The Elective Adult Circumcision thread

[G Wizard]

Men, if you've contemplated getting a circumcision for yourself as an adult, this is the place to discuss it. Or if you've already gone down this path as an adult (neonatal circumcision will be considered off-topic), feel free to add your 2 cents.

Women, if you're curious to hear about the thoughts which go into getting this done, join in.

All: Please don't turn this into a political discussion of whether it's morally right or wrong. If you're an adult, you can make adult decisions for yourself.

I'll start.

After long consideration, I went in at age 29 (many years ago) to get mine done, purely for aesthetic (and to some degree cleaning) reasons. While I'm pleased with the net result, if I knew then what I know now, I would have approached it differently.

Feel free to ask questions.

[Guest]

I'm going into hospital to have it done next week for medical reasons. Can you tell me why you would have approached it differently when you had yours done?

[G Wizard]

Well at the time I wasn't terribly informed of options. My family physician had mentioned some clamp (don't recall the name), and the urologist I went to had some pretty rigid ideas on the matter.

For one thing, the urologist felt that the incision should be right below the glans. I was somewhat horrified by this, as I felt that that was one of the most pleasantly sensitive areas. His idea was that it would help hide the scar. I had already done lots of measurements and told him where I thought the cuts should be, but again his rigid perception was already how much should be removed, which was quite a bit more aggressive than what I envisioned.

As a result, I had some post-op bleeding when I'd get nocturnal erections. The skin was pulled so tight (moreso on one side, since he had just done a freehand cut with a scalpel, and it wasn't completely even) that it pulled really strongly against the stitches. It pulled to the point of bleeding. And yes, that was a bit painful.

Nowadays there's lots of info about circumcision for those guys considering it. I always thought the Plastibell approach was the neatest way to go, but for me it was already a done deal. I've also read that the "high and tight" gives the best results overall. The means the scar ends up a fair distance back from the glans.

It's probably not enough time for you to do this, but I spent at least a couple weeks pre-op with my foreskin retracted, just to help get used to the sensation. Things were very sensitive at first, in an uncomfy way.

So not only will you be dealing with the discomfort of surgery, you'll be dealing with the discomfort of getting used to the lack of foreskin. That discomfort will pass in time.

Out of curiosity, what medical reasons are you having to get it done?

[jerry2005]

I has a circumcision about a year ago due to medical reasons. When I got an erection my foreskin would be very tight and quite hard to pull back over the glands. Im 24 now and very pleased with the operation. Its alot more hygenic and I dont think the senesitivity is a whole lot different. The circumcision was done leaving some of the foreskin on so that it wouldnt be stretching the skin so much when erect. It took me alot of courage to finally do it but to any one considering this due to the same reasons just go for it! Best decision I ever made!

[Guest]

Same reason as above. I'm just hoping it sorts everything out well.

[G Wizard]

I has a circumcision about a year ago due to medical reasons. When I got an erection my foreskin would be very tight and quite hard to pull back over the glands. Im 24 now and very pleased with the operation. Its alot more hygenic and I dont think the senesitivity is a whole lot different. The circumcision was done leaving some of the foreskin on so that it wouldnt be stretching the skin so much when erect. It took me alot of courage to finally do it but to any one considering this due to the same reasons just go for it! Best decision I ever made!

From what you've described, a procedure known as a "dorsal slit" would have sufficed.

But, glad that you're pleased with the results.

[The Colonel]

I has a circumcision about a year ago due to medical reasons. When I got an erection my foreskin would be very tight and quite hard to pull back over the glands. Im 24 now and very pleased with the operation. Its alot more hygenic and I dont think the senesitivity is a whole lot different. The circumcision was done leaving some of the foreskin on so that it wouldnt be stretching the skin so much when erect. It took me alot of courage to finally do it but to any one considering this due to the same reasons just go for it! Best decision I ever made!

From what you've described, a procedure known as a "dorsal slit" would have sufficed.

But, glad that you're pleased with the results.

Not always. My eldest son had the same problem - phimosis.

[G Wizard]

That's it, phimosis. It's been many years since I used to be a regular listener to a radio sex talk show.

Btw, what do you mean by "not always"? Do you mean that a dorsal slit doesn't always do the trick for phimosis? I can imagine there would be some edge cases. That's why a surgeon will always do a consult and an exam before deciding on one or the other.

Then again, surgeons are human, and some do suffer from "in my experience, X is inadequate, and Y is the only way to go". This is why it's always valuable to get a consult with 2-3 different surgeons before committing to the surgery. Which is one of the mistakes I made (ie, only ever consulted with one urologist).

[The Colonel]

That's it, phimosis. It's been many years since I used to be a regular listener to a radio sex talk show.

Btw, what do you mean by "not always"? Do you mean that a dorsal slit doesn't always do the trick for phimosis? I can imagine there would be some edge cases. That's why a surgeon will always do a consult and an exam before deciding on one or the other.

Then again, surgeons are human, and some do suffer from "in my experience, X is inadequate, and Y is the only way to go". This is why it's always valuable to get a consult with 2-3 different surgeons before committing to the surgery. Which is one of the mistakes I made (ie, only ever consulted with one urologist).

Dorsal slits often don't solve phimosis, sometimes it can be so bad that the head is never visible. Circumcision is also neater, which can be a benefit especially to younger people.

My wife and I took our eldest son to see an NHS urologist and even though he couldn't retract the foreskin at all, couldn't clean under there, was in constant pain, and had pain urinating (and masturbation and any future intercourse would have been absoultely impossible) - the NHS decided on "no further action".

