Discussion with parents

My stepdad brought another reason for having the operation. He said that the moist environment around in the glans in uncircumcised males facilitated bacterial growth and resulted in frequent infections. In his mind, circumcision was necessary to allow the exposed glans to become dry and therefore free from bacterial infections.

My American father told me the same basic story, but in less polite terms quite a number of times, even a week before I was to get married to my gf whom he knew I had been fornicating/intercoursing with for 5 years with nary an infection at all. None in fact.

For good measure he added that the ultimate result would be amputation because the infections would become uncurable.

I could never figure out if he truly believed all of that or if he was trying to scare me into circumcision. And I didn't know if I should have blown a gasket or started rolling over the floor laughing myself silly.

In any case, his predictions from half a century ago never came out.

My parents were pretty open about it all. Cleanliness and avoiding future issues were the main stated reasons plus easier to get it done younger rather than later

My stepdad brought another reason for having the operation. He said that the moist environment around in the glans in uncircumcised males facilitated bacterial growth and resulted in frequent infections. In his mind, circumcision was necessary to allow the exposed glans to become dry and therefore free from bacterial infections.

In counterpoint to this reasoning, a foreskin protects the glans and especially the meatus from foreign objects that can be abrasive, causing bleeding (think of walking through thickets of vegetation with thorns, prickly edges, getting cuts from sharp leaves) or from getting insect bites on the sensitive glans itself..

There is also the issue of preventing foreign things, say sand or plain dirt, from entering into the meatus thereby causing irritation and/or infections. And here's a good one to ponder over: a foreskin protects the meatus from small creeping things like insects, larvae, mites and god knows what else crawls over the sleeping body, from entering into the meatus and into the urethral tract. Bet it's no fun getting bitten/stung by a small thing that burrowed its way into the meatus/urethra, panicked and then started biting/stinging away.

And this would also be the same for all those similar icky things that are water-borne. It would not be good to let them get into the meatus/urethra.

That's probably why the body evolved into creating its own protective barrier - a foreskin - to hopefully prevent this from happening.

I was circumcised as an infant and have never had any issues with it nor felt I had been “mutilated.” I find the site of a circumcised penis more attractive—but that’s obviously just a personal aesthetic preference. Circumcision seems to have been the norm in the U.S. in the 50’s. Judging from photos I see on this and other sites, it does NOT seem to have been the norm in Europe. The one thing I wonder about—and will never know—is what sexual sensation I might have missed by being circumcised. Any guys on here who were circumcised well after becoming sexually active want to fill me in on the difference?

The one thing I wonder about—and will never know—is what sexual sensation I might have missed by being circumcised. Any guys on here who were circumcised well after becoming sexually active want to fill me in on the difference?

This kind of thing is subjective, but since you have no point of reference I may be able to illustrate. The difference in sensation of the glans is similar to the sensation of first entering a swimming pool compared to being in the swimming pool for a few minutes. As you slowly enter the water, you have a very stark and vivid sensation of the point where the water touches your skin. It is intense and it pulls all your focus. Once you've been in the water for a while you still feel the water, you can still sense when part of you is out of the water v.s. in the water, but the hypersensitivity is gone. Similarly, when you are uncircumcised and pull the foreskin back you can feel the difference in temperature immediately and it is really breathtaking. Every sensation is very vivid, and too much can become uncomfortable. When you're circumcised the sensations are still there, they are just as pleasurable, but the intensity is dialed down. The bonus is that you are fully in contact with your partner during intercourse, and more intense stimulation that would be uncomfortable if you were uncircumcised is still very pleasurable. When you are running or bicycling, you can sometimes feel the sensation of your glans rubbing in your underwear and it is very pleasant. Trying the same thing uncircumcised, assuming you are not a permanent foreskin retractor and have developed some toughness, can be downright painful.

As far as preferences go, it really comes down to the individual - some uncircumcised guys want to be more vigorous with their lovemaking and find it difficult, some circumcised guys are unhappy at how rough they need to be to get off. I never really liked having foreskin even from a young age and I felt like the foreskin rolling back and forth during sex was getting in the way, using condoms was a pain and what I preferred was holding the foreskin retracted as much as possible, which was a hassle, especially when lubricant made getting a solid grip difficult. The most mind-blowing sex I had was after getting circumcised, no more quick-wash-ups before oral, no more getting sore from intense hand jobs, the sensations during sex were just on another level. Because I could feel my glans all the time, and finally realized my desire since childhood, I was wildly horny for a couple of years. Best decision ever!

@CanD

> no more quick-wash-ups before oral

Mmh. In my experience, even with a circumcised penis you'd better wash up.

> no more getting sore from intense hand jobs

Can you tell us if you're cut tight/loose, low/high? I definitely get sore from handjobs.

Mmh. In my experience, even with a circumcised penis you'd better wash up.

Heh! Well of course it depends, but if you're not already sweaty spontaneous BJs are much more likely without interrupting the flow to clean up.

Can you tell us if you're cut tight/loose, low/high? I definitely get sore from handjobs.

High and extremely tight, but I'm talking about handjobs with lube. I couldn't even imagine a dry rub in the first couple of years before the skin stretched out a bit. I did eventually try it though - not a huge fan, but I appreciate the effort. Actually it kind of causes this scenario: I'll jerk him off a bit. Oh wow, the skin doesn't budge! Welp, I guess I have to sit on it then.

😃

That’s a great description of the difference there @CanD and reflects my own experience.