| Circumcision FAQ If you have a question that is not covered here, try asking myself or some of the other people at the Circumcision Forum I moderate. Disclaimer: BEWARE - The below FAQ contains graphic information detailing and regarding the human male penis, and may not be appropriate for the feint of heart. Language of an Adult nature is used throughout. Introduction: At the age of 25, in April 2001, I had a partial circumcision and the frenulum removed. Prior to this date, I had been suffering since my early teens with a tight foreskin and a tight frenulum. This is an faq that answers every question I had about the procedure that I had prior to my circ. Also, I'll cover questions I had after the surgery too. I hope it helps answer some questions that you might have. About me: 1.1) Where in the world are you? 1.2) I read about stretching. Did you try it? Did it work? Pre-surgery: 2.1) How long did the examination take? 2.2) What did the examination involve? 2.3) Private or NHS? 2.4) How much did it cost? During surgery: 3.1) How long did the surgery take? 3.2) How many people were present during surgery? 3.3) Who and when cleaned your penis? 3.4) Did the surgery hurt? 3.5) Were you naked? 3.6) Did you see the surgery? 3.7) Local or General? 3.8) Was there much bleeding? 3.9) How was the frenulum removed? 3.10)Was it removed during the circumcision surgery? Post surgery: 4.1) Did it hurt immediately after surgery? 4.2) How did it look immediately after surgery? 4.3) Did it hurt to urinate? 4.4) Did the stitches pull? 4.5) How about them erections? 4.6) Was the head painful/overly sensitive afterwards? 4.7) What type of dressing did you have? 4.8) When did it come off? 4.9) How long were your stitches in for? 4.10) Bathing and showering? 4.11) Was there any bleeding? 4.12) How did the circumcision look after the bandage was taken off/during week two? Other questions: 5.1) Is there a way to accurately self diagnose a suspected problem? 5.2) Why are there so many anti-circumcision/pro-circumcision web sites? 5.3) That baby video is scary. What's the deal with that? 5.4) Do you regret having it done? 5.5) I've read that the "scar" is painful, is it? 5.6) I've also read that the penis is less sexually sensitive, is it? 5.7) I heard the frenulum is supposed to be really erotic. What's it like now? 5.8) What's a "partial-circ"? 5.9) I have a question. How can I e-mail you? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- About me: 1.1) Where in the world are you? England, United Kingdom [ Back to top ] 1.2) I read about stretching. Did you try it? Did it work? Yep. I tried stretching for a good while. I too read about this miracle cure when I first started looking around online for information/solutions about my condition. Unfortunately, it was not until further investigations online that I found out that it does not always work for people, and if it does it is not always permanent and the may foreskin/frenulum may revert back to it's original state. Anti-circumcision groups suggest that shoving a 35mm camera film case (or even a filed bottle top) under the foreskin is a good idea. Personally I always advise that an individual should speak to their doctor to discuss the dangers of doing this as it's a pretty dumb thing to do (let alone suggest). In saying all this, there are accounts online from some people that have found that stretching techniques have worked for them, but it is far from a given. [ Back to top ] Pre-surgery: 2.1) How long did the examination take? The actual hands-on work (I'm sure that's what you want to know), took about 30 or so seconds. Yep, it's embarrassing. I mean, who want's to show their willy to a guy and have it pulled about? To be fair it's not actually like being felt up. These guys deal with penis's all day. For them it's nothing that they haven't seen before. [ Back to top ] 2.2) What did the examination involve? First off we sat down in his office and had a brief chat about my concerns regarding the tightness of my foreskin and frenulum. Then came the examination, which I was dreading! I was asked to drop my jeans and stand near a surgeon's lamp. He slapped on some gloves (the thin medical-condom type - not the biker or gardening variety!) and went to work. First off he pulled the foreskin over the head and had a good tug and pull on the frenulum to gauge how tight it was. Then he had a look at the foreskin and pulled it some more; not back and forth, but stretching it out - like opening a mouth as wide as it can go. That was the physical side of things done with. I put my jeans back on sat down and he told me what needed to be done. I then threw dozens of questions