Foreskin issues

Damo 1982

I have always had a tight foreskin but recently I started stretching it in the shower. Now it folds back over the head of the penis with no discomfort. My question is how long does it take for the head of the penis (gland) to de-sensitise.
I keep my foreskin back over the head now all of the time. For the first few days it was very uncomfortable when the gland touched off my underpants but 7 days in I have noticed it is improving. Has anyone else been in this situation? I am in my mid 30's.

Road-Hog

Damo 1982 wrote: »

I have always had a tight foreskin but recently I started stretching it in the shower. Now it folds back over the head of the penis with no discomfort. My question is how long does it take for the head of the penis (gland) to de-sensitise.
I keep my foreskin back over the head now all of the time. For the first few days it was very uncomfortable when the gland touched off my underpants but 7 days in I have noticed it is improving. Has anyone else been in this situation? I am in my mid 30's.

Try silk jocks....!

WarpAsylum

Damo 1982 wrote: »

I have always had a tight foreskin but recently I started stretching it in the shower. Now it folds back over the head of the penis with no discomfort. My question is how long does it take for the head of the penis (gland) to de-sensitise.
I keep my foreskin back over the head now all of the time. For the first few days it was very uncomfortable when the gland touched off my underpants but 7 days in I have noticed it is improving. Has anyone else been in this situation? I am in my mid 30's.

Why do you want it to desensitise?

TheBoyConor

You're not supposed to leave it retracted all the time. It's supposed to be forward and only retracts when you're doing the business.

You're not using it right!!!

EdgeCase

It's meant to be a cover to protect the head when it's not in use. It doesn't normally stay back!

As long as it's able to slide back without difficulty and it's all working ok, you have a happy, healthy, normal foreskin!

They also vary a bit - some guys have a lot of coverage, others don't - so don't assume what you see on other guys, particularly in porn, is what everyone has. There's a lot of variation within what's normal.

Don't worry about it and just make good use of the sensitivity!!

H3llR4iser

TL;DR: Stop right there what you're doing, bring your foreskin back to its natural position and go talk to your doctor. They'll visit you and advise on a proper course of action.

Technically speaking, your foreskin should be able to effortlessly glide back even with your penis in a fully erected state; What you describe is a situation where the skin is still a bit tight (if you have to say "it folds back over the head of the penis with no discomfort", it means it's somewhat surprising to you as well), which could cause some issues - sounds silly, but it can actually get "stuck" in the position, in turn restricting blood supply to the glans...which is a medical emergency. Bring it back to the "rest" position and go talk to your doctor, who will advise on the next step if necessary.

As for the sensitivity - and the folks in here who don't quite seem to understand - men affected by phimosis or paraphimosis (a complete or partial restriction and hardening of the foreskin preventing its normal function) usually have extreme glans sensitivity due to its reduced exposure to stimuli. Even lightest of touch, like drying off with a soft towel, will cause a lot of pain - think about striking a nerve.

However, with increased exposure such hypersensitivity goes away naturally - there isn't anything you need to purposefully subject yourself to.

Again, a quick chat with your doc will clear the situation for you.

Source: Suffered from the same condition when I was younger.

EdgeCase

If you've any concerns at all, go to your GP.

Or, if you are uncomfortable with your own GP taking a look, there are GPs who run men's health clinics and you can also always ask at an STI clinic.

These are pretty common problems / questions, so don't hesitate to ask a GP as they'll have seen it thousands of times before.

@H3llR4iser +1 .. I also had same issue!

Wibbs

Good advice. However if the circumcision thread is anything to go by Irish doctors appear to be hellbent on recommending circumcision as a first response to any such problem. If that is the case with your first port of call, get a second opinion. Or third for that matter.

And to come from another angle on the sensitivity front, my foreskin is normal and works fine, yet my exposed glans is hyper sensitive to touch. It's supposed to be. Fantastic when a lady works her magic, but no way in hell could I dry it off "with a soft cloth" without wincing. And most men with working foreskins would say the same. If a problem did arise(no pun) and medical intervention was required it's a major reason why I would do all that I could to avoid having my foreskin removed. No way would I want to lose that sensitivity. Condoms are woeful enough even with it.

EdgeCase

I think just look at it from a practical point of view.

If you can retract it when you're having a shower to clean it and it's able to slide back and forward reasonably comfortably when you are erect, you really have no problems.

There's a lot of natural variation too - some are snug, some are loose, some are short, others are long. So, don't get too caught up worrying about it as long as it works.

Things like paraphimosis are relatively rare and they're quite dramatic. You'd know if your foreskin was so tight it cut the blood off. It can happen in some unusual instances, but it's something most of us (thankfully) won't ever have to encounter.

But in general if you're just a bit tight, it'll probably loosen up with use or cause no issues.

Also your GP can prescribe steroid cream and so on to aid loosening it up.

I'd agree with Wibbs, surgical interventions for anything like this should only be a last resort if other avenues are exhausted.
For most guys it really shouldn't be going beyond being a minor medical / practical, not surgical, issue.

