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Hi restoring community, my name is Trevor. I started restoring at age 26 and have been at it for just shy of 2 years. I started out a very tight CI1 and consider myself about CI3 now. I'm a slow grower, but making progress. It's easy to get discouraged but I will not give up, I wrote a sort of mission statement for myself and to give to others who know about my restoration, an abbreviated version is below. It's still long but important. I currently use a customized DTR and a manual tugging regimen.
Intro
I was circumcised at birth like so many males in the United States. I have come to understand that the medical institute has accepted circumcision as a standardized practice, often without even involving the parents in the decision making process, despite being a blatant affront to the Hippocratic Oath. With no malady to correct, pathogen to destroy or function to restore, circumcision has been a purely destructive, unwarranted, and unwanted violation of my personal bodily integrity. Male genital mutilation does not only pose harmful long term effects physically, but also psychologically.
Changing Perceptions
From very young through puberty, I understood having a circumcised penis to be a desirable quality. I attribute this notion to pop culture, general common public perception, and the appearance of myself and my peers. As I grew more aware of my body through puberty I began to wonder about my body, vague why and what if questions came to mind. I often wondered what it would be like to not have been circumcised. I was not consciously distressed by my condition. By the time I reached high school age, the why and what if questions became a stronger concern. I began to be more critical of my body, as any young adult would do. I started to question the appearance of my penis, only slight frustration was the strongest emotion I perceived.
As I progressed in my emotional and physical development, now in the college years, I was introduced to more forms of critical analysis from an academic perspective. Through exploration of art and specifically performance art – where the body is artistic medium and matrix, I became acutely aware that I was unhappy about the condition of my penis. I severely disliked the ugly brown, and un-even scar line that separated the darker outer skin on the base of my penis, from the lighter pink remains of my inner foreskin. I was angry that something was taken away from me, I felt violated, incomplete, self-conscious, and confused. As I grew into a sexually active adult even more internal conflict arose. I was prompted to create performance art gesture to be performed live in front of my peers at UCSD. This piece was required to involve a sexual fantasy, I elected to perform a rant and body language to illustrate my wish to be whole.
The Physicality
Current day as a married man and a sexually active adult, I certainly suffer from sexual dysfunction as a result of my circumcision. It has become difficult to climax during intercourse, and impossible during oral sex. In order to reach the necessary level of stimulation to climax, very rough persistent stimulation is required. This problem not only inconveniences me, but my partner because of the false perception that my difficulty is in part due to a lack of attraction to them. This is unacceptable. I have learned that along with the 3x5-card sized piece of tissue I lost, I also lost almost all of my frenulum, and countless tens of thousands of nerve endings. The glans of the penis is meant to be an internal organ, without the protection of this tissue it is exposed to abrasion on clothing for decades. The body seeks to protect this exposed organ by a process known as keratinization, whereby keratin (the same thing your finger nails are made of) is built up on the glans for protection causing the skin to thicken, dry, become rough and ultimately lose even more sensitivity. The glans is mucous membrane, and should be moist and smooth like the inside of your cheek, mine is like the back of your hand. Because my circumcision would be classified as very tight, there was very little mobility in the shaft skin. It could be moved about ¼ inch up and down. This tightness resulted in dryness, discomfort from tightness, and resulted in drawing the scrotum skin up onto the penis shaft to accommodate erections. This effect is referred to as turkey neck, and is another undesirable aesthetic. Never diagnosed but I also believe I have a mild case of meatal stenosis. I have observed a tissue formation best described as an undercut extending from my frenulum remnant, partially obscuring the meatus.
Discovering The Options
With the compassion and support of my wife I began to research the options. I started out looking at prosthetics to cover the glans and allow for gradual de-keratinization, but this would not fix the aesthetic or integrity problems.
I discovered the community of non-surgical foreskin restoration. I attended support group meetings held by NORM, the National Organization of Restoring Men, which meets monthly at a non-profit self-help community center, and I did a ton of research.