at him and made a date with his secretary for the surgery. Oh, and the penis remained in a flaccid state throughout! [ Back to top ] 2.3) Private or NHS? Here in the UK there's two options - NHS - the free hospital, or pay to go to Private hospital/clinic etc. Let me backtrack slightly here and give you some history about me and my condition. Back around 1991 I visited my local GP (General Practitioner), a Doctor. I was either an embarrassed fourteen (or fifteen) years old at the time. I knew I had a problem with my dick, because it hurt if put any pressure on it during masturbation or when I stood up to quick with a hard-on. I also knew the foreskin is supposed to retract over the bell-end. Mine didn't and it caused me pain so I was resolved to get it working as it should do. What this would involve, I wasn't too sure, but I knew it needed something. After a brief examination which involved pulling the foreskin over the head of my flaccid penis once (and that was it), he didn't ask any questions and laughed when I asked how I was supposed to have sex with it being so painful when I attempted to pull the foreskin back when I had a hard on. For the next ten years I resigned myself to never having a full sexual relationship due to the pain my foreskin and frenulum would cause me. I didn't want to have another Doctor examine me and then laugh at me. However, at twenty five I figured that if I did go back to the Doctors, he'd have to cut me some slack and give me some respect as I was going back as an adult. So, ten years later I plucked up the courage and went back. This time though he didn't even have a look, he just laughed and said "it's okay". I explained again that it hurt and it didn't retract etc. but he really couldn't seem to give a shit. This is when I started the online research. After the failed stretching excersizes I found a web site in the UK that puts you in contact with Private surgeries/clinics around the country that do circumcisions as routine surgery. This is when I went to see the expert to see what he would say, and to discuss how I could properly resolve the problem. [ Back to top ] 2.4) How much did it cost? I think it was £25 for the initial consultation. £250 for the partial circumcision and £75 for the frenulum removal. I know it seems steep to get it done, but now I don't have any problems at all. No pain, a high pleasure factor, and now I can have sex. All that for under £500! I did shop around for quotes from medical providers like Bupa etc. and their quotes ranged in the region of £1500 as it would mean a stop over in a Private hospital and going under with a general anesthetic. [ Back to top ] During surgery: 3.1) How long did the surgery take? Start to finish: Half an hour to forty minutes. [ Back to top ] 3.2) How many people were present during surgery? Two. The surgeon (the guy that I saw for the consultation/examination) and a nurse - she was there to pass stuff to him during the surgery. [ Back to top ] 3.3) Who and when cleaned your penis? The surgeon scrubbed it down with what I assume was water or some medical liquid for cleaning. Like the examination it's not anything resembling an erotic feeling. It was pretty much the first thing that was done. [ Back to top ] 3.4) Did the surgery hurt? The surgery didn't hurt at all. The only thing that hurt was the injections for the anesthetic. I had a few but could only feel the first one (or possibly two). [ Back to top ] 3.5) Were you naked? No. I had my shirt on. The lower half of my body was nude, save for my socks. [ Back to top ] 3.6) Did you see the surgery? No. I was laying on my back looking at the ceiling. [ Back to top ] 3.7) Local or General? Local. The surgery I went to was a day-surgery and did not do General anesthetic for circumcision. Some places will do it with a General, some places won't. Having the procedure performed with a General may involve an over night stay but I have been told that a 6 hour stay is the average. There willl definitely be an increase in the cost if you go private and have a General. [ Back to top ] 3.8) Was there much bleeding? I don't know. I Couldn't see the surgery taking place from my vantage point, but I would have to assume that there was some. I was told that after the surgery that I should eat some chocolate and have a drink - something to do with glucose. [ Back to top ] 3.9) How was the frenulum removed? It was snipped and then cauterized to prevent bleeding. [ Back to top ] 3.10) Was it removed during the circumcision surgery? I went back and had that done two weeks after the initial surgery. It took 10 minutes from start to finish. [ Back to top ] Post surgery: 4.1) Did