Need some motivation and guidence

[Humdrum]

So I've been restoring consistently for about a year and half now and I've definitely hit the wall (both physically and mentally). For about a year I used the TLC-X strapless with the collets and saw decent progress with measuring FEC. Then all of a sudden it was like everything just stopped; months went by and I couldn't see any noticeable increase with no change in technique. Increasing tension didn't help, decreasing tension didn't help, changing to using manual methods for 6 months didn't help. Essentially it's gotten to the point where I've basically stopped restoration because I don't seem to be getting any measurable benefit from it anymore. Has anyone else experienced a complete hold-up and if so, what did you do to rectify it? Any tips or tricks about what I should try next? Thanks.

[Guest]

Tips or tricks? Keep tugging.

Or, you an take a break for now, but go back to it in a few weeks. Mentally hitting a wall will definitely cause you to think that you've hit a physical wall, especially if you're trying for some sort of accurate measurement. A consistent rate of gain just does not exist. Everybody wants it to, but it just does not exist.

Skin is a biological material, one of your body's organs. It will do what it wants to, when it wants to, at its own rate. Plateaus in tugging have been an accepted phenomenon over the years, although lately the concept has been questioned. But not by me. I can accept that the rate I want is secondary to what my skin's response will be, because I know enough about human physiology to know that this is something that happens elsewhere in the body. And, too many guys have reported the same thing that you have in your post; this includes approx 15 years of forum conversation that I'm aware of.

Is plateauing in skin expansion real? Nobody really knows. I suspect it is, so a little time off may help, and certainly won't hurt. You aren't on an assembly line, you are existing from day to day, variable to variable, some variables unseen. So there is only one thing to do in the long run, and that's go on. Just go on, whether it looks like it's working in the short term, or not.

I know you want magic, but all I can give you is what eventually worked for me. Before you consider some other suggestion which requires buying something, you need to realize that any device or any method only puts tension on skin. They do absolutely nothing else, so no magic there, might as well save your money. Although, if you think trying something else will affect your mental/burn-out wall, then by all means........ but all the real magic is internally designed within your skin, not a device or method.

[TheRifleman]

If you don't feel like "tugging," do what I am doing, and keep retaining until you get your motivation to tug back.

Right now, I feel much like you do, that I have not made any progress in growing new skin.

But, I do have enough skin to keep my glans covered with a retaining tape ring.

I'm sure that later my motivation to tug will return, and it will be far better with my keeping my glans covered and in place during the time that I was not tugging, than if I had not done retaining.

[parsecskin]

You most likely need a break. I have hit plateaus and I have had to take several weeks off 2 or 3 times to let minor skin tears and abrasions heal up (from too much force). You know what? Each time I resumed tugging I found that I was able to hike my skin up the device body further and depress the pusher more than where it was BEFORE the break! Proof growth continues to happen long after tension is removed. Now I'm using substantially less force and my growth is great, it's more comfortable, and my skin doesn't feel nearly as worked. Changing up the gripping point helps too so that you are tensioning different areas of skin. The skin trapped in the device doesn't get much (if any) tension.

[mjwise]

So I've been restoring consistently for about a year and half now and I've definitely hit the wall (both physically and mentally). For about a year I used the TLC-X strapless with the collets and saw decent progress with measuring FEC. Then all of a sudden it was like everything just stopped; months went by and I couldn't see any noticeable increase with no change in technique. Increasing tension didn't help, decreasing tension didn't help, changing to using manual methods for 6 months didn't help. Essentially it's gotten to the point where I've basically stopped restoration because I don't seem to be getting any measurable benefit from it anymore. Has anyone else experienced a complete hold-up and if so, what did you do to rectify it? Any tips or tricks about what I should try next? Thanks.

What kind of progress did you see in the initial year as far as FEC is concerned?

I would suggest trying some strapped tension or maybe even a different device, such as inflation.

[acrys]

I hit a plateau some while back and truth be told I'm still in it. I am starting to see that my rollover is becoming more consistent in the mornings, but within an hour or two in my day it's about the same. Still, these small changes are all we can expect over years. Take a break or keep at it. The choice is yours.