The Process Progression
I decide to start with a device called the TLC-X tugger. My circumcision was so tight that to begin with I could not use the device as intended. I removed the inner-tension plunger and simply used the device with the retaining cone but not external tension. I used this method for at least a few months before my skin loosened enough to use as intended. I then added the elastic strap but used tension very sparingly – tugging at night with the strap around my chest so I could relieve tension easily, that evolved to over the shoulder. Finally I had enough skin to put the plunger back in the device, this increased the overall length making it harder to get the device on. Over the coming six months I slowly increased the ability to add strap tension, and begin adding inner tension with the plunger, and add spacers. After the one year mark I transitioned from tugging at night to tugging during the day, this let me better regulate the discomfort of tension that would wake me up at night along with nocturnal erections. The TLC-X was desirable initially because it was made to size, you provide your measurements and Ron Lowe makes the cones to match. The problems I encountered were that the silicone retaining cone would easily get knocked off with a bump of clothing or excessive tension, this lead to use of sports tape to adhere it to me. The TLC would also become uncomfortable after a number of hours, creating a pinching or burning sensation. With enough skin built up, I switched devices to the DTR, which while made to be one-size-fits-all, is larger and is difficult to put on for many men. I started with the DTR and the large plunger cone. I began to develop abrasions, cuts, and pain on my frenulum and under the corona from the edges of the plunger cone. I went through three levels of clearancing modification to try to alleviate the problem, but to no avail. I could go for three days and then have to take a week off to heal, not a sustainable long term strategy. I ordered some one-inch nylon plastic balls, drilled and tapped one to replace the cone and have been tugging without abrasions since. Now the only discomfort comes from one of two things, excessive stretch and tension, or thin skin pinching under the silicone retainer. I found using Chap Stick on the inner foreskin and glans to prevent uncomfortable binding of abrasion often led to slippage of the glans past the pusher ball on the DTR. This puts excess stress on one side of the inner foreskin leading to pain especially when sitting. My latest routine involves applying Chap Stick only to the frenulum area and remaining inner foreskin, leaving the glans dry to prevent slippage. I apply the DTR first rolling as much skin as possible onto the bell, and then rolling it back so that only one doubled over layer of skin will be trapped by the silicone retainer. I have found this scenario allows the pusher to glide without any binding or pinching. I have also regimented a manual tugging routine. Using pinching and pulling at the point of equilibrium to stretch beyond the glans, and technique 3. I manual tug every day after wearing the DTR for at least 8 hours then taking a break for at least 2 hours, then manually tugging for at least 20 minutes but less than 1 hour.
End Goal
My end goal is to achieve full flaccid coverage of the glans, at any size. This includes enough overhang to tapper to a realistic closed-off tip. The goal being to keep the glans moist and covered to de-keratinize. I don’t know how much erect coverage this will create but I would like to have the foreskin retract between 50% off the glans to just covering the corona. This way vaginal lubrication will not be scraped away during intercourse. Most important to me are the visual appearance, feeling like a complete man as nature intended, and the restored sensitivity function. It has been tough to watch slow progress over the first year but I will complete this journey and become restored as so many men have successfully done.
Intro
I was circumcised at birth like so many males in the United States. I have come to understand that the medical institute has accepted circumcision as a standardized practice, often without even involving the parents in the decision making process, despite being a blatant affront to the Hippocratic Oath. With no malady to correct, pathogen to destroy or function to restore, circumcision has been a purely destructive, unwarranted, and unwanted violation of my personal bodily integrity. Male genital mutilation does not only pose harmful long term effects physically, but also psychologically.
Changing Perceptions
From very young through puberty, I understood having a circumcised penis to be a desirable quality. I attribute this notion to pop culture, general common public perception, and the appearance of myself and my peers. As I grew more aware of my body through puberty I began to wonder about my body, vague why and what if questions came to mind. I often wondered what it would be like to not have been circumcised. I was not consciously distressed by my condition. By the time I reached high school age, the why and what if questions became a stronger concern. I began to be more critical of my body, as any young adult would do. I started to question the appearance of my penis, only slight frustration was the strongest emotion I perceived.
As I progressed in my emotional and physical development, now in the college years, I was introduced to more forms of critical analysis from an academic perspective. Through exploration of art and specifically performance art – where the body is artistic medium and matrix, I became acutely aware that I was unhappy about the condition of my penis. I severely disliked the ugly brown, and un-even scar line that separated the darker outer skin on the base of my penis, from the lighter pink remains of my inner foreskin. I was angry that something was taken away from me, I felt violated, incomplete, self-conscious, and confused. As I grew into a sexually active adult even more internal conflict arose. I was prompted to create performance art gesture to be performed live in front of my peers at UCSD. This piece was required to involve a sexual fantasy, I elected to perform a rant and body language to illustrate my wish to be whole.
