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Originally Posted by karlin
So, I was mentioning to my DH that I had read some info about restoration, and to my surprise he is very interested (probably because of all the research we did about circ and keeping DS intact). He has a few questions for those of you who have gone through it (Frank) or know someone who has:
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Heh. That latter would be me, the research wonk.
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Originally Posted by karlin
What method do/did you use?
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There are so many distinct methods right now that describing them would take a massive post all its own (this one will be bad enough as it is). In brief summary, however, there are several broad categories:
Simple extension, created by weights or elastics attached to (A) tape, (B) double-shell gripping devices (TugAhoy, home-modified 'Egg Squirter' toys);
Compound extension, created by compressing the glans and/or shaft backwards and pulling the foreskin forwards (via a torsional screw against a glans cup, mounted in a surrounding frame, or with o-rings over 'packing' material inside the foreskin, which is often made of cut-down Nerf material);
Manual extension, created by gripping the foreskin with the fingers of one hand and holding the shaft skin back with those of the other;
Vacuum extension, created by placing the foreskin within a suction tube and pumping the air out.
That last, BTW, remains one of the most polarized topics of debate within the community. Many, including myself, are extremely wary of any application of vacuum to the human body, because we human beings are really
not biologically built for it -- it's highly unnatural. A few proponents, however, continue to swear by it.
I recommend the Yahoo FR3 list also, but even more so Gary Burlingame's Restore-List. I'm subscribed to both, and I find Gary's Restore-List to have a slight edge in many areas -- technical acumen, creativity, originality, support, quality of list-moderation (and I say that last as someone who's had several private and public conflicts with Gary over the subject; Gary may not always agree with me, but he listens to reason well), etc. However, the Restore-List does not allow attachments, while the FR3 list, being a Yahoo list, has a pictures section. I suggest subscribing to both. Here's the page for the Restore-List links:
http://www.eskimo.com/~gburlin/restore/rest.html
I also
highly recommend buying a copy of Jim Bigelow's
The JOY of Uncircumcising!, which is back in print at last. It's available now in both paper and e-book versions at the NORM website, here:
http://www.norm.org/joy.html
This is the 'core tech manual' of restoration, so to speak, and an invaluable resource. The 'Men Speak' sidebars, for example, are what finally made it possible for my father to really understand why I was so upset about what was done to me.
I may have missed a category or two, but those're the essentials. It's hard to keep up with everything that's been invented over the past couple of years, just from memory. . . .
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Originally Posted by karlin
How long did it take?
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Frank is pretty much correct about the average. Some guys have had very fast success, more or less achieving their goals in about a year; others have had to take longer, more like five years. Hence the basically accurate average of three. Some men have had to extend their estimates because they find their flaccid size increasing, probably due in most cases to being so tightly cut that even when not erect, their skin was still too tight to allow the penis to extend naturally. And of course, as their flaccid size increases, they need to grow more skin to cover it. A few have even reported increases in their
erect size (usually on the order of 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch or so, with a comparable thickening of girth), but this appears to be very rare and should not be anticipated. Again, it's probably due in most cases to being very tightly cut originally.
Frank may be slightly overstating the case when he calls increases of 1/2 inch to 1 inch 'typical', even just in terms of flaccid size.
But then again, he may not, too. I'm just being conservative about assertions, on scientific principle.
According to reports, some men hit 'plateaus' (as happens in other fitness programs, such as weight loss) where the rate of improvement slows dramatically. However, it appears that changing methods at such times breaks the 'plateau' state and improvement increases again. The current theory is that some people's skin expansion biology is simply more adaptive than others, and after a long enough time of undergoing a particular kind of stress, its reaction to it becomes so minimized that further applications of that stress have diminishing effects. But, it appears that switching methods can overcome this problem.
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Originally Posted by karlin
Do you need a lot of remaining foreskin (I think he has enough left, but it's not a whole lot)?
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No, it's not at all necessary. Many men have started from virtually nothing and been entirely satisfied with the results.
For example, some men report that when their external regrown skin (normal epidermis) ends up 'tucked under' the leading edge, where inner skin should be (junctional semi-mucosa, like the lips), it has taken on the characteristics of inner skin and begun to look, feel, and function like it.
