Hello,

I've seen two doctors who say I need circumcision. I'm 26 and have a bad case of phimosis. One of the doctors was recommended by a person who runs an anti-circumcision website, but he says my phimosis is bad enough that I really do require surgery. The hole is literally about 1/8 the size it would need to be to move the glans through it.

But anyway, I'm extremely nervous. I want to go to the doctor who will preserve as much as possible, or fix it without surgery if possible. But I don't want to wait forever.

I don't know. Any advice or moral support in one direction or another would be helpful, at least as far as letting me decide.

Thanks!

Once the cut is made, you can't undo it, so take your time with this. At the moment, is there really any pressing need? I mean, are you able to pee without restriction? Is so, I suggest some patience while you try to fix it.

The men who have visited here have had some pretty remarkable results, so if you read back through the pages, you'll see some accounts of others who have been in the same boat. Let them be your inspiration and moral support.

Do you have any history of being able to retract the skin? What is your present age? Is there any discomfort such as itching? Do you have any challenges with sexual encounters or masturbation?

If you'd please do the reading and then answer the questions, we'll try to get an exercise program which will help you loosen the tightness.

Where abouts are you?

Well, my sexual functioning has become very poor, and that to me seems important since I am in the middle of acquiring a long-term girlfriend. Her vagina is small, and with the complications of the foreskin we've not been able to enjoy penetration. This is not really good for our mental health or relationship.

I've been unable to clean underneath the foreskin for a couple of months now, which can't be good, though I can get water inside and I'm hoping it's not too dirty. It doesn't smell and there isn't any major discomfort.

I've started with topical steroids and stretching. I'm located in Berlin. One of the doctors I saw is a local proctologist. The other "consultation" was admittedly by email, of me describing the problem and showing pictures. This one was to a doctor who specializes in less invasive techniques, and he also said that I probably require a partial circumcision.

The proctologist spends a great deal of time you know where, so he probably isn't a very good source for advice on this matter. As far as online advice at most sites, you might be involved with some real kooks. That goes for here too, for that matter, but if you'll go back over the archives, you'll see we've had some pretty grateful guys who took our advice.

One question you didn't address is that relating to a history of retraction. Has this ever been possible, or has the tightness always been a problem?

Don't fret over smegma. It won't kill you or cause cancer or anything else you might have heard. It'a a natural substance mainly there for lubrication. If you have sex often enough, you need not even attempt cleaning it or worry about its smell, although the products of sexual union could possibly then knock you over from their odor after a few hours! Some websites make a big stink over smegma, but it's really an ally, so be glad you still have your foreskin and can produce it.

The size issue shouldn't be a problem either. Remember that babies are born through those little holes. In addition, the lack of sex won't really drives you crazy. Be a little creative.

Meanwhile, keep at the stretching. Please let us know what steroids you're using and how. The stretcing is really the most important part of the equation, but please keep the tension light. This should be a pleasurable experience.

OK, so we really do need to know a couple of things. You refer to "my sexual functioning has become very poor", so we are wondering just what the real story is - specifically to what extent you have been able to retract in the past, what has happened, what your sexual experience has been and what connection that has with the present phimosis. I'm afraid that "poor sexual functioning" tells us nothing about what is happening - presumably you are suggesting it is painful, or does it just not feel right, can you not have an orgasm, or what?

Your suggestion that your "girlfriend's vagina is small" indicates a problem with your - and particularly her - familiarity and particularly comfort with sexual intimacy. My comments and explanations on this are back in the forum here; a reasonably deep reading through it will find them. Please do that.

As Jim says, in order to locate the problems, we need detail - it's no good thinking you are doing something to "fix" the problem and complaining that it does not "work" if it is the wrong thing - such as the wrong form of steroid.

The information is all here - including that about some really effective devices (and one better than the other) that are specifically designed to correct exactly the degree of phimosis you describe. Obviously the doctors you have seen simply have no knowledge of such things. Please do the reading and then we can discuss the details.

When i first realised something was wrong the band on my foreskin was about 1mm wide, "serious phimosis" but by being patient i have now managed to stretch to 22mm wide. I am now able to retract the foreskin althoguh it is still rather tight i am very close to have completely cured myself of phimosis. I reccomend using flesh tunnels, like the ones some people wear in their ears.because the band was so tight to begin with getting a flesh tunnel in was impossible so i used two pins to streatch the froeskin until it was large enough to accomodate a flesh tunnel.

