Hey, I'm 19 and I've been pulling back on and off for about 2 years now. As it says in the title, I am skeptical that pulling back the foreskin at all times can eventually lead to permanent retraction. The primary reason for me wanting to be able to retract permanently is because it would reduce the odor coming from the region, and I think it would look better as well.
For one, I feel like I started in my retraction process too late for my foreskin to be able to shrink behind my head at this point in my life. If I had consistently been retracting before/going into puberty, it probably would have prevented my foreskin from growing along with my penis(i.e. the Japanese). However, I have an elephant's trunk on my penis when it is flaccid, and I don't think there is any way to combat this, even if I retract over time.
The end goal of this for me is to essentially shrink my foreskin so that it is able to stay retracted whenever I want it to be. Honestly, I have not seen any signs that would tell me this is possible. I have tried using silicon rings, but they%u2019re super uncomfortable and just restrict blood flow. The taping method doesn%u2019t really help when I am flaccid.
A note: I have attached pictures of me erect and flaccid below. Although I'm able to easily roll my foreskin behind my head while I am erect, if I'm flaccid it can easily roll back over, especially in my sleep. Please respond if you have similar experiences or if you have any ideas of how to keep it behind the head.
Well... I'm not really sure it's possible to shrink the skin. It hasn't changed length for me, that's for sure. And I have a long foreskin too, and for a long time the only way it would remain retracted was to fold it, which is what you seem to be doing. But eventually it ended up staying back without folding too, much more than it did years ago. So I guess something did change in my foreskin.
Also maybe you're taking this way too seriously :D Calm down and have fun, is all I say :)
As Kylar says you're taking this too seriously, maybe you were using the wrong methods or your foreskin will take a lot of time to get accustomed to be retracted. Either way just try to have fun doing it and don't sweat it.
Quote from: Kylar on 2020-05-04 01:10:06
Well... I'm not really sure it's possible to shrink the skin. It hasn't changed length for me, that's for sure. And I have a long foreskin too, and for a long time the only way it would remain retracted was to fold it, which is what you seem to be doing. But eventually it ended up staying back without folding too, much more than it did years ago. So I guess something did change in my foreskin.
I don't think it will ever, some people have no issue as the skin is tight. I have been doing it for years and the skin will go back, but a times it will go forward. The skin does not shrink there is no evidence that this occurs, i just think that some have the ability with a biggish head and tight skin may satay back. I think that the creation of those ridge is where guys with long foreskins which seems the one way that it stays back.
Quote from: Qatar on 2020-05-04 00:52:26
Hey, I'm 19 and I've been pulling back on and off for about 2 years now. As it says in the title, I am skeptical that pulling back the foreskin at all times can eventually lead to permanent retraction. The primary reason for me wanting to be able to retract permanently is because it would reduce the odor coming from the region, and I think it would look better as well.
Well for once, I can't say whether the foreskin can get smaller overtime or not, but in any case this in itself doesn't prevent you to retract.
Also I'm sceptical that retraction would reduce the odour coming from the region. On the other hand, since the foreskin won't barrier the odours your dick might stink more.
Quote from: Qatar on 2020-05-04 00:52:26
Hey, I'm 19 and I've been pulling back on and off for about 2 years now. As it says in the title, I am skeptical that pulling back the foreskin at all times can eventually lead to permanent retraction. The primary reason for me wanting to be able to retract permanently is because it would reduce the odor coming from the region, and I think it would look better as well.
Qatar, the odor coming from the region down under is a problem of personal hygiene.
Even when pulled back 24/7 your penis can become smelly when you don't wash it regularly (like once a day).
It is the smegma that is the cause of the odor.
I think most of us here on the forum keep the foreskin back for fun and the looks of it, some do it for medical reasons.
Why don't you try the spoon method for keeping your foreskin back?
Like you I have a pretty long foreskin and the spoon method works just fine for me.
Quote from: Pulledbackbelgian on 2020-05-04 22:53:41
Qatar, the odor coming from the region down under is a problem of personal hygiene.
Even when pulled back 24/7 your penis can become smelly when you don't wash it regularly (like once a day).
It is the smegma that is the cause of the odor.
Just speaking personally, I've realized that the odor comes from the moisture that is held in by the penis. When I retract, much of the odor is able to go away because it stays dry, although the smell still sometimes persists due to the inner foreskin under the head of my penis gaining moisture. Also to address those who are saying I should take it easy, I'm just curious to hear out some opinions is all :)
Quote from: Kylar on 2020-05-04 01:10:06
Well... I'm not really sure it's possible to shrink the skin. It hasn't changed length for me, that's for sure. And I have a long foreskin too, and for a long time the only way it would remain retracted was to fold it, which is what you seem to be doing. But eventually it ended up staying back without folding too, much more than it did years ago. So I guess something did change in my foreskin.
You will never "shrink" the skin. However, especially if one is a bit of a shower, it is possible to develop deep shaft wrinkles that in essence "shrinks" the skin having the same effect as being circumcised. I know, in my heyday when having intercourse the foreskin never covered the glans, it was just like having been circ'd.
