Some might think the foreskin, which biologists call the prepuce, is simply a flap of excess skin. While a person can obviously live without one, the foreskin is different from the skin surrounding it. Research suggests that the foreskin is more sensitive than the glans (head of the penis) (Taylor, 1996).


There are a number of reasons why some men wish to restore their foreskin. Because that tissue is more sensitive than the glans, some circumcised men believe they are missing out on sexual pleasure by not having a foreskin. Some men seek restoration because they feel they are reclaiming something lost, while some might suffer from body image issues regarding the appearance of their penis.

We should note upfront that the phrase “foreskin restoration,” while commonly used, is a slight misnomer. Once removed, one cannot grow a “new” foreskin any more than one could a new toe. What we call restoration is creating a covering that has the look, and some believe the feel, of a foreskin.