# Male circumcision and penis sensitivity **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 29, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167 "2010-05-29T12:26:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/21 "2010-05-30T00:15:31Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Had I been circumcised, that sensitive part of my anatomy would’ve become as desensitized and dry as the rest of my glans (it even has a different, more vibrant purple hue to it). > [@](#): > > I’m just wondering if they have a different “way” of achieving it, having a weathered knob to work with. As a circumcised male I can assure you, neither of these assumptions are remotely true. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/22 "2010-05-30T00:16:06Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Moderator Note]No, you will _not_ hijack this thread. Unless the topic of a thread is whether or not circumcision should be done to babies, you are not to bring up your off-topic pet issue just because you spot the word “circumcision” somewhere in the thread. It may be an important issue to you, but it isn’t the topic of this particular thread.[/Moderator Note] Ok ☹ ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/23 "2010-05-30T00:42:12Z")
Weathered nob? I can’t imagine what my husband would have to have been doing all these years for his penis to deserve that description! From the wife’s perspective, I can lightly brush my fingers over his penis, over his underwear even, as he sleeps and be certain to hear a pleasurable moan and know we’ll be having sex shortly. If that’s a weathered knob speaking… I can’t begin to imagine how much more sensation or pleasure he could endure. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/24 "2010-05-30T00:52:45Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > I’m uncircumcised. My penis has a narrow transverse strip at the back ridge of the glans that seems to be the source of my sexual pleasure. The frenulum. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/25 "2010-05-30T01:11:48Z")
My ex-husband was cut, and never had any complaints about it at all, to the extent that he insisted vigorously that our son also be circumcised. None of the other men I’ve been with, all cut, have ever seemed to have any issues with it, and no one had a weathered knob…all soft, supple and extremely responsive to the merest touch. Don’t know where you get the idea that millions upon millions of men worldwide are not having any fun. If that were the issue, the practice would have died out long, long ago, since men have been in charge of it. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/26 "2010-05-30T01:20:40Z")
Well said kittenblue. I’ll be really surprised if one male poster comes on here and says that they miss their foreskin. It has never ever been an issue for me or as far as I know any of my friends, although admittedly we don’t spend a lot of time talking about our penises when we get together. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/27 "2010-05-30T01:26:04Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Most men in America are circumcised at an early age. Most men in Europe aren’t. I personally think the foreskin has an important task of protecting the sensitive glans from abrasion and dryness. Abrasion and dryness? What the heck are you doing with your penis? I can honestly say that I’ve never had a problem with sensitivity. As for dryness, I find that as I gain and lose weight I gain/lose something of a foreskin. I prefer the lack of foreskin so as to keep things dry. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/28 "2010-05-30T03:28:31Z")
In my experience (and that of my partner), there doesn’t seem to be a difference in sensitivity based on cut/uncut. But - and yes, this is a generality - there does seem to be a difference based on size. Men with smaller penises tend to receive more pleasure than larger guys. My theory is that with a smaller penis the nerve endings are more dense, so the same amount of stimulation results in more pleasure. And to the other extreme, guys who are larger are less apt to have an orgasm. I wouldn’t be surprised if there have been studies of this. My observations are just anecdotal. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/29 "2010-05-30T03:35:32Z")
I’ve been with men who have been circumsized and men who haven’t and the differences between the two were minimal. None of them ever had any trouble climaxing and they all seemed very happy with their equipment. I think it is strange that you assume circumsized men all have dried up, useless penises and sit in orgasm-free sadness. You _obviously_ don’t watch much porn. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/30 "2010-05-30T05:15:40Z")
No problem for me for well over 50 years. No trauma either. And mine was done on the dining room table with the relatives watching. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/31 "2010-05-30T05:26:35Z")