The Physicality
Current day as a married man and a sexually active adult, I certainly suffer from sexual dysfunction as a result of my circumcision. It has become difficult to climax during intercourse, and impossible during oral sex. In order to reach the necessary level of stimulation to climax, very rough persistent stimulation is required. This problem not only inconveniences me, but my partner because of the false perception that my difficulty is in part due to a lack of attraction to them. This is unacceptable. I have learned that along with the 3x5-card sized piece of tissue I lost, I also lost almost all of my frenulum, and countless tens of thousands of nerve endings. The glans of the penis is meant to be an internal organ, without the protection of this tissue it is exposed to abrasion on clothing for decades. The body seeks to protect this exposed organ by a process known as keratinization, whereby keratin (the same thing your finger nails are made of) is built up on the glans for protection causing the skin to thicken, dry, become rough and ultimately lose even more sensitivity. The glans is mucous membrane, and should be moist and smooth like the inside of your cheek, mine is like the back of your hand. Because my circumcision would be classified as very tight, there was very little mobility in the shaft skin. It could be moved about ¼ inch up and down. This tightness resulted in dryness, discomfort from tightness, and resulted in drawing the scrotum skin up onto the penis shaft to accommodate erections. This effect is referred to as turkey neck, and is another undesirable aesthetic. Never diagnosed but I also believe I have a mild case of meatal stenosis. I have observed a tissue formation best described as an undercut extending from my frenulum remnant, partially obscuring the meatus.
Discovering The Options
With the compassion and support of my wife I began to research the options. I started out looking at prosthetics to cover the glans and allow for gradual de-keratinization, but this would not fix the aesthetic or integrity problems.
I discovered the community of non-surgical foreskin restoration. I attended support group meetings held by NORM, the National Organization of Restoring Men, which meets monthly at a non-profit self-help community center, and I did a ton of research.
The Process Progression
I decide to start with a device called the TLC-X tugger. My circumcision was so tight that to begin with I could not use the device as intended. I removed the inner-tension plunger and simply used the device with the retaining cone but not external tension. I used this method for at least a few months before my skin loosened enough to use as intended. I then added the elastic strap but used tension very sparingly – tugging at night with the strap around my chest so I could relieve tension easily, that evolved to over the shoulder. Finally I had enough skin to put the plunger back in the device, this increased the overall length making it harder to get the device on. Over the coming six months I slowly increased the ability to add strap tension, and begin adding inner tension with the plunger, and add spacers. After the one year mark I transitioned from tugging at night to tugging during the day, this let me better regulate the discomfort of tension that would wake me up at night along with nocturnal erections. The TLC-X was desirable initially because it was made to size, you provide your measurements and Ron Lowe makes the cones to match. The problems I encountered were that the silicone retaining cone would easily get knocked off with a bump of clothing or excessive tension, this lead to use of sports tape to adhere it to me. The TLC would also become uncomfortable after a number of hours, creating a pinching or burning sensation. With enough skin built up, I switched devices to the DTR, which while made to be one-size-fits-all, is larger and is difficult to put on for many men. I started with the DTR and the large plunger cone. I began to develop abrasions, cuts, and pain on my frenulum and under the corona from the edges of the plunger cone. I went through three levels of clearancing modification to try to alleviate the problem, but to no avail. I could go for three days and then have to take a week off to heal, not a sustainable long term strategy. I ordered some one-inch nylon plastic balls, drilled and tapped one to replace the cone and have been tugging without abrasions since. Now the only discomfort comes from one of two things, excessive stretch and tension, or thin skin pinching under the silicone retainer. I found using Chap Stick on the inner foreskin and glans to prevent uncomfortable binding of abrasion often led to slippage of the glans past the pusher ball on the DTR. This puts excess stress on one side of the inner foreskin leading to pain especially when sitting. My latest routine involves applying Chap Stick only to the frenulum area and remaining inner foreskin, leaving the glans dry to prevent slippage. I apply the DTR first rolling as much skin as possible onto the bell, and then rolling it back so that only one doubled over layer of skin will be trapped by the silicone retainer. I have found this scenario allows the pusher to glide without any binding or pinching. I have also regimented a manual tugging routine. Using pinching and pulling at the point of equilibrium to stretch beyond the glans, and technique 3. I manual tug every day after wearing the DTR for at least 8 hours then taking a break for at least 2 hours, then manually tugging for at least 20 minutes but less than 1 hour.
End Goal
My end goal is to achieve full flaccid coverage of the glans, at any size. This includes enough overhang to tapper to a realistic closed-off tip. The goal being to keep the glans moist and covered to de-keratinize. I don’t know how much erect coverage this will create but I would like to have the foreskin retract between 50% off the glans to just covering the corona. This way vaginal lubrication will not be scraped away during intercourse. Most important to me are the visual appearance, feeling like a complete man as nature intended, and the restored sensitivity function. It has been tough to watch slow progress over the first year but I will complete this journey and become restored as so many men have successfully done.
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