it hurt immediately after surgery? Yep. The surgeon sprayed an antiseptic thingy-ma-bob after applying all the stitches and giving it a clean. It didn't so much hurt as it did sting. I was told that this would wear off in a hour or so, and it did. [ Back to top ] 4.2) How did it look immediately after surgery? It was wrapped up in a Band-Aid type plaster that had gauze dressing and a cotton wool type medical material underneath that. It was swollen still from the injections, but other than that it didn't look too bad. The first couple of days after the surgery it was really swollen and bruised around the base and looked like shit. [ Back to top ] 4.3) Did it hurt to urinate? No, and sometimes. It did at times, like when I didn't give it a shake or ensure that urine didn't get into the bandage area, so that the urine got in the "wound" - that kind of thing hurt. Other than that it didn't hurt. [ Back to top ] 4.4) Did the stitches pull? Not generally. At least not from doing everyday things. However, take a look at the next question (that's when they pull). [ Back to top ] 4.5) How about them erections? Yep. I didn't get erections during the day for most of the first week. I think the reason for that is because subconsciously I knew it would be somewhat painful. However, at night, that's a different story. I'd wake up every couple of hours with a raging hard-on and it was painful; at least until I could think my penis down to a more flaccid state. Once that flaccid state was achieved it was fine and I'd go back to sleep - until the next hard-on! This night time erection phenomena lasted throughout most of the first week, but ended when the bandage came off. [ Back to top ] 4.6) Was the head painful/overly sensitive afterwards? During the first week I didn't notice it, as the head was mostly covered by the bandage. Throughout the second week, after the bandage was removed, it became more noticeable. I'd flinch whenever the head came into contact with my underwear, or if my bath robe touched it. During the third and fourth week this over-sensitivity faded. After this time period, I became totally comfortable to the point that the head could be touch, caressed etc!! [ Back to top ] 4.7) What type of dressing did you have? Working from the willy out the initial dressing was - a gauze/cotton wool type material which was wrapped around the "wound" and then a Band-Aid type plaster held that in place. After this was removed (six days later) it was replaced by a loose removable dressing; the main purpose of which, I believe, was to stop the stitches from catching. During the second week I was prescribed an antibiotic powder to apply to the area to prevent infection. [ Back to top ] 4.8) When did it come off? Six days later. I had an appointment to see the consultant so that he could check everything was dandy. He took the dressing off during that appointment. [ Back to top ] 4.9) How long were your stitches in for? I had dissolvable stitches which had a ten - fourteen day life on them. Mine started falling out on day ten, but by the two week mark I still had a couple left, so I cut and pulled them out - this might sound painful but it really wasn't. [ Back to top ] 4.10) Bathing and showering? I didn't take a bath or shower until I had the bandage removed. I did wash though. After the bandage had come off, I bathed once or twice a day until the stitches came out. I bathed in salt water. Towards the end of the second week I didn't use salt water. [ Back to top ] 4.11) Was there any bleeding? There's was little bleeding. Not a significant amount though. The only time I noticed it was when I woke up in the morning and there'd be some blood that had soaked through bits of the bandage. This bleeding lasted the first couple of nights. There was a small amount the first night after the frenulum was removed, but only the once. [ Back to top ] 4.12) How did the circumcision look after the bandage was taken off/during week two? I was shocked when the bandage first came off. I was expecting something a lot different and a lot better. For some naive reason I had an ideal in my head that it would look 100% finished. However, it didn't. There was still significant swelling around the "wound" and it still looked kind of raw-looking. This, though, calmed during drastically throughout the second week, but it wasn't until about the fourth week that it was the "final product". [ Back to top ] Other questions: 5.1) Is there a way to accurately self diagnose a suspected problem? There are really two types of web sites that will offer any help. There are anti-circ sites that will try and scare people out of getting a circumcision. They, for