Just to clarify -- epidermis is the usual dry, relatively tough external protective skin layer over most of the body; mucosa (mucosal dermis) is the moist, wet, relatively fragile internal skin lining of the mouth, throat, inner eyelid, etc. of the body. Junctional semi-mucosa is the skin at the boundaries between the inside and the outside of the body (hence 'junctional') -- which has some of the qualities of both kinds (hence 'semi-mucosal'). It also tends to be highly innervated, i.e. lots of nerve endings.
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Originally Posted by karlin
How many hours a day do you use the resoration device (don't know what else to call it)?
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Again, it varies. There is a lot of discussion over the relative merits of 24/7 tugging versus less but still daily, versus X amount every other day, etc., and all the permutations in between. . . .
The general consensus is as many hours a day as possible, as many days a week as possible, is preferable, but good results can still be achieved without tugging every possible minute of every possible day. The important thing is that most men see and feel positive results quite soon, since most of the already existing 'slack' in the skin is stretched out in the first three or four weeks, providing early benefits. And that the benefits continue to accrue througout the process.
There are also now
many devices, several in each category above (except manual, of course).
(I eagerly anticipate the day when an issue of
Consumer Reports has a cover headline that reads "Tugging At Your Pursestrings: Foreskin Restoration Devices Comprehensively Rated")
Quite a few of them were developed specifically to overcome the limitations of taping, the original primary means. The TugAhoy, for example, with a little practice can be put on and removed in seconds. Other devices in the compound extension category were developed when people became concerned about stretching shaft skin instead of foreskin and preventing 'hair creep' up the shaft, among other considerations. But so far it seems that regardless of method, as restoration is completed, the hair ends up staying where it's supposed to be.
Some men have even created arrangements that allow them to tug in their sleep (usually a weight over the side of the bed), but the general consensus is that
this is really not a good idea, being too prone to accidents. We've heard from a few chastened restorers who tried it and hurt themselves. And a few others who like living dangerously anyways.
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Originally Posted by karlin
Does it function similarly to natural foreskin (after retraction, will the skin go back over the glans itself?)?
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Depends on the individual, but again as Frank says, it usually won't obstrude on its own. But even if it doesn't do so by itself, it's easy to move it back, and it almost invariably remains in place. The skin is
supposed to be there, after all, and the 'tackiness' of the re-covered glans and regrown inner foreskin tends to keep it where it should be, with the assistance of whatever micromuscular bands may remain. Every once in a while, someone has and suggests the idea of somehow attaching a non-allergenic elastic of some kind to or through the tip, to mimic the original micromusculature, but there are serious technical difficulties involved that as yet make it wholly impracticable.
In most other functional aspects, though, apparently it functions quite similarly, yes.
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Originally Posted by karlin
Does the skin taper at the end?
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Often, and if it doesn't, there are methods for trying to achieve that, from simply 'training' the skin that way, to surgical touch-ups.
Also, not all intact men taper in the first place. There is a
lot of variation among intact men. Not all even have complete coverage of the glans when flaccid.
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Originally Posted by karlin
Does it feel natural?
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According to the overwhelming mass of reports, I'd have to say definitely yes. Many men report a feeling of 'wholeness' that they have never before had. Some find themselves with a significantly less stressful experience of life in general, which they attribute to their glans being now protected. Men say they feel safer, more confident, less nervous, more comfortable. . .all sorts of positives.
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Originally Posted by karlin
How do you like it...any regrets?
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Over the years I have heard from only one man who was not pleased about it(and we're talking an estimate of hundreds at this point). However, judging by other things he posted, he was a. . .rather
odd. . .person, in general, and I take his comments with a grain of salt. If there are any men out there who don't feel it was worth it, we've yet to hear from them in the major forums.
One thing I must add to Frank's comments is that some men report a
significant improvement to orgasm as their restoration proceeds. It appears that some tragically deprived minority of men had never experienced actual male
orgasm (involuntary vocalizations, whole-body sensation, etc.) until they had restored. Up until then they had only had ejaculations
per se, which, while very pleasureable and satisfying, apparently just couldn't hold a candle to
The Real Thing.
Speaking for myself, I haven't really gotten serious about it yet for two main reasons: 1), I get the feeling I'm not ready for the emotional consequences, and 2), well, practically speaking, I'm still just too damn
fat to see what I'm
doing. I've been Ed's sole caregiver for about 7 & 1/2 years now and it's had a price where taking care of myself is concerned.
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Originally Posted by karlin
Thanks so much!
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You're very welcome, and I hope to hear from your DH on the lists.
I apologize for the length of this. . .when my download switch gets turned to
On, I sometimes exceed storage allotment. . . .
