What is cyclic?

[New Guy]

Just curious. I see it in a number of posts. Thanks

[hardacroposthion]

Cyclic tensioning is a skin stretching technique. It is used to add extra skin in situation where more skin is needed. In foreskin restoration, it is the cycle of tugging sessions you do on a daily basis.

[Violator]

To my knowledge its applying tension in multiple shorter cycles throughout the day with roughly equal length breaks of no tension in between. Instead of applying tension for a long period of time at once. I've been doing an hour on and an hour off while I'm at work.

Some anecdotal suggests this may be as effective or possibly more then going for max time under tension but others disagree with that.

Ive only been doing it for a few weeks now so it's to early to tell how effective it is for me

[Guest]

Just curious. I see it in a number of posts. Thanks

Cyclic tension is just tension on, tension off. Just that simple. You can do it as many times per day as you're able to do.

All guys who tug use cyclic tension. They can't do anything but cyclic tension.

Now, for those few who want more information:

Every method, every device, can only give you cyclic tension. It's obvious how manual gives you cyclic tension (you pull, you release). And devices do the same thing. Your skin stretches temporarily, so you have to adjust the tension. That equals one cycle. If you are using a strap attached to the device, it will flex (it's made to flex). Each time it flexes, that equals a cycle. Wearing a device for part, or all of a day and then taking it off, equals one cycle, with many smaller cycles throughout the day in between.

Here's some history:

The idea of cyclic tension first showed up on restoration forums around the late '90s (if I remember correctly; no later than 2000). The idea came from an abstract which described the results from a lab study done by scientific research. Science knew that so-called "constant tension" was only possible in the lab, with special equipment; and what was also known was that any method that came close to constant tension produced defective, unhealthy skin. This posed a problem for surgeons who want to use expanded skin to cover wounds. With anything close to constant tension the tissue that lies under skin, the connective tissue, didn't grow as well as it should so the blood supply to the new skin wasn't good.

The study on cyclic tension was an investigation into all this. The researchers found two things: a confirmation that cyclic tension was superior as a method to expand skin, and they also found that a specific drug (Papaverine HCL) helped with blocked blood flow. Constant tension, true or approximate, blocks blood flow. And every-day tension also slows blood flow, to some degree. Cyclic tension allows a return of blood flow for a period of time. The drug that the researchers investigated helped that flow.

So "cyclic" tension isn't anything new. It's been discussed on forums for the last 15 to 20 years (granted, mostly by one guy in particular). You should have heard the "constant tension" guys yell at the idea, which was ridiculous because restorers can't create constant tension, and you wouldn't want to if you could. There are still guys around who think we can, but thankfully they are fewer and fewer.

Recently a few guys have grabbed onto the idea of cyclic tension as though it's brand new, which shows them as newbies. They don't seem to understand that we vets have known about it for years. A few of these guys have also added unscientific nonsense to the idea (stuff that can't happen because it's against the laws of basic physiology), putting everything they say in a bad light.

It's a fact that there are always guys on restoration forums who, for one reason or another, mislead those members who want to know about aspects of the process. So one of us "historical" types (usually me LOL), show up to keep the record straight. It isn't "cherry picking" (whatever that means), it's just straightening the wheels. There are always a few newbies who don't like that. There are even a few who see that as confrontation, or a personal attack, but that's too bad, the restoration record is one of gradual learning and benefit, so it deserves to be kept straight. Some guys are interested in self promotion. The historical types are interested in maintaining what is confirmed, meaningful, and beneficial to new folks.

So......again, just to be clear, all we can do is cycles, and as it turns out that's exactly what anyone needs to expand healthy new skin. It's the member's choice: you can listen to guys who don't give you this level of info (), or...........to those of us who've been around, have experience, and are finished.

[New Guy]

Thanks for the replies. Have a good day.

[parsecskin]

Yep, Info is right. Cyclic tension IS the key. Blood flow IS the key. I recently (month and a half ago) started doing cyclic tension for shorter periods and slightly higher tension with my device and much more manual, Well guess what? My growth has increased a ton! I used to have to pull my foreskin up and insert my device INTO it. I no longer can put it on that way because when I pull my foreskin up it closes down too much for the device to even fit in! I must roll the skin up onto the tugger body. It's so much easier to put on now.

Info, "drug (Papaverine HCL) helped with blocked blood flow". Does Papverine HCL thin the blood or dialate bloodvessels or effect clotting? How does it work exactly?

[Guest]

........

Info, "drug (Papaverine HCL) helped with blocked blood flow". Does Papverine HCL thin the blood or dialate bloodvessels or effect clotting? How does it work exactly?

Papaverine is a drug that relaxes smooth muscle. Smooth muscle is a type of muscle found in many places in your body, and this includes blood vessels. So yep, it relaxes the penile blood vessels under tension (somewhat), allowing them to dilate, and that effect continues after tension is taken away. So the net effect is more blood flow to the tissues which were under tension.

And, to give you some added Info : This drug used to be available as a prescription preparation used for ED, but it was taken off the market some years ago. It was also a mainstay in the med room on any ICU or step-down unit, used for heart emergencies. I don't know if you could still find it in hospitals, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that you can, even though there are better drugs for this purpose nowadays.

The other thing to keep in mind is that devices aren't Satan; they don't impede blood flow all that much to begin with, so saying that they do, as someone here continues to say, isn't accurate, and you certainly don't get substandard skin with them. Device, or manual; they both put tension on tissues, so you get some slowed blood flow, temporarily, with either method.

Like I've said, you get cycles with devices just about as much as you do with manual, and you get convenience if you can't adjust them often (if you're at work, for example). If you can use manual many times per day, and it's making you happy, then go for it. If you're using a device, you can always add manual at the end of your day (I used to do this). It's all good.

[OzVic]

If you want blood flow, two things helps - drink fresh ginger made tea daily with some fresh lemon to make it taste better and have hot bath / shower - try wet or dry sauna staying hydrated with plenty of water - that will definitively get blood flowing drug free.