Adult Circumcision
        The Pros & Cons

In this article, I have decided to not only give you some interesting facts about circumcision, but also provide you with one man's account of what his adult circumcision was like so that you might get an idea of this procedure in terms of doing it as an adult. Be warned... I get a bit graphic in this article so if this topic makes you feel a bit light headed... you may want to sit down reading it!

Basic Penis Anatomy The inner foreskin (mucosa) is the skin directly against the glans. Like the lining of the mouth, this tissue is thinner and of a different texture and color than the remainder of the skin covering the penis (shaft skin). The frenulum is a particularly sensitive narrow membrane that runs down the ventral groove of the glans and attaches to the inner foreskin.

The ridged band is the interface between the inner foreskin (mucosa) and the shaft skin. It often "puckers" past the tip of the glans. The band contains whorled smooth muscle fibers, giving it pronounced elastic properties that allow the foreskin to be retracted. The ridged band has a tactile sensitivity equivalent to that of the lips.

The foreskin provides ample loose skin for the penis to occupy when erect. It is a movable skin sheath for the penis during intercourse, reducing chafing and the need for artificial lubricants, and allowing the glans and foreskin to naturally stimulate each other.

What Is Circumcision?

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the sleeve of skin and mucosal tissue that normally covers the glans (head) of the penis. This double layer, sometimes called the prepuce, is more commonly known as the foreskin.

Circumcised Soft	Uncircumcised Soft
Circumcised Hard	Uncircumcised Hard

The Controversy Regarding Circumcision

Whether or not circumcision should be performed is a controversial question, especially as religious issues may be involved. The practice of circumcision is far older than recorded history. Certainly, it is far older than the Biblical account of Abraham (Genesis 17) and seems to have originated in eastern Africa.

What struck me the most in my research for this article was the amount of controversy around it. On one extreme, some of those opposed claim it is genital mutilation, that it is a physical assault and feel that those who are in favor of it are barbaric. Some also feel that the clinicians that perform the surgery are criminals. In fact there have been reports of harassment by medical professionals in an attempt to stop them having this procedure carried out.

I believe part of the intensity of the conflict is because there is a sex organ is involved. I mean, you don't have this kind of controversy over ear piercing, or tattooing going on. Our hyper sensitivity to sexuality becomes pretty transparent when it comes to this issue.

Because I like to examine as many perspectives I can on a subject to feel more fully educated on it (often I feel that it is through fear and ignorance that we make unhealthy choices for ourselves) I would like to present both the pros and cons of adult circumcision.

When Should A Man Consider An Adult Circumcision?

Adult circumcision is not uncommon, and is often recommended by physicians when there is a chronic medical condition that is present such as balanoposthitis (inflammation of the head of the penis and overlying foreskin) or phimosis (difficulty retracting the foreskin). Both problems are more often seen in diabetics, but can occur in any uncircumcised man. Symptoms include chronic irritation and scarring and can usually be prevented with careful cleaning beneath the foreskin.

Prior to a recommendation of circumcision, a urologist will most likely prescribe an anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory ointment, which may help clear up the problem. Yeast infections are also common as they thrive in the warm, moist environment created beneath the foreskin. Unfortunately, these conditions often recur, and when they do, a circumcision is advisable.

Medical Reasons To Do The Surgery-

~ Phimosis (tight foreskin)
~ Paraphimosis (inability to pull the retracted foreskin back over the glans)
~ Balanitis and balanoposthitis (inflammation of glans and glans and foreskin)
~ Frenulum breve (short frenulum which tears with intercourse)
~ Diseases of the foreskin, including cancer

Women's Attitudes Toward The Circumcised Penis

It seems that a circumcised penis is favored by most women for appearance and hygiene. Furthermore, some women were not attracted to the smell of the uncircumcised penis, where, as mentioned earlier, bacteria and other microorganisms proliferate under the foreskin. This is not to say that some women do not prefer and uncircumcised penis, rather it is just to say that in my research through various polls taken (including our own) that most women prefer a circumcised penis on their lover.