I reccomend you only use flesh tunnels made of silicone, increase flesh tunnel size by a maximum of 2mm any more you will likely to experience a lot of pain (i went from 12 to 16 last month and it took about 2 days for the pain to go away). After a certain size increase the ridge of the flesh tunnel will start to press on your frenelum and to be brief its agony so i advise you chop a section of the ridge of the flesh tunnel off so that it no longer presses agaisnt the frenelum. When the skin relaxes after a few days and it becomes possible take the flesh tunnel out you can clean it often. And make sure you always check what it is made out of never buy rubber flesh tuneels i gurantee it will get infected and you wont be able to get it out because the rubber is stiff (yes i have made this mistake too i had to downsze and wait for 3 weeks before the skin was ready to be stretched again).

The advatages of this over stretching with your fingers is that it can stretch gradually all the time istead of a few minuted of a morning and night. Also silicone flesh tunnels are very soft so you will probably forget its there. The flesh tunnel wont obstruct urination because it has a hole in it. If you follow all this you will be able to sort it outand its much better than losing your foreskin.

I am most impressed with the idea of the silicone "flesh tunnels" or expanders - once one figures out where to obtain them, they sound very practical.

Unfortunately, "E" seems to be unable to get back to us to explain the detail of his problem and as I previously mentioned, I suspect his problem is a poor comprehension of what sex is all about. As such, it sounds as if he's racing around looking for the solution that "suits" him rather than soberly applying our advice to his situation.

Such is life!

Yup i get mine from Ebay, i dont buy second hand ones from people, i always go to the Ebay shops and look round there. I always check the sellers rules with hygene frist.

I was wondering if any of you people knew how to stop the skin shrinking again afterwards as this seems to be a problem i am having. If the tunnel is out for more than about 40 mins it begins to shrink. The only way to get it back to its previous size is to gradually work your way back up the flesh tunnels over a period of a few hours. If i where to use steroid cream would that make the stretch permanent.

Thanks in advance you guys are a really good help, it was this site that helped me realise that something was wrong and that circumcision wasn't necesarily the only way out of the situation.

When put under tension, the skin will temporarily expand and eventually revert to its former shape as you've experienced. The kicker here is in applying that tension for a long enough period to encourage the growth of cells to fill in the gaps. I suspect that you mean your shrinking is not all the way back to the beginning, but to a level in between somewhere, right?

As you approach your goal, leave that skin tunnel in place for at least six weeks to allow enough time for the cells to getnerate. This should prevent the opening from tightening up extensively. As I understand it, the steroid just fascilitates stretching.

I'd say the it halves in size, it becomes very tight And uncomfortable. It doesnt go all the way back but it is not possible to go straight back to the stretch i had in the first place without doing damage. Even a soft silicone expander is agony in a hole that is too small for it, the skin loses its elasticity for a few days aswell.

You present an excellent reason for the use of the skin tunnels. Using a set of varying sizes, and start with the largest size which is comfortable. As the skin relaxes, move up in size.

I wonder if you might have a yeast problem. Is there any irritation?

Thats exactly what i have been doing, my first stretch i managed to fit in there was 4mm wide since this was the first one it hurt quite a bit and didn't stop hurting until the next morning from then i have increased size by about 2 - 4mm with every new tunnel although i would not reccomend going up in 4mm as i gurantee it will hurt 2mm is enough to feel pressure on the skin but not to cause any pain or swelling. I'm glad you liked my idea, i think it will be a good way round people who don't have the comitment to stretch daily, and correct me if im wrong it isn't possible for a skin tunnel not to stretch what ever skin it has been placed in. But anyone reading this i cant stress enough 2 main points 1) sterilize before you put the tunnel in (its going to be there a few days before you take can take it out and clean it again. 2) Never use anything but silicone be careful to look out for cheap rubber flesh tunnels never use them appartently the surface of rubber is a breeding ground for bacteria and the material is too stiff to remove if it does become infected. As i have said in previous posts i found myself in the position of having a rubber tunnel stuck in there when it was infected. i was un able to flex the tunnel to remove it so i had to resort to carefully cutting up the tunnel to get it out. great advantage i can see about using tunnels is that they apply an even amount of pressure on the skin unlike using manual stretching or the even worse the glansy that applies large amounts of force on a small area of skin.