Like millions and millions of American men, I’m cut and have no qualms or regrets. My junk works just fine, is not weathered or scarred or beaten. It’s also, I have heard, easier to keep clean than an uncircumcised wang, and I want mine clean enough to eat off of. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/32 "2010-05-30T07:06:16Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > Like millions and millions of American men, I’m cut and have no qualms or regrets. My junk works just fine, is not weathered or scarred or beaten. It’s also, I have heard, easier to keep clean than an uncircumcised wang, and I want mine clean enough to eat off of. My ex-husband had to get circumcised in his 30’s and let me tell you, it was no cake walk. For a while it looked like a beaten up sausage with lots of stitches. He was cursing his hippy parents for not having it done when he was a baby. He had to get it done because almost every time he got an erection, it ripped and sometimes even bled. ---
**Author:** ![BleizDu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/33 "2010-05-30T08:35:29Z")
While we’re on this topic: I believe the fact that hand lotion or something is so prevalent in American culture/jokes about masturbation, is that because, lacking a foreskin, a guy who’s cut has to use something to lubricate to be able to masturbate if he wants to rub his glans. (or if someone wants to give him a handjob) I would appreciate feedback on that belief from circumsized guys, I only had sex once with a cut guy, so I’m curious about that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/34 "2010-05-30T09:42:31Z")
Since this is IMHO, I’ll just offer my little snippet of input. I am an uncircumcised adult male. If I were to be circumcised tomorrow, it would entail removal of tissue that I have, for all of my adult life, considered the most sensitive to touch and pleasurable stimulation. Whether some other tissue would have developed similar sensitivity in its absence is, I think, Impossible (for me) to say - and it’s impossible for anyone else to measure against their own. I feel as though that sensitivity could not be transferred now though, if some accident or lunacy caused me to be circumcised. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/35 "2010-05-30T10:03:05Z")
> [@Lazz](#): > > While we’re on this topic: > I believe the fact that hand lotion or something is so prevalent in American culture/jokes about masturbation, is that because, lacking a foreskin, a guy who’s cut has to use something to lubricate to be able to masturbate if he wants to rub his glans. (or if someone wants to give him a handjob) > > I would appreciate feedback on that belief from circumsized guys, I only had sex once with a cut guy, so I’m curious about that. I’ve never used lotion to pull my pud and neither have any of my friends. I’m not sure how this became a part of the culture. I don’t know anyone uses lotion. ---
**Author:** ![Swarog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Swarog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swarog)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/36 "2010-05-30T10:41:04Z")
I was circumcized at the age of 11. I always wondered whether I lost something I would dearly miss. It look to me as if most people here are answering the question: What would it be like if I had my foreskin cut off after knowing the pleasures of my man stick? Well, the truth is, you do lose sensitivity. It does not impact the ability to orgasm. Would sex be more pleasurable for me if i had my foreskin??? The answer is YES. I would be more sensitive, and I would probably feel a sensation that I don’t feel now. I can’t say I’ve had sex with a foreskin but I’ve done my own deed aplenty before the tragic removal. But for aesthetic value, cleanliness, and preference of your woman, I would say the benefits pretty much even out. As long as you can orgasm. But a better question is, if the loss of sensitivity has increase the amount of sexual relief men strive for across the population because of the diminished reward of a single sexual encounter. ---
**Author:** ![Swarog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Swarog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swarog)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/37 "2010-05-30T10:44:36Z")
I think that a guy should decide on his own to be honest. Are you willing to change the way your child will experience sexuality through his life, because of the social trend, or because of reasons you don’t quite understand? I think removing something from your thingy, has to be done with informed consent. ---
**Author:** ![Swarog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Swarog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swarog)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/38 "2010-05-30T10:46:09Z")
And I think that it should be up to the father to consider these options. Not that women aren’t capable of all the things men are capable of. But if clitoral removal was popular, i wouldn’t presume to make that decision for my daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/39 "2010-05-30T11:01:43Z")
> [@muody25](#): > > But for aesthetic value, cleanliness, and preference of your woman, I would say the benefits pretty much even out. Cleanliness is a function of _washing_, not body modification. The other two are purely subjective and are likely to be cultural, driven by whatever happens to be most prevalent. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167/40 "2010-05-30T12:15:55Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Cleanliness is a function of _washing_, not body modification. An uncircumcised penis requires more washing than a circumcised one. Ergo, a circumcised penis is cleaner. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-circumcision-and-penis-sensitivity/541167.md?page=3)