[hardacroposthion]

First of all, you have to mix and match methods for your restoration to continue at a certain speed. Wearing the same device, the same way at all times only slows down progress.
Second, keep in mind that you are not only stretching skin, but also rebuilding a whole new prepuce out of nothing, and that prepuce needs a new blood supply and supporting tissue to it to exist. You will go through episodes of progress and stalling.
Third, if I were you, I would start using manual method 3 for short periods of time, as many times a day as possible, for as long as you are not wearing your device. Short tugging sessions, many times a day, are more effective to restoration, than long tugging sessions with devices, less times a day.
Yes, tugging devices are a lot more convenient that manual methods, especially when you do not have to frequent bathroom breaks at work. But in the privacy of your home, I think we can always make room for some manual methods here and there.
Do not stop tugging. Keep at it. There is no real need to take tugging breaks. I never did and my restoration went along just fine.

[Humdrum]

What kind of progress did you see in the initial year as far as FEC is concerned?

I would suggest trying some strapped tension or maybe even a different device, such as inflation.

When I was measuring I gained about 16mm in 6 months.
Thanks for the replys guys, I'll keep them in mind. maybe I do just need a break.

[javeflake]

I would say just keep tugging, I don't know if I have hit a wall yet. I only measured for a few months and made great progress (3+% a month) when I did.
Sometimes it seems like no progress is being made while other stuff is happening. For example I look the same 1 year later, the major difference is that all of the hairy skin that was never supposed to be on my penis has receded to where it is supposed to be.

[Haddad]

Try a different method in a few years you will be happy that you spent so much time restoring.

[OneSkin]

Yes, I have a similar experience. I started tugging 2 years and 4 months ago. And I don't think I've made progress since 2 years ago. I'm glad I'm not the only one experiencing such a plateau. I haven't tried mixing up techniques yet, so this thread gives me hope. I just kept on tugging (tlc with leg strap), and kept on seeing the same FEC. So maybe varying techniques really is necessary for some people. Let's do it.

[Finn]

Indeed, the plateau affect does occur. In my own experience in skin tissue expansion goals were more like deadlines of impending surgery. Switching routine and methodology are indeed steps to be taken, but also supplementation is also a requirement. Eating healthier, getting enough sleep and promotional skin growth factors such as biotin and vitamin E are important in skin health. You can always look to a supportive community and loved ones who are aware of your endeavours. And yes, sometimes the body needs time to heal. It is harder for the body to develop when there is injury or rest time is limited.

[Guest]

I was about to advise you in the same way that Finn has:

I do also recommend to eat healthier.

VEGETABLES

[greg_b]

I had many plateaus, or no progress periods in the beginning. It would be frustrating, but all I could do was keep tugging and hope. Until one day, I noticed a pattern and came up with a testable hypothesis. What noticed was that my no progress periods always occurred after I had been tugging for a while. It had become routine. My hypothesis was that as it became routine, I slacked off on the tension without realizing it. I tested my hypothesis and found that tension was the key. Get that right, and you will get progress. Time and method are largely irrelevant, which makes sense when you think about manual tugging and the progress they achieve.

So, my first thought is do you have confidence that you are using the optimal tension for you to grow skin, and do you make sure you keep that amount of tension on each time you tug? If not, I suggest experimenting with the amount of tension you use, sort out what works best for you, progress wise, and then stick with that.

Regards

[WoodyHoody]

When I was measuring I gained about 16mm in 6 months.
Thanks for the replys guys, I'll keep them in mind. maybe I do just need a break.

Hello Humdrum. You must just keep at it. I found charting my growth to be really quite inaccurate which ever way I choose to measure it. FEC (for me) was hopelessly variable, so I devised a method of measuring flaccid growth that seemed to give me more reliable results. Over time it showed I was consistently gaining, but only at a rate of 0.5mm a month. This growth rate was arrived at by measuring annually and dividing by 12. I could not possibly measure a precise half millimetre difference each month!

In the early months of restoration the shaft skin seems to relax and become more pliable, this is a welcome phenomenon and certainly improves the FEC measurement, but real growth, for most of us is in very small increments. You may not be at a plateau, but be making steady progress at a micro rather than a macro level. I have a blog that shows my measurement system with the title "inversion test" if you are interested. Best wishes, Woody