Why I Don’t Recommend Manual Methods

Manual restoration, meaning just stretching the skin with the hands alone, is popular and often recommended to beginning restorers. Manual restoration does have some benefits, including being free and available to use at any starting level. However, there are many downsides to manual methods, which is why I generally don’t recommend them at all.

You Can’t Measure Tension

In order to get consistent progress with foreskin restoration, it is important to take a scientific approach, and this means measuring how much tension you are using. Too little, or more commonly, too much tension is one of the main reasons why some fail to see results. If you are just using your hands to apply tension to the skin, there is no way of determining how much tension you are using besides just going by feel. Using too little tension will not yield optimal results, and using too much can cause stress and injury. Using taping methods or a tapeless device with an elastic strap or weights makes it easy to apply a precise amount of tension to the skin, and knowing how much tension you are using is important for tracking progress. Although I outline the optimal range of tension in The Complete Guide to Foreskin Restoration, some trial an error is needed to find the exact amount of tension that will yield the best results specifically for you.

Time Commitment

Manual methods take more active time commitment than hands-free methods. Manual restoration involves setting aside small blocks of time throughout the day to restore, and this can be problematic depending on one’s lifestyle or occupation. Although the most dedicated are able to do this, many have difficulty sticking to a consistent schedule.

Foreskin restoration is a long process that takes several years, but it does not have to take much active time or effort. Tape and tapeless devices are hands free, and mostly set-it-and-forget-it. Once you have the tension dialed in, it only takes a few minutes to apply them in the morning, and to remove and wash them at the end of the day. With hands-free restoration, you don’t need to change your daily schedule to any significant degree, and really don’t need to think about restoration at all. The process is almost completely passive.

Manual Methods Aren’t Better

Some have hypothesized that manual methods can work better due to the use of cyclical tension, but as I explained here, this is not proven to be true. Restorers have had success using both cyclical and static tension, but there isn’t any substantial evidence to say that one works better than the other.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, manual methods are an inefficient use of time and effort compared to hands-free restoration. Manual methods do work, but many who try to restore using them exclusively fail to see results for the reasons stated above. If you have tried using manual methods and either haven’t seen results, or have had difficulty staying consistent with it, don’t give up on restoration just yet. For beginners, I recommend using either T-Tape or the Canister method, both of which I outline with clear and easy instructions in The Complete Guide to Foreskin Restoration. With these methods you can easily adjust how much tension you are using in order to get optimal results. Foreskin restoration does not need to be complicated or time consuming. It is normal to be strategically lazy, and hands-free methods make this as easy as possible.

Image: Evan-Amos, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons