2 Cut, Or Not 2 Cut — Part 1

Sometimes culturally established practices conflict with sound sexual health imperatives. Nowhere is this clash more obvious than in the touchy issue of circumcision in general, and infant circumcision in particular.

Some unaltered adult men; as well as many prospective parents are confused and conflicted about the practice. Is this routine cosmetic surgery absolutely necessary? If it isn’t, what are the alternatives?

This week I’d like to address the concerns of the adult men who are considering docking their dick.

Here we have 18-year-old Chris:

Dr Dick: I’m an uncut male, but am thinking about getting circumcised for the sake of appearance? I don’t like how my dick looks like an anteater. Is this safe? Any suggestions where or what type of doctor to consult? Should I go to a urologist? Plastic Surgeon? Thanks, Chris

Whoa, pup, stop right there. This ain’t like getting a haircut or trimmin’ your toe nails or even gettin’ pierced. Circumcision is irreversible and it can be mighty risky too.

I need to say one thing from the outset. Circumcision is a particularly thorny issue for me. I firmly believe in the right of an adult to augment, adorn and embellish, or in any other way customize his or her body. At the same time I am a furious proponent of genital integrity. So you see my conflict.

There are, of course, medical reasons for adult circumcision. But having a foreskin that looks like an anteater is not one of them. Besides, no self-respecting physician is gonna start cutting on an 18 year old guy’s cock, just because the fella doesn’t like the way his unit looks. At least I hope there isn’t.

Here’s what I want you to do, Chris. Take a really close look at your foreskin. I mean a really close look. What do you see? Veins, right? Now pinch your foreskin between your thumb and forefinger as hard as you can. OUCH! Ya know why that is? Your foreskin is just chock-full of nerve endings, darlin’. Your foreskin contains about 240 feet of nerve fibers and tens of thousands of specialized nerve endings, which can feel the slightest pressure, the lightest touch, the smallest motion, the subtlest changes in temperature, and the finest gradations in texture.

In many ways, your foreskin is just like your eyelid. It covers, cleans, and protects your dickhead just like your eyelid covers, cleans, and protects your eye. Your foreskin keeps the surface of your dickhead healthy, clean, shiny, warm, soft, moist, and sensitive. And there are a whole lot of us who think a foreskin is totally hot.

Your foreskin is a highly specialized, extremely sensitive functional organ of touch. No other part of the body serves the same purpose. You may be too young to have noticed how pleasurable having an intact dick can be, how it enhances your sexual enjoyment. You certainly have no frame of reference to the contrary. Therefore, I encourage you to hold on to your lace curtains till you have a little more experience. Besides, if you get cut it’ll remove 50% of the skin of the cock.

Finally, I’m of the mind that millions of years of evolution has provided us a covering for our dickhead for a purpose. And to remove it is simply unnatural.

So, Chris, keep your skin unless there’s a medical necessary to remove it!

Next month, I address prospective parents.

Originally posted on February 1,2011