Circumcision styles base

Circumcision is a very personal matter. The skin on your penis is attached at two points: the pelvis and the corona of the glans (head). When the skin is longer than the distance between these two points, it will roll over the glans to cover it. Circumcision shortens the skin between your pelvis and corona of the glans (head). The amount of skin removed and where it is removed from is a matter of choice within certain limits.

The various topics on the left will guide you through the process and various styles, helping you decide what is best for you. Not all styles are applicable to all peni depending on the condition of your foreskin, and the size variations between fully faccid and fully erect states.

Since you know your penis in all its various states, you are in a better position to judge what you want and how much skin needs to be removed if you do your homework properly. Your doctor can guess how much skin to remove based on a quick examination, but if you take the time, you can calculate exactly how much you want removed.

NOTE:Finding proper medical definitions that describe the various styles (and resulting functionality) is very difficult and generally, medical defintions are insufficient because they do not clearly separate those styles.

MINIMAL The goal of a minimal circumcision is to remain functionally and cosmetically uncircumcised, albeit with a slightly shorter foreskin. Reasons may include the removal of a small tight band of skin that makes retraction impossible or difficult, or reducing a long foreskin to a more average one.

PARTIAL A partial circumcision reduces the foreskin to one which is at the short end of the range of foreskins. When flaccid, part of the head remains exposed and the meatus is almost never covered, unless you are in Siberia during mid winter :-)

LOOSE A loose circumcision will fully expose the glans most of the times, but sometimes will still get covered partially when the penis shrinks below its normal flaccid state. Some loose skin remains bunched up against the rim when soft. Once erect, the skin is not extremely tight and can still be moved a fair amount. There are cases where to allow for the growth in the erection, the penis will have to appear loosely circumcised when fully flaccid. In a loosely circumcised male, the loose skin behind the rim will "hide" the shape of the rim of head in underwear making the circumcision status less obvious when in underwear or speedos.

MODERATE This is your "average" circumcision. The head never gets covered, except just a bit when penis is extremely small (very cold water for instance). Some skin may bunch up at the rim, but will generally be of lesser diameter than the rim of the glans. Once hard, movement of the skin depends on how much the penis grows. Generally the male would still be able to pull some skin to the rim of head, but not over it.

TIGHT In a tight circumcision, there is little of no loose skin on the shaft, thus making the shape of the head very prominent in underwear or speedos. When hard, there is little or no movement of the shaft skin which is very thin and tight.

VISUALISATION OF AMOUNT OF SKIN REMOVED

There is a wide variety of the amount of skin to be removed depending on the desired style and the amount of foreskin present prior to circumcision. Each individual is different, especially with regards to when measurements are taken. Measurements of skin to be removed taken when not fully flaccid will result in a looser circumcision than expected unless the doctor adjusts the amount accordingly.

LOW versus HIGH circumcision

One often hears the expressions "low cut" and "high cut". They have nothing to do with the amount of skin which has been removed and/or which remains , but rather to the placement of the scar and what skin was removed.

A HIGH circumcision retains most if not all of the inner foreskin. When soft, one can usually see the colour difference between the two somewhere behind the head.

A LOW circumcision removes most or all of the inner foreskin, placing the scar very near to the corrona of the glans. When soft, the penis has a very special clean look because the shaft skin goes almost all the way to the glans with no skin colour change along the way.

If one is being circumcised due to phimosis, it is likely that part of the inner foreskin near the tight band will have to be removed, so the option of retaining all of the inner foreskin may not be available depending on where the tight skin is located. But one who choose circumcision as cosmetic surgery has full choice of the location of the scar.

In some cultures (Japanese are often mentioned), the scar is very prominent due to the skin colour and type and those who elect to be circumcised for cosmetic reasons have the scar placed at the base of the penis, removing the shaft skin at base of penis and leaving the "foreskin" intact. This also makes the scar much less visible since there is little or no skin colour change below and above the scar. In a high circumcision, the contrast between the inner foreskin and shaft skin is quite visible.

MINIMAL	The goal of a minimal circumcision is to remain functionally and cosmetically uncircumcised, albeit with a slightly shorter foreskin. Reasons may include the removal of a small tight band of skin that makes retraction impossible or difficult, or reducing a long foreskin to a more average one.
PARTIAL	A partial circumcision reduces the foreskin to one which is at the short end of the range of foreskins. When flaccid, part of the head remains exposed and the meatus is almost never covered, unless you are in Siberia during mid winter :-)
LOOSE	A loose circumcision will fully expose the glans most of the times, but sometimes will still get covered partially when the penis shrinks below its normal flaccid state. Some loose skin remains bunched up against the rim when soft. Once erect, the skin is not extremely tight and can still be moved a fair amount. There are cases where to allow for the growth in the erection, the penis will have to appear loosely circumcised when fully flaccid. In a loosely circumcised male, the loose skin behind the rim will "hide" the shape of the rim of head in underwear making the circumcision status less obvious when in underwear or speedos.
MODERATE	This is your "average" circumcision. The head never gets covered, except just a bit when penis is extremely small (very cold water for instance). Some skin may bunch up at the rim, but will generally be of lesser diameter than the rim of the glans. Once hard, movement of the skin depends on how much the penis grows. Generally the male would still be able to pull some skin to the rim of head, but not over it.
TIGHT	In a tight circumcision, there is little of no loose skin on the shaft, thus making the shape of the head very prominent in underwear or speedos. When hard, there is little or no movement of the shaft skin which is very thin and tight.