Nick, 50 - Oxford
Where were you born?
Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
When did you first become aware of circumcision?
I was five years old. I had gone swimming with my cousin, who was seven at the time. I caught a glimpse of his willy when we were getting changed afterwards and noticed that it looked quite different to mine. Of course we immediately compared them! He said that he could make his look like mine and promptly pulled back his foreskin to show me. It was then the penny dropped that I had a bit missing. After a couple of days of mulling it over I decided to ask my father about it. He explained that I was born with flap of skin covering the end of my penis but that I had been circumcised, which meant that I had had this 'extra' skin removed. He said that this was to help me keep my penis clean as it would have become dirty and smelly otherwise. I didn't really buy this argument: my uncut cousin seemed perfectly clean to me.
Are any members of your immediate family circumcised?
My late father was circumcised as is my brother.
At what age were you circumcised?
I was circumcised as an infant and have no memory of the event. I later found out that I was circumcised aged two by one of the general practitioners at my local surgery. Apparently they did minor surgery clinics, and the services offered included infant circumcision! A few years ago, I was suffering from quite a serious eye complaint and needed a letter from my GP to get referred to a specialist. This was a generic letter which also listed any outpatient treatment I had received from them. The treatments listed included 'standard circumcision' with the date it was performed. It made me chuckle when I found out I had been circumcised on April Fool's day!
What is the main reason you were circumcised?
My father's preference. He was circumcised and regarded foreskins as unhygienic and unnecessary. He had both me and my brother circumcised.
Are you happy about being circumcised?
I am now, though it did trouble me when I was younger. I was a bit shy as a child, and just wanted to blend into the background. Circumcision made me different from most of the other boys my age and added to my insecurities. It also bothered me that a piece of me was missing. The turning point for me was going to high school. We did PE twice a week with communal showers afterwards. I dreaded this at first, but soon realised that quite a few of the lads in my year were also circumcised. We were a minority, of course, but my best guess is that up to 20% of us were cut. This somehow gave me confidence and made me feel more normal. So what if I am stark naked with my circumcised dick hanging out? Paul and Duncan over there are cut, and here comes Gary, he is clearly circumcised too!
Having read other people's stories, it seems that circumcised lads often get picked on at school because of it. That was not the case when I was at school. This may have been because there were too many of us (bullies like to single people out), but I think it helped that one of the school 'hard-knocks' (every school has them; alpha males who settle disputes with their fists, who all the boys fear and all the girls fancy) had a large circumcised dick and seemed to spend a lot of time walking around the changing rooms naked showing it off! It was nice because circumcision was a non-issue, which is how it should be. The one time I remember circumcision being discussed was when we were having a five-a-side football tournament and had to pick our teams. I ended up on an all-circumcised team! As we did not have team strips, just our own kits, we played as 'skins or shirts' - one team took their tops off, the other wore their shirts. My team ended up playing as 'skins' - the irony was not lost on me.
Another thing I remember from my school days was inadvertently becoming an 'agony uncle'. I was playing cricket, in the outfield waiting for something to happen, when I was approached by Ian. He came straight out with it: he had seen me in the showers, he knew that I was circumcised and hoped that I could give him some advice. He was worried because he had a tight foreskin that had been causing him problems for ages. He was going to be circumcised during the summer holidays and was scared that he would not be able to wank afterwards. I reassured him that it would be fine as I had no problems wanking myself! I spoke to him again after the summer holidays. He said it had gone well but it took him a while to recover. He was now happily wanking again but had needed to change his technique after the circumcision. He did say that it took him a lot longer to come now but was glad that he still could. I still bump in to him occasionally when I am back in my home town, he ended up married with four kids so I think it is safe to say that the circumcision didn't do him any harm.
Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
When did you first become aware of circumcision?