their own reasons, find the practice evil and will often use terms such as "mutilation" and "butchery" and spout facts that they hope will scare people out of looking for help. Going to these sites for impartial and practical help would be the equivalent of going to Coke and asking them how their product tastes compared to Pepsi's. Check out this page: www.male-initiation.net it's a good page to start from as it is full of impartial information and content ranging from qualified peoples research, to account from circumcised men, and a list of related foreskin conditions and how to identify them and how to resolve them. However, seeing a specialist is probably the best way to get an accurate diagnosis. [ Back to top ] 5.2) Why are there so many anti-circumcision/pro-circumcision web sites? I'm not sure. I've been to several anti-circ message boards and those who are the most vocal seem just think that circumcision as a whole is "evil". Some think they know what is best for others, while some believe that are doing God's work. Obviously it's always good to get another perspective, but don't expect to get an objective (or accurate) perspective at an anti-circ site. Scare tactics and bullshit are in abundance at most of these places. As with anti-circumcision web sites, there are some pro-circumcision websites which are not all that good either and don't give the reader an objective look at the issue of circumcision. I figure that the sites which view the act of circumcision for the purpose of a sexual kicks are not worth visiting for input. It sounds screwed up, but there really are some sites like that out there. [ Back to top ] 5.3) That baby video is scary. What's the deal with that? When I was doing my research I came across this video too. For those that haven't - it's an anti-circumcision video of a baby getting circumcised. What many of the distributors of these videos neglect to tell you is that babies cannot have anesthetic, so obviously it hurts. It has absolutley no relevance or likeness to an adult circumcision. Update 6th June 2004: I was recently informed that babies do actually have anesthetic in some cases. The number of instances in which it is given, however, is small. [ Back to top ] 5.4) Do you regret having it done? No. Certainly not. My one regret is that I didn't get it done sooner. Since having the surgery I have been really happy. It's very liberating to know that I can now use my penis as nature intended i.e - without having to worry about it causing me pain, tearing, bleeding etc. during sex. [ Back to top ] 5.5) I've read that the "scar" is painful, is it? The "scar" is basically the line where the foreskin meets the under side of the foreskin. It smarts for a while after surgery but does stop. I think it took a couple of months for mine to be 100% better. [ Back to top ] 5.6) I've also read that the penis is less sexually sensitive, is it? No. Probably the opposite. Before getting a circ, my helmet was stuck tightly under the foreskin. It was like wearing oven gloves that hurt when I tried to take them off. Now I can appreciate direct contact not only to the helmet but to the underside of the penis as well - very nice. Anti-circumcision people that say that the helmet loses sensation after a while. This is wrong. That would mean that pretty much all of American men do not have any sexual contact with their penis! [ Back to top ] 5.7) I heard the frenulum is supposed to be really erotic. What's it like now? If my little purple soldier's helmet never saw the light of day, there was even less chance for the frenulum to be *ahem* played with. I was never and could never have the frenulum touched/played with while erect. Now that the underside of the penis is accessible I can safely say that the area (and not the tight bit of skin that was removed) provides an extremely satisfyling erotic sensation. [ Back to top ] 5.8) What's a "partial-circ"? A partial circumcision is essentially the same a full circumcision, except that the foreskin is cut so that it sits somewhere on the head as opposed to below it. Some people on circumcision forums will refer to a "partial circ" as a "loose circ". However, most medical bodies use the term "partial circumcision" for the procedure. [ Back to top ] 5.9) I have a question. Can I e-mail you? Previously I was unable to post my e-mail address as the more hysterical elements of the anti-circumcision community had been trying to send me virus/worms (thank God for Nortons) and have merrily been signing me up for all sorts of online spam crap. Thankfully that seems to have calmed down now. You can e-mail me at [email protected]. [ Back to top ] |