“…he says he’s not circumcised and I don’t know I think that may be too weird even for me…”

Several of my friends have never seen one, a few live in fear of encountering one and one refuses to have any interactions with them at all. I am referring not to an accountant, an El Camino or one of those Real Housewives people (all actual fears of the Redhead Bedhead) but to the uncircumcised penis. For reasons I’ll never understand, some folks act like uncut dicks are rare as unicorns and as unpleasant a discovery as hidden household mold. I guess I travel in a more foreskin-friendly circle because I have encountered nearly as many men with it as I have without it and I really don’t know what the big deal is. It’s a dick, people, you can handle it.

Frankly, I think foreskin is kind of adorable¹. It’s like a little² penis sleeping bag! (truth be told I love anything that comes with its own case-from Vera Wang to, you know, regular wang) And when the foreskin retracts – I’ll stop here, because we are going to have a quick moment of instruction: If you are getting it on with an uncut gentleman and pants are off and he still looks very noticeably like, well, an uncut gentleman this means the foreskin has not retracted and this is where you come in. Wrap you hand around the shaft of the penis and gently draw the hand toward his body and then- eureka!- you have a cock just like you know and love. Was that really so hard? Of course not! Throw on a condom and have at! Now, I should mention that sometimes the foreskin doesn’t retract, as illustrated in this Scarleteen.com letter. Do not panic! Having the foreskin in place will not get in the way of condom use (or anything else). I’d advise a couple of drops of lube inside the condom -but when is that not a good idea?!- for comfort sake and then get down on it, as it were.

Now, the extra skin may be what catches your eye but here’s the thing that is actually most noteworthy in terms of sex and the uncircumcised man: increased sensitivity. That penis “sleeping bag” is actually lined with mucus membrane (I know, I’m really selling this, right?) and acts as a protective case for the glans (aka the head) keeping it safe and lubricated.³ Then there’s the benefit from the foreskin itself. I found this cool quote on the matter from The Royal Australasian College of Physicians “the foreskin is a primary sensory part of the penis, containing some of the most sensitive areas…”.  What does this mean for you? Well, there are two sides to this coin. One is, you know, it’s more sensitive. So if you are accustomed to, say, using your teeth during oral sex you might want to dial that down, tread lightly at first, try things out and keep communication open, which is always a good idea anyway!

The flip side of the increased sensitivity coin, though, is where things get awesome. In my experience, the increased sensitivity means a lot more bang for your buck, so to speak. In return for the, like, 5 seconds you spent retracting foreskin you get hours of carnal fun. My research (and by “research” I mean “dating history”) shows that the post-coital recovery time is way different. Now, I cannot speak for all uncircumcised men but the ones I’ve known have (far and away more than their trimmed counterparts), with a little rest and the right encouragement, been up for repeated rounds in short periods of time.  As a friend of mine put it “As long as things keep holding my attention I can keep going” and, I’m not going to lie, that’s pretty awesome.

So, that’s the story on our sheathed friends. Remember, though, every man is unique and communication is your best bedroom tool, so be sure to ask your new friend what works for him! Now go forth and if the next boy you encounter skipped the snip, don’t freak out. Be nice to him and he’ll be nice to you!

¹ I don’t recommend ever using the word “adorable” to describe anything about a penis to its owner… it most likely will not go over well

² It should go without saying but the same rules as with the word “adorable” apply here. Never say “little” about a penis in any context – even if you’ve made it a tiny hat, just call it a hat and be done with it.

³ There’s some great stuff on this very topic on page 24 of this book, which btw, you should totally own anyway: The New Good Vibrations Guide to Sex: Tips and Techniques from America’s Favorite Sex Toy Store, 2nd Edition