Foregen

Over the past few years, doctors and scientists have been quietly tiptoeing into the field of foreskin-restoration surgery, drawn by growing demand, the proliferation of gender-affirmation care (which has helped surgeons hone their skill in reshaping genitals), and circumcision itself falling out of favor. In the United States, circumcision reached its zenith in the mid-1960s, when an estimated 80 percent of males had their foreskins cut off. In 2022 — the most recent year for which data is available — only 49 percent of male infants were circumcised. That some physicians are now helping to reverse a procedure their peers long touted as a boon for patients’ health is raising fresh tensions over the merits of circumcision and emboldening men to challenge whether the procedure’s toll is greater than doctors have typically recognized. Though the majority of people still opt to take matters into their own hands, procedures like Floyd’s — and the growing body of research into the mechanics and merits of uncircumcision — suggest professional help is finally arriving. In a new feature for The Cut, @bbosker introduces us to foreskin-restoration surgery, the men seeking it out, and the other methods of circumcision reversal they’ve tried: the-cut.visitlink.me/F6nMKe