I was five years old. I had gone swimming with my cousin, who was seven at the time. I caught a glimpse of his willy when we were getting changed afterwards and noticed that it looked quite different to mine. Of course we immediately compared them! He said that he could make his look like mine and promptly pulled back his foreskin to show me. It was then the penny dropped that I had a bit missing. After a couple of days of mulling it over I decided to ask my father about it. He explained that I was born with flap of skin covering the end of my penis but that I had been circumcised, which meant that I had had this 'extra' skin removed. He said that this was to help me keep my penis clean as it would have become dirty and smelly otherwise. I didn't really buy this argument: my uncut cousin seemed perfectly clean to me.
Are any members of your immediate family circumcised?
My late father was circumcised as is my brother.
At what age were you circumcised?
I was circumcised as an infant and have no memory of the event. I later found out that I was circumcised aged two by one of the general practitioners at my local surgery. Apparently they did minor surgery clinics, and the services offered included infant circumcision! A few years ago, I was suffering from quite a serious eye complaint and needed a letter from my GP to get referred to a specialist. This was a generic letter which also listed any outpatient treatment I had received from them. The treatments listed included 'standard circumcision' with the date it was performed. It made me chuckle when I found out I had been circumcised on April Fool's day!
What is the main reason you were circumcised?
My father's preference. He was circumcised and regarded foreskins as unhygienic and unnecessary. He had both me and my brother circumcised.
Are you happy about being circumcised?
I am now, though it did trouble me when I was younger. I was a bit shy as a child, and just wanted to blend into the background. Circumcision made me different from most of the other boys my age and added to my insecurities. It also bothered me that a piece of me was missing. The turning point for me was going to high school. We did PE twice a week with communal showers afterwards. I dreaded this at first, but soon realised that quite a few of the lads in my year were also circumcised. We were a minority, of course, but my best guess is that up to 20% of us were cut. This somehow gave me confidence and made me feel more normal. So what if I am stark naked with my circumcised dick hanging out? Paul and Duncan over there are cut, and here comes Gary, he is clearly circumcised too!
Having read other people's stories, it seems that circumcised lads often get picked on at school because of it. That was not the case when I was at school. This may have been because there were too many of us (bullies like to single people out), but I think it helped that one of the school 'hard-knocks' (every school has them; alpha males who settle disputes with their fists, who all the boys fear and all the girls fancy) had a large circumcised dick and seemed to spend a lot of time walking around the changing rooms naked showing it off! It was nice because circumcision was a non-issue, which is how it should be. The one time I remember circumcision being discussed was when we were having a five-a-side football tournament and had to pick our teams. I ended up on an all-circumcised team! As we did not have team strips, just our own kits, we played as 'skins or shirts' - one team took their tops off, the other wore their shirts. My team ended up playing as 'skins' - the irony was not lost on me.
Another thing I remember from my school days was inadvertently becoming an 'agony uncle'. I was playing cricket, in the outfield waiting for something to happen, when I was approached by Ian. He came straight out with it: he had seen me in the showers, he knew that I was circumcised and hoped that I could give him some advice. He was worried because he had a tight foreskin that had been causing him problems for ages. He was going to be circumcised during the summer holidays and was scared that he would not be able to wank afterwards. I reassured him that it would be fine as I had no problems wanking myself! I spoke to him again after the summer holidays. He said it had gone well but it took him a while to recover. He was now happily wanking again but had needed to change his technique after the circumcision. He did say that it took him a lot longer to come now but was glad that he still could. I still bump in to him occasionally when I am back in my home town, he ended up married with four kids so I think it is safe to say that the circumcision didn't do him any harm.
"Being circumcised has made me more interested in other men's penises which has become eroticised and part of my sexuality."
What is the best/worst thing about being circumcised?
I love the look and feel of my penis. I am circumcised low and tight so when I am hard the skin is stretched tight along the shaft, which is quite thick but gets narrower just behind the head. The head itself is quite bulbous with a flared rim. It almost looks like an exotic orchid! One minor gripe is how low my circumcision is. When erect you can see a faint circumcision scar which is about 1cm behind the head and runs parallel to its contours. Between the scar and the head is my remaining inner foreskin. I also have about a centimetre of frenulum (banjo string) left too. This narrow band of skin around my cock is exquisitely sensitive, far more so than the head itself. If I were uncut and having a circumcision now I would still have a tight cut, but I would have a higher cut, keeping as much of the inner foreskin as possible. I would keep the banjo string too.
