wants to do to make themselves
feel better, is their business, they know what they are getting
in to. Yet circumcision as an infant isn't the choice of the boy....
would you do any other cosmetic surgery if it wasn't a defect?
Would you change their big nose, big ears, anything? Everyone
will have different opinions of what is beautiful, attractive,
sexy, and appealing. Which is why, for the most part, kids are
left alone. And trying to use cosmetics as a reason is on shaky
ground not only since it is subjective, but also because circumcision
rates are dropping, to around 55%, so being intact will be much
more common, who knows what the preference will be. Yet, the ground
shakes even more because it is a permanent procedure. A guy left
intact can always make the decision later. A guy circed, is stuck.
Alrighty, how about proper
care? Despite what many people seem brainwashed in to, cleaning
the foreskin is super easy. Once retractible, pull back the skin,
rinse with water, and your done. Soap can be used, but if used
to often may cause redness, soreness, etc. As an infant it is
even easier. The glans and inner skin of the foreskin are "fused"
together so simply the outside would need to be washed and when
the skin becomes retractable, simply follow the steps mentioned
above. The only real "special" thing is that the foreskin
becomes retractable on its own and forcing the separation will
cause pain/tears, some parents and even doctors wont know this...
which actually leads to bad/unneeded diagnoses for circ (the same
can be said for using soap to vigorously/often). During these problems phimosis is often misdiagnosed as well... usually because of the improper care. It's kinda sad
when you put some of these preconceived notions and assumptions
to the test, I remember when I thought all these drawback were
huge, so inconvenient I was fine with being cut... too bad I actually
gave it some thought.
And cleanliness? That "lube"
mentioned in the above sections is called smegma, everyone produces
it... male, female, intact, circed. Of course, in circed guys
most of it is "rubbed" away since the inner skin is
in direct contact with clothing, but some remains nonetheless.
If the genitals are left unwashed for an extended period of time
smegma can buildup and has a smell to it. However, a simple rinse
during bathing removes it. I have kept saying "smell",
but not really saying whether this is bad or good. This is because
whether the smell is distasteful, ok, good, or arousing varies
per person, per penis/vagina. Of course, some people just assume
they will dislike the smell but have never been exposed to it,
or perhaps, to the "right" person's smell.... but this
dislike shouldn't go further then extra washes before sex, or
if you really hate it an adult circ, but not infant circ.
All that said, how about some pictures? Some people may not have
even seen both types, so how about some pics to see the difference. I have also added a page about my personal experience with being circumcised..
More
Pics...
- - - - - -- - - -
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