I took him to see a private urologist and he was horrified at the NHS. (I might add my wife is a GP so she knew what need to be done anyway) within 1 week it was all done and he is far better off.

If you are in the UK, consider not going with the NHS.

[mande]

Wow, that's surprising, since here in the US, there is this giant push to get nationalized health care, and they act like you guys living in the UK are in some sort of utopia.

Bear in mind, that the plans that have been floated here, OUTLAW going to any private medical services, so you would not have the choice you just mentioned.

Anyway, it's interesting to see the different reasons you guys have had for getting circ'ed, since the issue is always so politicized, or hijacked for anti-religious purposes.
Nice to see simple logic and medical need being discussed.

[G Wizard]

While I was never exposed to the NHS in the UK, when I had my procedure done, I *was* under the umbrella of OHIP in Canada.

As far as I know, there was no "well if you want a private surgery, step away from the national healthcare trough" option in Canada.

Not only was I exposed to the system for a handful of decades, my father was both a GP and a specialist. So I heard bits and pieces of the system from the other side of the fence.

Again, NHS in the UK doesn't sound all that equivalent to the system in place in Canada. Other than being paid through government coffers, that is. In the form of 'insurance' payments drawn from one's paycheque.

[The Colonel]

Wow, that's surprising, since here in the US, there is this giant push to get nationalized health care, and they act like you guys living in the UK are in some sort of utopia.

Bear in mind, that the plans that have been floated here, OUTLAW going to any private medical services, so you would not have the choice you just mentioned.

Anyway, it's interesting to see the different reasons you guys have had for getting circ'ed, since the issue is always so politicized, or hijacked for anti-religious purposes.
Nice to see simple logic and medical need being discussed.

I do not agree with unconsentual infant circumcision or unconsentual religious circumcisions.

I also do not accept most of the medical arguments made either.

Phimosis and paraphimosis are the only acceptable medical reasons, which can only be diagnosed after puberty, usually at age 14/15/16.

[medical student]

having studied in medical school for 3 y, i always thought phimosis was a medical disease i didn't wish on others... we don't emphasize that much genital stuff....
anyway, i didn't realize men are supposed to be able to retract their forskin back, i just never tried to coz my penis is quite sensitive. Now that i have urgency to go to bathroom for urination, and i one day did a dipstick on my own urine (you get to do tests on yourself when u work in the hospital, to some extent haha) i found out i have Urinary tract infection, something men don't usually get. Long story short, i realized i "suffer" from phimosis, where at full erection my forskin doesn't retract.
I live in Toronto, and I hope I won't have to pay for the circumcision if i decided to go ahead with it (OHIP covers) and I hate to have to live the couple of weeks of pain.... i wonder if it's necessary.....

[G Wizard]

having studied in medical school for 3 y, i always thought phimosis was a medical disease i didn't wish on others... we don't emphasize that much genital stuff....
anyway, i didn't realize men are supposed to be able to retract their forskin back, i just never tried to coz my penis is quite sensitive. Now that i have urgency to go to bathroom for urination, and i one day did a dipstick on my own urine (you get to do tests on yourself when u work in the hospital, to some extent haha) i found out i have Urinary tract infection, something men don't usually get. Long story short, i realized i "suffer" from phimosis, where at full erection my forskin doesn't retract.

I'm not quite sure if you're suggesting that phimosis is somehow responsible for your UTI...? That would be weird. I guess that's more probably than a urine sample being the only suggestion that you had a UTI. Meaning, surely you had other symptoms, such as frequent urination...?

I live in Toronto, and I hope I won't have to pay for the circumcision if i decided to go ahead with it (OHIP covers) and I hate to have to live the couple of weeks of pain.... i wonder if it's necessary.....

I'm originally from the Toronto area. Let's just say I used to be north of Mississauga, for now.

I got mine done when I was 30 (for some reason I previously thought I was 29, but that was the age I was when another major event in my life occurred), or late in 1990, to be slightly more helpful. I don't know if OHIP (or whatever they're calling it these days) has changed their policy, but in my case it was arguably not even medically necessary. For you, I'd be surprised if you had to pay. I have a friend (north of Barrie) whose one son ended up with an infected foreskin or some such, so he ended up getting circumcised. I don't recall my friend mentioning cost at all, and he's one who would have grumbled about it.

As for the pain: The pain from the surgery is minor compared with the discomfort of glans-to-cloth. In my case, I was able to retract and just go around like that for a few weeks prior to surgery, to get acclimatized, which I'm convinced helped me. I don't know how difficult it would be for you to do this.

Maybe a dorsal slit would suffice? You could always get the full circ later on if you decide that it would be your aesthetic preference.

[Red_Lenin]

At the ripe old age of 32 I developed a medical complaint which resulted in me having to be circumcised. Up until that time I had had no problems with my foreskin. The operation was carried out under general anaesthetic and although it was soe for a couple of days it wasn't that painful. The only drawback was the continual worry that having an erection would burst the stitches but apart from a pulling feeling that didn't happen. In fact, I started masturbating (very gently) from about day 5 and was having full sex from around day 14/15.

Having had the benefit of a healthy uncircumcised penis, then a circumcised penis - both during adulthood - I feel I am in a unique situation to pass qualified comment.

It is my opinion that circumcision is a good thing. Your penis is always 'cleaner' and it is aesthetically more appealing. I am glad I had it done not because of the medical condition, but because it is an improvement.