I am lucky too that my girlfriend has a strong preference for circumcised cocks. The topic really turns her on. Since I was circumcised as an infant I will never know if sex is more enjoyable with a foreskin. I will say though that in my middle age I am having some of the best sex of my life and can't imagine how it could be much better. If you really click with your partner your sex life will great regardless of whether you are circumcised or not.
The worst thing was the anxiety it caused me at times when I was a child. Now I am middle-aged and comfortable in my own skin (almost a pun, I know) it does not bother me that I am circumcised (in fact, over the years I have grown to love it) but it can become an issue that overshadows people’s lives. That is why sites like this one are so useful: relaxed spaces where people can share their experiences, and hopefully come to realise that they are not alone.
I am also intrigued by how being circumcised affects sexuality. I was watching some internet porn the other day and masturbating (come on, we all do it!). A young couple in their early twenties were having a bit of al fresco sex in the woods. The guy had a large dick that was beautifully circumcised and pierced underneath. I can't deny that his cock being circumcised added to the pleasure for me and I'll admit that I was thinking about his cock when I shot my load! How do I square this with considering myself to be straight? Being circumcised has made me more interested in other men's penises which has become eroticised and part of my sexuality. I doubt I am alone in this.
If you had a son, would you circumcise him?
Only if he had a genuine medical condition that necessitated it and he were too young to decide for himself. I am all for adult circumcision though. If you want to be circumcised then go for it, but satisfy yourself that it is what you really want first. Do your research too. There are different styles of circumcision. Decide how you want it done and agree this with your surgeon before getting cut.
I love the look and feel of my penis. I am circumcised low and tight so when I am hard the skin is stretched tight along the shaft, which is quite thick but gets narrower just behind the head. The head itself is quite bulbous with a flared rim. It almost looks like an exotic orchid! One minor gripe is how low my circumcision is. When erect you can see a faint circumcision scar which is about 1cm behind the head and runs parallel to its contours. Between the scar and the head is my remaining inner foreskin. I also have about a centimetre of frenulum (banjo string) left too. This narrow band of skin around my cock is exquisitely sensitive, far more so than the head itself. If I were uncut and having a circumcision now I would still have a tight cut, but I would have a higher cut, keeping as much of the inner foreskin as possible. I would keep the banjo string too.
I am lucky too that my girlfriend has a strong preference for circumcised cocks. The topic really turns her on. Since I was circumcised as an infant I will never know if sex is more enjoyable with a foreskin. I will say though that in my middle age I am having some of the best sex of my life and can't imagine how it could be much better. If you really click with your partner your sex life will great regardless of whether you are circumcised or not.
The worst thing was the anxiety it caused me at times when I was a child. Now I am middle-aged and comfortable in my own skin (almost a pun, I know) it does not bother me that I am circumcised (in fact, over the years I have grown to love it) but it can become an issue that overshadows people’s lives. That is why sites like this one are so useful: relaxed spaces where people can share their experiences, and hopefully come to realise that they are not alone.
I am also intrigued by how being circumcised affects sexuality. I was watching some internet porn the other day and masturbating (come on, we all do it!). A young couple in their early twenties were having a bit of al fresco sex in the woods. The guy had a large dick that was beautifully circumcised and pierced underneath. I can't deny that his cock being circumcised added to the pleasure for me and I'll admit that I was thinking about his cock when I shot my load! How do I square this with considering myself to be straight? Being circumcised has made me more interested in other men's penises which has become eroticised and part of my sexuality. I doubt I am alone in this.
If you had a son, would you circumcise him?
Only if he had a genuine medical condition that necessitated it and he were too young to decide for himself. I am all for adult circumcision though. If you want to be circumcised then go for it, but satisfy yourself that it is what you really want first. Do your research too. There are different styles of circumcision. Decide how you want it done and agree this with your surgeon before getting cut.