# Getting a circumcision as an adult? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835 "2013-03-02T17:31:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/1 "2013-03-02T17:31:49Z")
I don’t have phimosis or any other medical condition. I can fully retract my foreskin and I am very clean down there. I am not in fear of HIV or penile cancer either. The only reason I am thinking about getting one is that I feel my foreskin is getting in the way during sex. I feel sex would be much more pleasurable without it. I want some feedback from men who had a circ as adults. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/2 "2013-03-02T18:21:38Z")
I lived in Germany for many years and few men were circumcised. However, many had to go in for an emergency circumcision…let’s just say that during sex, things got bigger than expected and something ripped. I personally know of two guys over the years who had to go for emergency surgery late at night, and both said the surgery was not painful, but the activity leading up to it (the actual rip) was. So I guess the long and short of it (pun intended) is that the operation is not painful and, at least in Germany, is not all that uncommon in adults. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/3 "2013-03-02T18:29:35Z")
I seem to remember some studies that say sensitivity decreases over time when you don’t have foreskin, because the glans is constantly rubbing up against your underwear and other things, dulling sensitivity a bit. At first it will probably be more pleasurable though, since all those somewhat-hidden nerves will now be exposed. This is not quite a WAG but might as well be. I’m not a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Hugh7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d07c76/32.png) [@Hugh7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh7)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/4 "2013-03-02T21:16:02Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > I feel my foreskin is getting in the way during sex. I feel sex would be much more pleasurable without it. Don’t underestimate the role your foreskin itself may play in giving you sexual stimulation and pleasure. Some men can get off by stimulating it alone. If you cut if off, you’ll lose that - and there’s no getting it back. Different men may be wired differently in this regard. Experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/5 "2013-03-04T12:24:18Z")
YMMV & TMI, but I credit my foreskin with much any sexual pleasure I experience, because the foreskin is the only thing that keeps my glans from desensitizing completely. How do I know this? Back when I was young I’d experiment with going about with my foreskin retracted. I learned that this would result in severe loss of sensitivity in the glans as quickly as in a couple of days. I also learned that I invariably orgasm from the back edge of my glans getting rubbed, be it from masturbation, coitus, fellatio etc. This back edge is the only part of my glans that is never exposed outside an erection, and this is evident even in the colouring and texture of that part of the glans. In contrast the very tip, which is mostly exposed even in my uncircumcised pecker has next to no sensation from all the “weathering.” I thank Og that I wasn’t born in a culture that slices off foreskins as a rule, and would never part with mine short of a life-threatening situation. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/6 "2013-03-04T15:25:08Z")
Jack Dean Tyler, where are you? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/7 "2013-03-04T19:53:38Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I seem to remember some studies that say sensitivity decreases over time when you don’t have foreskin, because the glans is constantly rubbing up against your underwear and other things, dulling sensitivity a bit. At first it will probably be more pleasurable though, since all those somewhat-hidden nerves will now be exposed. This is not quite a WAG but might as well be. I’m not a doctor. Much like nipples lose their sensitivity because they are contantly rubbing against shirts/bras? Or fingertips becasue they are constantly rubbing on - well, everything. Though is sounds logical, I’m not buying that argument because it does not seem to hold true with other parts of the body constantly exposed clothing. A real study found at [Penile sensitivity and sexual satisfaction after circumcision: are we informing men correctly? - PubMed](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16037710) indicates a completely mixed bag of results in before and after comparison of various data in men circumsized as adults. This may be a true case of YMMV. > [@](#): > > RESULTS: Fifty-nine percent of patients (88/150) responded. The total mean IIEF-5 score was 22.41 +/- 0.94 and 21.13 +/- 3.17 before and after circumcision, respectively (p = 0.4). Seventy-four percent of patients had no change in their libido levels, 69% noticed less pain during intercourse (p \< 0.05), and 44% of the patients (p = 0.04) and 38% of the partners (p = 0.02) thought the penis appearance improved after circumcision. Penile sensation improved after circumcision in 38% (p = 0.01) but got worse in 18%, with the remainder having no change. Overall satisfaction was 61%. > > CONCLUSIONS: Penile sensitivity had variable outcomes after circumcision. The poor outcome of circumcision considered by overall satisfaction rates suggests that when we circumcise men, these outcome data should be discussed during the informed consent process. In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a doctor. I am, however, a veteran of the ongoing SMBD circumcision wars. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/8 "2013-03-04T20:33:58Z")
Interesting info Doctor Jackson. Thank you for sharing. I agree it’s tough to discount studies you hear that just seem to make some sort of logical sense. But always interesting to hear counter points and counter studies that show such “logic” might not be logical at all. In my personal experience, I’m circumcised and don’t really get all that much pleasure from glans area, as opposed to the entire length of the penis (it all feels pretty good is what I’m saying). Guys who I have dated and been with sexually who do still have their foreskin really seem to be extra sensitive to the glans area and where the foreskin connects. But, anecdotes and sample size and confirmation bias and all that good stuff 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/9 "2013-03-04T23:47:37Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > YMMV & TMI, but I credit my foreskin with much any sexual pleasure I experience, because the foreskin is the only thing that keeps my glans from desensitizing completely. How do I know this? Back when I was young I’d experiment with going about with my foreskin retracted. I learned that this would result in severe loss of sensitivity in the glans as quickly as in a couple of days. I also learned that I invariably orgasm from the back edge of my glans getting rubbed, be it from masturbation, coitus, fellatio etc. This back edge is the only part of my glans that is never exposed outside an erection, and this is evident even in the colouring and texture of that part of the glans. In contrast the very tip, which is mostly exposed even in my uncircumcised pecker has next to no sensation from all the “weathering.” I thank Og that I wasn’t born in a culture that slices off foreskins as a rule, and would never part with mine short of a life-threatening situation. oh, so _that’s_ why I’ve never been able to have an orgasm. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/10 "2013-03-05T00:12:06Z")
From personal experience I wouldn’t do it if it’s not necessary. Obviously YMMV, etc, etc. I had a medically required\* adult circumcision, (couple of years ago now) and I have not noticed any difference in sensitivity or pleasure during sex. The only real difference I can think of is that some form of lubrication is now essential for HJ’s or masturbation, whereas previously it wasn’t a must. \*According to the doctor, I got some sort of infection in my foreskin, which healed but left behind scar tissue, which not being as elastic as the rest of the tissue, would break and bleed when I got an erection. ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/11 "2013-03-06T01:03:37Z")
there’s this well known retired Asian dentist in Boston’s Chinatown that will perform the operation for $20 [http://ihatemyteeth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/asian\_tooth.jpg](http://ihatemyteeth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/asian_tooth.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/12 "2013-03-06T01:29:17Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > things got bigger than expected and **something** ripped. The anus or the foreskin? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/13 "2013-03-06T02:55:38Z")
I think getting circumcised as an adult on the theory that the foreskin is in the way during sex is a very silly idea. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/14 "2013-03-06T17:50:05Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > oh, so _that’s_ why I’ve never been able to have an orgasm. > > :rolleyes: Please tell me how exactly did you miss the bold YMMV at the beginning of my reply, or the insistent use of the singular form of the first person pronoun throughout? My reply had nothing to do with your penis. I know mine, and I know that circumcision would be disastrous to me. According to the study above, many who know for a fact, agree, others don’t. Anyone who has never had sex uncircumcised cannot tell if there’s a difference, though. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-circumcision-as-an-adult/651835/15 "2013-03-06T18:28:46Z")
> [@Hugh7](#): > > there’s no getting it back. [Foreskin restoration.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreskin_restoration)