Looking at your configuration (only one photo working, though), which is exactly like mine I can only agree to your scepticism. Pulling back can not shrink that amount of skin, so we are more or less dependent on one or another device or technique. Which is not all in all bad: I've ben using a glans ring for 8 months 24/7 and got totally used to it. It is like underware or glasses or a tie-simply something you put on every morning. I understand you did not like the silicon - have you tried a different material? I use a textyle model myself and has worked fine.
As for the odour: with a normal daily hygiene odour sometimes occurs due to some fungal infection of the glans/foreskin. Try something from a pharmacy, there should be non-presciption products available.
And, as Kylar and others rightly put it: it is the path, not the goal, that matters.
Quote from: Fabik on 2020-05-04 19:14:28
Also I'm sceptical that retraction would reduce the odour coming from the region. On the other hand, since the foreskin won't barrier the odours your dick might stink more.
That's roughly the opposite of what is true, and I'm frankly very surprised you don't know this, for how vocal you tend to be about your opinions.
Sure, if you have been keeping it covered and you uncover it without washing, it will smell more (for a while) because there's no barrier. But once you wash it, whatever is causing the smell (pee, precum, cum, other kinds of natural secretions) isn't getting trapped under the skin if it's kept uncovered, so it gets less smelly.
Quote from: Fabik on 2020-05-04 19:14:28
Also I'm sceptical that retraction would reduce the odour coming from the region. On the other hand, since the foreskin won't barrier the odours your dick might stink more.
I'm surprised by this statement, because it goes against my experience. When the glans is exposed, after some time smegma will no longer form, and bacteria that used to live in the closed environment under the prepuce can no longer develop. Two very good reasons that contribute to better hygiene and getting rid of odors.
QuoteThat's roughly the opposite of what is true, and I'm frankly very surprised you don't know this, for how vocal you tend to be about your opinions.
I could be mistaken, but you need to prove me wrong.
QuoteBut once you wash it, whatever is causing the smell (pee, precum, cum, other kinds of natural secretions) isn't getting trapped under the skin if it's kept uncovered, so it gets less smelly.
That's true wherever you're retracting or not - obviously it won't smell after washing and will smell at some point later no matter where your foreskin is.
However, when you're retracting whathever is causing the smell is trapped by your underwear instead of the foreskin. So it makes the underwear dirty a lot quicker than when wearking the foreskin forward, and smell more. Taking your clothes off while retracting is like retracting while wearing your foreskin, it exposes the inner glans, potentially stinking. To me during my retraction experiences it felt like it was smelling at least as much as before but I might just have been unlucky.
QuoteWhen the glans is exposed, after some time smegma will no longer form, and bacteria that used to live in the closed environment under the prepuce can no longer develop
Might be, I don't know - but bacteria in the body is not necessairly bad, for example you couldn't digest food at all without them. Or maybe retracting day only doesn't make the effect it does for those doing it 24/7 ?
Qatar, I assure you that permanent retraction is entirely possible. My skin stays back continuously of it's own accord with no additional measures, and has always done so; similarly, it will stay forward. I am sure there are other people like this, but realise this isn't the case for everyone.
I'm also interested in the possibility that the foreskin may apparently reduce in length. I doubt that it can shrink in the sense that there is less of it, but wonder whether it might lose some elasticity and contract in length. This may manifest as a plumping out of the shaft skin, or be taken up in the development of deep shaft wrinkles (as described by others). If this is so, then I also wonder if any such contraction is reversible by skinning forward and stretching.
Of course, everyone is an individual with different sizes, shapes and retraction abilities, so any such effect is unlikely to be universal. As Kylar says, for him there is no effect. As an experiment I have taken a photo of my skin forward to compare at some time in the future after extended retraction.
My belief based on my own circumstances is that retraction has REDUCED odour to minimal, and smegma is now non-existent (even without daily washing). This seems to be the experience of most, but again everyone has their own experience (as Fabik has described).
Quote from: Fabik on 2020-05-05 17:49:12
Might be, I don't know - but bacteria in the body is not necessairly bad, for example you couldn't digest food at all without them. Or maybe retracting day only doesn't make the effect it does for those doing it 24/7 ?
I agree with that, but like all bacterial populatlons they vary according to the individual and the circumstances. For instance, if you wash too much and/or with too agressive detergents, you can upset the balance, and the bacteria will be replaced by others which may be less friendly. Or worse, yeast might install because bacteria are no longer there to prevent it.
In my case if I washed more than once a day, it would inevitably lead to balanoposthitis after some weeks. If I washed once a day with mild gel, I never got any infection - so the balance was there - but there was a strong odor at the end of the day. And this got worse with age.
Being retracted 24/7 cured this - I don't doubt there are bacteria still, like you said, but clearly they are not the same on a dry and exposed glans, than before on a wet and hidden glans. Whatever bacteria I have now don't show a tendency to go out of control, to be replaced by worse ones, and they don't generate any odor. Maybe this will shed some light on my decision to go bare 'forever'.
Quote from: Fabik on 2020-05-05 17:49:12
Or maybe retracting day only doesn't make the effect it does for those doing it 24/7 ?
