Author Topic: Common misconception about keratinization  (Read 3224 times)

Offline DiagonalFunctor

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Common misconception about keratinization
« on: 2023-07-18 22:24:28 »
From what I've read on this forum and on reddit, a lot of people seem to believe that keratinization and subsequent desensitization of the glans is a result of the friction between the delicate skin and underwear. I have a different view on that.

 A lot of men here are waiting for keratinization to occur just by exposing their glans to air and underwear, but I think that there is absolutely no way of inducing keratine adaption just by the slight friction against the fabric past a certain point. Assuming you have comfortable underwear without any sharp seams, there shouldn't be enough friction to damage the skin and cause keratine build up.

The reason some circumcised men have such a rough and patchy skin on their glans is because they don't have enough skin to masturbate by gliding the skin and therefore rub it which is even with lube very damaging to the skin. Those who have enough skin to masturbate normally should have almost exactly the same sensitivity as uncircumcised men do because they don't cause any damage to their glans. That's the reason why some circumcised men report losing a lot of sensitivity while others don't. There is also a death grip syndrome where circumcised men have to rub their tip harder and harder to feel anything, commiting to the vicious cycle. I mean, it's logical, look up some pics on r/softies for example. Men with looser cuts seem to have completely normal looking glans whole those with higher cuts have much rougher and discolored skin there (although not always because there is a range of masturbation styles).

I read some posts on r/circumcisiongrief where users wrote about the fact that their tip used to be very sensitive just up until puberty when they started masturbating and only then got significantly less sensitive, supporting my theory. Also, a lot of men there have had a hard time adjusting to looser boxers when switching from briefs in the early teens and I heard a lot about those evil nets in swimmimg shorts.

I think that if you just expose the glans to underwear and air, the skin will dry out a little bit which may make it seem like it's less sensitive, but the head is naturally sensitive only to touching while moist (try it out, it is definitely the case), and you're not actually getting any keratinization done unless you were very sensitive in the first place. The only real adaptation that happens is that the brain learns to ignore the microsensations caused by the movement in underwear, but when you get it to be moist again, there shouldn't really be any difference.

What do you think? I think it makes sense and it's logical. From my own experience, I'm almost a week in and the head is still as sensitive as before, I just don't feel the movement as much as I used to. The glans is definitely drier and looks a bit beat up and hopeless from all the new and constant sensations; sometimes when I cross my legs and accidently squeeze it or something, there are some pressure marks, but overall nothing really damaging, so it only makes sense that the sensitivity is retained.
« Last Edit: 2023-07-18 22:29:59 by DiagonalFunctor »

Offline HeroicGlance

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Re: Common misconception about keratinization
« Reply #1 on: 2023-07-19 03:48:46 »
1 - Reddit is a toilet - it just is.

2 - The physical process of keratinization begins and ends with the exposed tissue being exposed to the air.  There are folks here who are trying to speed the process up by soaking their exposed glans & inner foreskin with rubbing alcohol/mineral salts, but everything I know about the body's healing process says the opposite.

3 - Wearing tight underwear is beneficial for folks who need to start the process of training it back, but once your coronal ridge expands, and our inner foreskin becomes tougher because of exposure, no underwear as the best strategy.

4 - Congratulations on your first week!  I've been an occasional retractor for about 20 years, and I went permanent, about 17/18 months back (I then dto forget, because it's like it's always been this way, now.)
Retracting for 21 years. Heterosexual.

Offline ThePiemel

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Re: Common misconception about keratinization
« Reply #2 on: 2023-07-19 09:52:49 »
It is all the same with lips. Outer lips have a keratine layer. Inner lips don't because they stay moist.

Offline boris0604

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Re: Common misconception about keratinization
« Reply #3 on: 2023-07-19 13:02:42 »
Hmmm, some interesting observations and comments on the subject of keratisation.
As with most things, individual experiences are likely to differ, and it is difficult to identify "universal truths".
As a fully committed Retractor who uses daily application of surgical spirit (rubbing alcohol) to both my glans and inner foreskin, I can only comment based on my personal experience.
The daily application has certainly resulted in a "drying out" of my glans, a thickening of its skin, and a loss of sensitivity. (Hoorah!)
I shall be continuing to use surgical spirit daily.