A Poll Of 1000 Women From Our Web Site Was Taken Last Month And Here Are The Results-

92%  said the circumcised penis was cleaner.
90%  said it looked 'sexier.'
85%  it felt nicer to touch.
55%  smelled more pleasant.
2%    preferred an uncircumcised penis for fellatio.
82%  preferring the circumcised variety.
71%  preferred sex with men who were circumcised
6%    preferred men who were not circumcised

Why women generally say they like a circumcised penis over a non circumcised one-

Visual appeal-
Quite likely it is that the glans is exposed in both the erect and un-erect state.

Cleanliness-
They consider they are at less risk of yeast infections, bacterial infections and STDs.

Smell-
The foreskin was also regarded as a source of a bad smell and men too thought it was cleaner.

Sexual Satisfaction-
Increased sexual pleasure from the exposed head. Women who failed to reach an orgasm were 3 times more likely to have an uncircumcised lover this may be due to the head of the penis being more pronounced in circumcised men. However it may also have to do with the confidence of men who are circumcised as well as other sociological factors.

The Surgery

Undergoing a circumcision as an adult can be intimidating, but it is generally safe. The procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia, but it can also be performed under local.

Effects Of A Circumcision On Sexual Stimulation

A circumcision can affect penile sensitivity and sexual stimulation. The most sensitive area of the penile skin is the frenulum, the area just below the head of the penis on its underside. Even with efforts to preserve as much of this skin as possible, some men notice less sexual satisfaction after circumcision. All that having been said, urologists successfully perform many medically necessary -- and cosmetic -- circumcisions in men every year.

Why Are Men Born With Foreskin?

One possible function of the foreskin was to protect the head of the penis from long grass, shrubbery, etc. when humans wore no clothes thousands of years ago.

The foreskin allowed the tip of the penis to stay moist to allow for quick penetration of a female, where lengthy foreplay and intercourse would be a dangerous to one's survival. The risk from predators and human enemies were greater the longer they were engaged in sex.

Why Did Certain Cultures Begin Removing The Foreskin?

Many cultures have various reasons for circumcision... here are just a few-

Keeping An Uncircumcised Penis Clean

Smegma
Specialized sebaceous glands - Tyson's Glands - which are located on the glans under the foreskin, are largely inactive in childhood. At puberty, Tyson's Glands produce an oily substance, which, when mixed with shed skin cells, constitute adult smegma. Adult smegma serves a protective, lubricating function for the glans. When this begins to build it is good to clean underneath the foreskin.

Foreskin Hygiene
The foreskin is easy to care for. An uncircumcised man should bathe frequently to keep the risk of infection down.

Cost Of The Procedure

Circumcision is amongst the 40 most frequently performed surgical procedures, occurring more commonly than tooth extraction.

Most health insurance will cover circumcision for any of the conditions listed above except cosmetic appearance. Fees will vary from patient to patient depending on the degree of complexity, however a good approximation is $1000.

What Type Of Practitioner Does An Adult Circumcision?

For adults a urological surgeon will often be the person to consult with, or a general surgeon. Again, being so simple, there may be other doctors who are not surgeons who can do it. So to find someone, think about who you might ask first from your own knowledge and contacts. It could be your local doctor. There are also men's health centers/clinics that specialize in such male-specific matters, and are used to handling enormous numbers of inquiries from men who want to get circumcised. So if you are an uncircumcised male and think this is what you want, don't be shy ... ask!