I would always advise someone to consult their GP on something like this, but also as it's just largely a minor issue for most people - also feel free to go get different GP's opinions if you've someone who jumps immediately into surgical solutions.

greenspurs

Wibbs wrote: »

Good advice. However if the circumcision thread is anything to go by Irish doctors appear to be hellbent on recommending circumcision as a first response to any such problem. .

Exactly !!
I have quite a long foreskin (according to my gp, I haven't really compared it to others )
I used to have difficulty when fully erect as the foreskin was quite tight and caused a bit of pain/unease while having sex.
I went to my gp , he pulled it up and down over the head while I was soft , and said " you have a lot of foreskin, I will refer you to urologist"...
So he did.
I went into him. he looked at it for 30 seconds, said that " the frenulum is fractionally closer to the Urinal meatus (pee hole), "
So when I get fully erect, the frenulum is tighter than normal, causing the foreskin to not retract fully back.
He thensaid "You can get circumcised if you want" ... I said NO WAY..
and that was the end of the appointment....
I went back to GP, he examined me again, I told he what the Urologist said, and the gp said, you can stretch the frenulum/foreskin. And showed me what to do.
A few years down the road, and my foreskin is very comfortable, I can fully retract it when I am fully hard, with no discomfort.

Why is circumcision optioned so readily by these practitioners !!

Wibbs

greenspurs wrote: »

Why is circumcision optioned so readily by these practitioners !!

Other than cases where it's clearly medically warranted and will give by far the best outcome, I'd suspect it's because it's seen as minor and routine, that the foreskin is somehow superfluous and sure millions of men have it done from birth and we used to do similarly here. That and they're simply not up to speed with other options, especially surgical options. I remember reading on the other thread where a chap asked about another procedure and it was clear the urologist hadn't a clue, or couldn't perform it. Others didn't seem to be aware of different kinds of circumcision itself, a few suggested removal of the banjo string for no apparent reason, one of the most sensitive areas on a man's body. TBH I gave up reading that thread as I was having too many WTF moments.

If for some reason I needed attention in that area TBH I'd probably avoid urologists entirely and look for a plastic surgeon, or nip over to the UK.

dermo888

greenspurs wrote: »

Why is circumcision optioned so readily by these practitioners !!

I'd a friend who had a Phimosis. So a Rhinoplasty, a V shaped incision in the foreskin was done, and that - its painful for three to four days, healed up.

A full scale circumcision depending on your age won't be a pleasant experience. The older you are, the more painful it gets.

EdgeCase

Also bear in mind that surgeons solve everything with surgery. That's why they're surgeons. If it's not causing big issues and it's purely elective, don't be rushed into anything!

greenspurs

dermo888 wrote: »

I'd a friend who had a Phimosis. So a Rhinoplasty, a V shaped incision in the foreskin was done, and that - its painful for three to four days, healed up.

A full scale circumcision depending on your age won't be a pleasant experience. The older you are, the more painful it gets.

A few years back , I wouldn't have been able to fully retract my foreskin while masterbating, and was always apprehensive during sex.
When pulling back the foreskin, you can see the head of my penis tilting down with the pressure of the frenulum.

Through masterbating, and retracting my foreskin a lot using lube on the head , over a long time, I can enjoy the joys of sex, and masterbating using a fleshlight , without worrying about something going PING !!! :D

Up Donegal

greenspurs wrote: »

I went back to GP, he examined me again, I told he what the Urologist said, and the gp said, you can stretch the frenulum/foreskin. And showed me what to do.
:

I'm glad you got the result you wanted.

And what was it that he showed you to do???

greenspurs

Up Donegal wrote: »

I'm glad you got the result you wanted.

And what was it that he showed you to do???

PM sent.......

Chancer3001

Ive always had the problem with it not retracting at all.

It goes back during sex but can be fairly uncomfortable and make it unenjoyable. I end up having sex in a comfortable position with the foreskin still covering the head.

Pretty sure i need that v shape incision to loosen the foreskin but 99% of me says fuuuuuuuuuuuuk that.

dermo888

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Ive always had the problem with it not retracting at all.

It goes back during sex but can be fairly uncomfortable and make it unenjoyable. I end up having sex in a comfortable position with the foreskin still covering the head.

Pretty sure i need that v shape incision to loosen the foreskin but 99% of me says fuuuuuuuuuuuuk that.

I'd strongly advise getting the 'V'incision. It will completely change things. You'll never look back. Three days off, wear a sarong, you'll be right as rain.

Chancer3001

Wtf is a sarong?

Edit - also. Any further info is aopreciated.

Procedure . Results. Before vs after. Etc

dermo888

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Wtf is a sarong?

Edit - also. Any further info is aopreciated.

Procedure . Results. Before vs after. Etc

A sarong - an Asian garment that you wrap around yourself. Normally worn in Indonesia/Malaysia - It allows 'free movement' of the genitalia which will be particularly sensitive after such an operation.

I don't know how much it will hurt, but the amount of nerve endings in that area, well - it won't be nice, but its the rest of your life.