Offline ThePiemel

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Re: Common misconception about keratinization
« Reply #4 on: 2023-07-19 15:04:30 »
Hmmm, some interesting observations and comments on the subject of keratisation.
As with most things, individual experiences are likely to differ, and it is difficult to identify "universal truths".
As a fully committed Retractor who uses daily application of surgical spirit (rubbing alcohol) to both my glans and inner foreskin, I can only comment based on my personal experience.
The daily application has certainly resulted in a "drying out" of my glans, a thickening of its skin, and a loss of sensitivity. (Hoorah!)
I shall be continuing to use surgical spirit daily.

Alcohol is not always good because it kills natural skin bacteria. And can cause a yeast infection. That is part of natural skin defenses as well.

Offline DiagonalFunctor

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Re: Common misconception about keratinization
« Reply #5 on: 2023-07-19 16:29:52 »
1 - Reddit is a toilet - it just is.

2 - The physical process of keratinization begins and ends with the exposed tissue being exposed to the air.  There are folks here who are trying to speed the process up by soaking their exposed glans & inner foreskin with rubbing alcohol/mineral salts, but everything I know about the body's healing process says the opposite.

3 - Wearing tight underwear is beneficial for folks who need to start the process of training it back, but once your coronal ridge expands, and our inner foreskin becomes tougher because of exposure, no underwear as the best strategy.

4 - Congratulations on your first week!  I've been an occasional retractor for about 20 years, and I went permanent, about 17/18 months back (I then dto forget, because it's like it's always been this way, now.)

Thanks. The process of keratinization is induced by microtears in the mucosa. When it is very sensitive, even air can damage it but when your head is moderately sensitive, there aren't really any microtears because the underwear doesn't usually provide enough friction for that.

By the way - 18 months is a lot! Does it feel as neutral as having the foreskin over the head? How often do you think about your coverage state during the day? I don't really notice it much but sometimes, although, when several factors coincide, there is enough friction for me to feel it. And as I said, I sometimes squeeze the head when I cross my legs (that's just how I like to sit) and it seems to not like it judging by the pressure marks. I get the marks quite often actually, they're like the marks you leave on your pillow or bed when you lie on it for a long time.

Offline HeroicGlance

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Re: Common misconception about keratinization
« Reply #6 on: 2023-07-21 03:29:36 »
18 months is a lot! Does it feel as neutral as having the foreskin over the head? How often do you think about your coverage state during the day? I don't really notice it much but sometimes, although, when several factors coincide, there is enough friction for me to feel it. And as I said, I sometimes squeeze the head when I cross my legs (that's just how I like to sit) and it seems to not like it judging by the pressure marks. I get the marks quite often actually, they're like the marks you leave on your pillow or bed when you lie on it for a long time.

I confess that even back when I was only occasionally retracting, it felt like my genitalia were heaving a great sigh when I removed my underwear, let my foreskin settle back and spent the evening hours and night "going commando."  I think that's why I prefer to do that pretty much all the time, now.

I will tell you: these days, it's not so much that the feeling of the exposed glans is not noticeable - it's just that you get used to it, and after a while, you tend to filter it out of your moment-to-moment thinking.

In a way, that's the way I remember things being before I retracted:

Yeah, I always felt my penis, but unless I had good reason to pay attention - I feel it in the same way I feel the skin on my wrist, or the skin on my thigh.

As far as crossing your legs: unless that is absolutely necessary to keep things retracted, I'd avoid that.  I can tell you that distressing your glans =/= keratinization.  I remember during my "transition," I refrained from that as much as possible.
Retracting for 21 years. Heterosexual.

Offline PermanetlyBareKnob

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Re: Common misconception about keratinization
« Reply #7 on: 2023-08-28 01:22:29 »
From my own experience, I'm almost a week in and the head is still as sensitive as before, I just don't feel the movement as much as I used to. The glans is definitely drier and looks a bit beat up and hopeless from all the new and constant sensations; sometimes when I cross my legs and accidently squeeze it or something, there are some pressure marks, but overall nothing really damaging, so it only makes sense that the sensitivity is retained.

Congratulations on your first week of retracting!  From my personal experience, you are still in the VERY early stages of the process, probably far too early to experience the kinds of skin texture and sensitivity changes of long time, full time retractors.

As I recall, there was a stage after a few weeks, where my skin peeled on my glans and my inner foreskin, a bit like a sunburn.  It was many months of full time retraction before I became aware of significant sensation/sensitivity changes.  That was around the same time I stopped really noticing my glans in my underwear, and around the time I completely switched over to exclusively using skinned back masturbation styles.