A Personal Story Shared By A Man Who Had A Circumcision Performed As An Adult-

I used to get very sweaty under my foreskin and it was sometimes quite unpleasant. In addition to that annoyance, when I had a very hard erection my tight frenulum not only hurt but also pulled on the back of the glans and made the piss slit point down at right angles to my shaft. These were the two main reasons that I decided to get a circumcision. The following is how it went down-

My genitals were first swabbed with an iodine based antiseptic and then I was given the local anaesthetize (Bupivacaine) which was injected into the base of my shaft. The first two injections were quite painful, but I never have liked having any injections so it could have intensified by my psychological aversion to shots.

As the anesthetic began to work, I didn't feel the remaining injections. The doctor clamped my foreskin and determined exactly where he was going to place the cut. He placed a large pair of forceps across the foreskin where he was going to cut it and clamped them tight.

One brief stroke of the scalpel along the side of the forceps removed my foreskin. The places where I was bleeding were found and sealed, either with simple pressure from small forceps or by using an electric cautery device. After most of these bleeding points had been sealed the doctor released my frenulum from the back of the glans but didn't completely remove it. I had expected that this would be done first to make the foreskin more mobile.

He used a lot of small stitches, close together, and it took much longer to stitch me up than it had done to do the initial circumcision. Dissolving stitches were used so that I would not have to return to have them removed. Once the stitching was completed the wound was covered with gauze and then tightly bound with bandage, from half way down my glans to just short of my scrotum.

The whole operation had taken about an hour. The glans was bruised looking for about four days. The bandage had been put on very tightly and it compressed my urethra somewhat so that when I had a pee there was considerable resistance to it coming out. I took a couple of the stronger pain killers before turning in, but I was rather uncomfortable and I didn't get a good night's sleep.

In the morning however there was no real pain. Although I had to take things easy, and for the first few days was walking with my legs apart as if sitting on a horse. The initial dressing was to be kept on for 48 hours and so I soaked it off in the bath. It took about an hour to soak off, with me gradually unwinding it as each layer came free. When the dressing was off, the cut looked like a broad pink ring around the penis, with a wavy line of dried blood and the black stitches in it. The frenulum area however looked very bruised and sore. A new layer of antibiotic gauze was laid over the wound and held on with fresh gauze bandaging. I had no real pain and, apart from the first night, very little serious discomfort, but I am glad that I took the week off work and would recommend this to anyone whose job is at all active. During the whole of the first two weeks I only took four doses of the stronger pain killer and about the same of paracetamol - mainly at night as a precaution rather than as a necessity. The dressing was changed again on Thursday and Saturday nights. Each time the cut looked nicer and cleaner. It was, of course, still very tender and was somewhat painful to try to lift up to examine the frenulum area. I went back to work a week after the circumcision.

The frenulum area still had a scab on it and the scar line was still rather rough, but I was already very pleased with the result. The stitches had all come out by the middle of the third week and I had my first circumcised wank. I found this highly pleasurable and shot loads all over my chest! The last scab finally came off the frenulum area the following Wednesday - three and a half weeks after the operation.

The doctor has done the operation completely to my satisfaction and I think it is very neat. When I am erect the color contrast in the skin is very clear. The scar line has been placed 1.75" behind the rim of the glans on a penis which is 6" when erect. My circumcised penis also no longer bends downwards when fully erect. I immediately found I was much more comfortable at work, and really experienced the full benefit during the following summer months when it got exceptionally hot. I would recommend circumcision to anyone who has any tightness in their frenulum or foreskin, or who regularly works in a hot and sticky place.

One year after... my glans is fairly sensitive so it does not take long for an ejaculation to happen, whereas it took longer before I was circumcised. When I look back at being circumcised I am glad that I was done, especially since I work in a hot environment and the weather last summer was exceptionally hot. I found it much more comfortable without my foreskin than other summers with it.

- Anonymous

I hope that this article has provided education about circumcision with an objective vantage. In general circumcision is a low risk procedure that provides positive benefits. Whether a man should have one as an adult is a personal decision that he should make based on weighing the pros and cons not only mentioned in this article but also within his own personal situation. Hopefully the information provided here will help in the decision-making process.