2022-04-17
starting to plan my circumcision
so it's decided, i wanna get circumcised. but it's not as simple as just going to a doctor and getting the foreskin cut off 🤷 i gotta plan some things first.
why?
i wrote more about it in the post „transition as an agender person”, but here's a tl;dr:
- i have too much foreskin, i'd like it shortened, if only for æsthetics,
- my glans is a tad too sensitive, keratinization should help,
- my foreskin doesn't retract all the way while hard,
i guess because of the frenulumnope, turns out i have a mild case of phimosis, - i'm not a man, i'm agender – and dysphoria-wise having a dick is… not the ideal scenario for me; but i'd like to keep my sex drive and ability to orgasm, so getting cut is as close to not having a dick as reasonably makes sense to me,
- i'm into chastity, and foreskin gets in the way of wearing a cage,
- easier hygiene would be a nice bonus.
which one?
so there's four styles of circumcision. it can be any combination of high or low and loose or tight. what does it mean and which the hell do i pick?
i've seen many articles explaining that, but none explained it as good as this one, so i'm strongly recommending giving it a read.
i also looked for some references online, so here's a bunch of pictures to enjoy:
- high & tight: [hard, pic] [hard, vid] [soft, pic]
- low & tight: [soft and hard, vid] [semi-hard, pic] [hard, pic] [hard, pics] [hard, comparison pics]
- high & loose: [hard, pics] [soft and hard, pics]
- low & loose: [soft, pic], [soft, pic]
so, what do i think?
- high vs low: i'm not a fan of the scar in the middle of the shaft; also high cut, despite looking like it's removing more skin, actually leaves the sensitive inner foreskin in place; so i'd rather go for a low cut;
- loose vs tight: initially i wanted to leave more wiggle room, but people online seem to be really enjoying the feeling of tightness; apparently it also makes the flaccid dick look smaller, so i'm all for it.
so i guess low & tight it is! basically, it's removing as much skin as possible, the entire inner and outer foreskin as gone, without leaving the shaft two-coloured, and it will make my dick look smaller when soft. nice!
it goes without saying that i want the frenulum gone too 😉
where?
so that's quite a pickle… you see, i'm an intactivist, advocating for people's right to decide what happens to their bodies. i'm going to get circumcised as an adult, having done my research and enthusiastically consenting to the procedure. i'm able to first have the uncut experience as a reference point, i'm able to pick my cut style, etc. but circumcising a newborn without any medical indication or informed consent, simply because of religious or cultural reasons, is fucking outrageous.
it seems impossible to find a clinic that doesn't actively encourage unconsensual circumcision (aka genital mutilation). many in the netherlands are muslim clinics that advertise directly to parents seeking religious mutilation for their infants. as an atheist, anticlerical, queer and intactivist i'm definitely not going to support their business. i wouldn't reject a clinic just because a doctor is muslim or arab. but if their homepage's featured picture shows little kids looking happy about having their genitals mutilated (like this one or that one), or even is explicitly named a “children clinic” (like this one), then i'm out.
but secular clinics aren't perfect either. it seems like everywhere i look they set the price of the procedure in a way that incentivises getting your kid circumcised as early as possible. i don't know, maybe there's a reasonable, medical reason, why circumcising an infant should cost half the price of the adult (like here) and why it gradually grows with age. maybe… but it seems very fishy.
still, a few clinics seem okay: LUMC, Bento Clinics, Andros Clinics. if you have any recommendations in zuid-holland (or noord-holland, or utrecht), please let me know 😉
how much?
regardless of the clinic, about 500€, not covered by insurance.
when?
healing after the procedure takes about six weeks, during which it can feel uncomfortable and it's not recommended to masturbate or have sex. and i assume that sunbathing nude wouldn't be the smartest choice either. so i'd rather avoid the summer time or the months when i have trips planned. which means it's probably only gonna happen in october or november.
summing up
i'm confident that i want to have the procedure and pretty sure that i wanna go for a low & tight cut with frenectomy. i'll just have to wait till autumn, save 500€ and pick the right clinic. yay! 😊