I dont think have a yeast infection, i have had no itchyness or cracking and dont use soap directly down there i would much rather use a soap free bodywash. I also clean the flesh tunel 6 - 7 times a day this is probably too much but as with all body jewelerry a build up of white blood cells and dead skin will build up on the tunnel and isnt very pleasent so i like to keep it clean. I have a 28mm flesh tunnel on the way and im thinking this will be the last one i buy.

My only problem now is when i do retract it i have noticed my frenelum is quite tight so it looks like i will have to start the stretching exersizes for that soon. (will it ever end :'( .)

Since you began, how much progress has there been? Are you placing the tunnel where the tight ring is?

My progress has gone from a completely non retractible pin hole size tight ring of skin to a fully retractable foreskin. Yeah the tunnel is held in the tight ring and after i have had a tunnel in for about 5 days or a week i just replace the tunnel with a bigger one. The phimosis was so bad to begin with that my foreskin ballooned when i urinated because the ring was so tiny.

How long have you been doing this?

One reason I asked about the progress is to have you see how far you've already come. I think you've just reached a plateau which will eventually pass.

I'd say i have been stretching this way for about 4 months now, maybe a bit longer if you include the few hiccups i have had that set me back. I wouldn't say i have rushed it either i will only insert a larger fesh tunnel when i feel the skin is ready to be put under pressure again.

Let your progress inspire you to be more consistent.

OK, the salient points you make are:

1. Use only silicone material flesh tunnels, not plain rubber.
   
   
2. Increase size by 2 mm per week (presumably, this is diameter).
   
   
3. Remove to clean only - wash with hot water and soap and rinse thoroughly to remove every last trace of soap. Replace immediately, as contraction of the skin occurs quite rapidly and can then be painful to re-insert, needing to use next smaller size for some hours.
   
   
4. It may be necessary to trim the rim on one spot to ease pressure on the frænulum.

I do point out that you must expect the skin to shrink back - by a certain amount - if you release the pressure. That's pretty much what the skin is "designed" to do. It simply means that at the end you will need to "oversize" the stretch so that what it springs back to is the correct size, and use the final stretch device for at least, say, six weeks to "set" the final result.

Depending on the nature of the "rim", it might be appropriate to either fit a second tunnel of the next size (or two) down so that it is somewhat looser, inside the first to provide similar pressure on the frænulum or later, alone inside the foreskin (that is, beneath rather than in the tight region).

I would imagine cleaning twice a day would be entirely adequate.

As to the betamethasone ointment, I would think it would help, but is a little difficult to obtain (requiring a prescription) and does carry a small risk of encouraging Candida ("Thrush") infection.

That pretty much sums it up, i would also like to say that you should also look out for solid flesh tunnels (plastic, steel or acrylic) trying to get one in would be pointless because you would probably tear the skin plus its probably not very practical. Yeah the tunnels are measured in gauges or diameter.

On a little bit of a personal note although you can urinate through the tunnel it may not be aand also keeping the "smooth flow", so be prepared.

One thing i forgot to mention,

i found that when you get to a level where the tunnels are large enough to fold in half it will become slightly more difficult to get the tunnel in and may cause irritation while trying to get it in place. In order to avoid this i advise you hold the tunel between your index finger and thumb and with your other index finger push on the opposite side of the tunnel folding it in half. If you have trimmed the rim make sure while you are holding the tunnel you have the part of tunnel where the rim is missing facing into your palm so that it can be lined up with the frenelum. When you have the tunnel folded up into a sort of closed U shape place the base of the U shape hopefully where the rim is gone against the foreskin where the frenelum is, slowly release your hold on the tunnel allowing the tunnel to revert to its normal shape. its important that the glans is moist so that the tunnel doesnt grip against the glans while it is opening up this may make things difficult and the tunnel may pop out before it has finished opening. pulling on the foreskin enough for the glans to protrude slightly through the tight ring will keep the foreskin in place while you insert the tunnel just push it against the protruding glans.