Fabik, I am not quite certain what it is you are attempting to say. Are you implying that being retracted for one day doesn't have the same effect that will be produced for going 24/7? Of course, those that retract for only short periods will never achieve the loss of secretions that 24/7 over a long period (many years) will achieve. Those that have been retracted over long periods will produce zero foreskin secretions. As I have said elsewhere, after being retracted for years and then being covered for 25 years the secretions never recovered, were still practically zero. When I went covered, I had to apply a moisturizer for a long time because of the loss. So if you feel you are still having secretion problems, go 24/7 for a long period before giving the opinion that secretion is still produced after a long period of exposure.
Quote from: Hazeleye on 2020-05-06 03:27:22
Fabik, I am not quite certain what it is you are attempting to say. Are you implying that being retracted for one day doesn't have the same effect that will be produced for going 24/7? Of course, those that retract for only short periods will never achieve the loss of secretions that 24/7 over a long period (many years) will achieve. Those that have been retracted over long periods will produce zero foreskin secretions. As I have said elsewhere, after being retracted for years and then being covered for 25 years the secretions never recovered, were still practically zero. When I went covered, I had to apply a moisturizer for a long time because of the loss. So if you feel you are still having secretion problems, go 24/7 for a long period before giving the opinion that secretion is still produced after a long period of exposure.
Yes hazeleye, this all applies to me, i have no secretion even if the skin goes over the head and that's doing it 24/7 for years
I'm an intermittent retractor for 5 years (have known retraction itself & masturbation for 10-11y) and my glans doesn't smell or get moist/have secretion, much less smegma build up even when I stay covered for weeks on end.
Though of course I still retract in the shower for basic hygiene practice.
For those who have been able to reduce the moisture in their glans and inner foreskin, is there a way to speed up this process? Or dry out the area?
Quote from: Qatar on 2020-05-06 13:37:25
For those who have been able to reduce the moisture in their glans and inner foreskin, is there a way to speed up this process? Or dry out the area?
In my experience, just have patience and be bare as much and as long as possible. As anon21 has just posted, he was successful, notwithstanding that he did so by not being constantly back.
Quote from: Daffyskin on 2020-05-05 18:16:08
I'm also interested in the possibility that the foreskin may apparently reduce in length. I doubt that it can shrink in the sense that there is less of it, but wonder whether it might lose some elasticity and contract in length. This may manifest as a plumping out of the shaft skin, or be taken up in the development of deep shaft wrinkles (as described by others). If this is so, then I also wonder if any such contraction is reversible by skinning forward and stretching.
Daffyskin, if you have only been pulled back for a short period, you do have a good understanding of the process. It is not possible to "shrink" the foreskin, however, by developing deep shaft wrinkles one can assume the principle that the foreskin is shorter. Of course, with continuous pulled back, the plumpness of the foreskin thins, giving also the appearance of less tissue. And yes, once the deep wrinkles have been incorporated, as I discovered after being thusly back for years, did require special foreskin taping to be able to regain the ability to have the glans stay covered again.
Cheers Hazeleye.
I have found that this forum contains a great deal of really valuable information contributed by experienced retractors along with a wide range of personal observations (I recommend all newcomers spend some time reading older threads). I have combined this with my inquisitive nature and slight scientific inclination to explore and understand the process and its various effects. To me, the journey and process is interesting in itself, and my outlook and approach to it evolves as this proceeds. Maybe I sound as if I'm thinking too deeply, but I enjoy it and I appreciate what is available on this forum. :)
Right on, Daffyskin. No, I wouldn't say you are thinking too deeply. Just like me, you are expressing a true interest in a subject and that is what is needed. Carry on!
For those saying that retraction occurs easier if deep shaft wrinkles are formed, is there a way to make this occur manually? Is it possible to quicken the process of these wrinkles forming?
My understanding is that the wrinkles form as a result of being retracted because the original length of skin is now bunched up in a shorter distance. That being the case, I don't suppose there is a way to quicken the process. As with most things to do with retracting, I don't think there are any short cuts - success is achieved with time and perseverance.
Maybe the long-term retractors could share their thoughts on the matter.
One of the problems with getting deep shaft wrinkles is that the under foreskin especially is extremely thin. Therefore when one uses rings and other such measure behind the glans there is not any pressure on the shaft skin. One method to develop these wrinkles would be to take 3 strips of a good adhesive tape and, after bunching the shaft skin up the shaft, place one strip on top, and one on each side. To work, the tape doesn't have to be wide, most tapes could be cut into two strips lengthwise. Further back in the forums are pictures but can't find them just now.
Besides the taping method described previously, one other simple trick that I tried before taping was to wear snug briefs. After having a wee, I would pull up on the shaft skin when putting back in the brief and at the same time not let the penis be as low in the brief as would normally happen. This will put extra pressure on the compacted shaft skin. Unfortunately, the taping might be better for those that like a little more swing free!
Yeah bro, what Hazeleye said: Wear snug briefs and pull back before putting them on. Also, this method is easy to do, or choose to reverse, as you only need a bathroom or a little privacy to pull your foreskin down or back.