[ ARC forum 2 ]
Written by Paul B. at 06 Jan 2003 22:44:13: Further Progress
As an answer to: Progress and doubts written by Val at 06 Jan 2003 21:06:29:
Well, if you can get the foreskin back now, you should have no doubts that stretching is the effective way to achieve your goal - of a comfortably functioning foreskin.
You don't describe exactly how or what you are stretching, but I shall presume it consists of alternately pulling the foreskin back, and widening it by pulling outward inside of the opening when it is forward over the glans. The specific approach for a tight fraenulum, whether primary (in the middle), or the secondary folds you describe, (which could also be adhesions, but no matter, the same approach will be effective), is to grab the lower part of the foreskin, whilst forward, as close to the fraenulum as practical, and pull it forward.
This is a single-handed exercise, and can be performed whenever you have sufficient privacy to put your hand down your pants - so you should be able to do it for a few idle minutes much more often than once a day. And it will I suspect, be less uncomfortable than many other approaches.
The cream? Hydrocortisone is probably a good emollient, keeping the skin soft, but it is not effective (ask your stepfather) in helping the skin to stretch. If it really concerns you to use an effective ointment (at this stage, on the fraenulum only), then you would need a fluorinated steroid (again - ask your stepfather).
As to surgery, well, there is certainly no need, other than impatience, and you run the risk of scarring which may of itself be uncomfortable. Mind you, I am not as strictly against plastic procedures to the fraenulum as some, as it is but a small part of the foreskin and being midline, has few nerves, but surgery simply seems a let-down - a cop-out - if you can do it with stretching - and you always can with patience.